Package deal

Holidaymakers shouldn’t have to worry about carbon offsets – that’s the tour operator’s job.

One in every ten Brits thinks that ‘carbon offsetting’ means walking instead of driving to work. In a recent survey by YouGov, only 35% understood the term. And one in three thought it would cost a lot more than it actually does. One way or another, it’s clear there’s some way to go before your average holidaymaker starts doing it.

Thompson and First Choice are hoping to help change that. The two top holiday brands, both owned by TUI UK and Ireland, will offer a low-cost scheme from next summer whereby partial offsets are automatically included in the price of a holiday. Customers can opt out if they want, but the amount is low enough to dissuade them from doing so – at £1 per adult, or 50 pence per child. As a further inducement, the company matches the donation in full.

Since the scheme was launched to First Choice customers last year, over a third have agreed to make the donation. Carbon offsetting schemes in general have lower take-up rates, most under 10%. Sarah Perry, the company’s sustainable development manager, believes they are also reaching groups that don’t normally offset: “Our analysis of the fund shows that young families on low incomes are more likely to donate than those on higher incomes – not necessarily the audience you’d expect for a ‘green’ initiative.”

The First Choice scheme raised £1 million for its World Care Fund in its first year, and offset around 20% of the carbon dioxide emissions from First Choice Airways’ flights. First Choice and Thompson together expect to collect up to £2.5 million between them over the next year.

But Perry thinks that the real strength of the fund is that it highlights environmental issues for customers. “We found that mainstream holidaymakers do care about the environment, yet when they’re booking their holiday it’s not in the front of their minds,” she says. “This helps bring it to the fore.” Words like ‘carbon offsetting’ aren’t used in the sales pitch – a sound decision judging by polling results – but the company does produce customer literature that explains where the money goes, and its travel agents are trained and tested in the benefits of the scheme.

And it’s a good story to tell to customers, because it isn’t just about carbon emissions, but humans. Contributions go through the offset management specialists ClimateCare towards projects such as the improvement of hydro-electric schemes in Zambia, to make sure they provide a reliable supply of power to schools and hospitals. Gold Standard accreditation ensures the projects contribute to sustainable development in its broadest sense, rather than simply reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

One fifth of the money raised through the World Care Fund is donated to responsible tourism projects run by The Travel Foundation. Perry tells of one Masai village in Kenya where local people now get a fair cut of the trade thanks to the scheme. “Visitors were driven there and the driver would hand over money from tourists to the local chief,” she says. “But while they were looking around the village, the driver would take back the money and give the chief a paltry sum. Now the villagers’ income has increased 800%, and they’ve spent the money on things like improvements to the local school and access to clean water.”

Perry is optimistic about the future of the scheme. “The YouGov research might show that many people don’t understand carbon offsetting – but it also told us that over 70% of people would consider doing it. That’s a huge potential audience for us to work with on environmental and social issues. Our challenge is to make our green messages mainstream enough for them to listen.” – Iain Aitch

13 October 2008

Iain Aitch