25th February 2007
The newspaper "The Observer" names ecofriendlytourist.com among its Picks of the Week in its Escape travel section. As a result now we're listed in Guardian Online.
1st February 2007
by ecofriendlytourist.com
Screaming green travel firms revealed
The website www.ecofriendlytourist.com has pinpointed a new campaign promoting the UK travel industry’s commitment to the environment. Called “Scream if you’re green” it has been launched by the publication Travel Trade Gazette and highlights initiatives by travel firms to reduce their carbon footprint.
The magazine’s website features a database – with over 160 entries to date - making it possible to compare their eco-friendly claims.
“This is a great idea,” says ecofriendlytourist.com, “but we think it deserves a much wider public than travel industry professionals because it could become very useful to the green consumer.”
Each firm has made five pledges ranging from corporate to “housekeeping” and individual activities. Among them is Silverjet, the business class trans-Atlantic airline, whose boss Lawrence Hunt promises to make it carbon neutral, swap his car for a mini, recycle, plus – at quite a tangent - to give up smoking.
Tui – better known as Thomson, which dominates the UK package holiday market and operates the country’s third largest airline - says it will work with Boeing to improve the efficiency of its air fleet, provide its staff with sustainable tourism training and encourage hotels to be more environmentally friendly.
Among the smaller companies Upland Escapes encourages train travel in Europe, offsets carbon emissions by hire cars and provides its air passengers with the option to offset their emissions.
So far most of the listings are from the smaller outfits and high street travel shops. Moreover, many of the promises are relatively modest and some appear rather vague. Nevertheless this idea already provides easily accessible information from several travel firms all in one place.
“The real tests,” ecofriendlytourist.com points out, “will be whether these pledges prove to be of real environmental value and whether the firms live up to their promises.”
ENDS
NOTES FOR EDITORS
The Travel Trade Gazette’s “Scream if you’re green” campaign can be found at this address:
http://www.ttglive.com/greencampaign/
www.ecofriendlytourist.com was launched in December 2006 offering a user-friendly guide for green travellers. It is based in London and its content is based on journalistic research.
For further information please contact: webmaster@ecofriendlytourist.com
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