Make Holidays Greener returns for 2017

Make Holidays Greener, the annual campaign led by ABTA in partnership with Travelife for Hotels & Accommodations, is returning for the summer. 

The campaign runs from July 1 throughout the summer until the end of August.

Holidaymakers are being encouraged to make a sustainable holiday pledge before they travel. The 15 sustainable pledges cover all aspects of a holiday from taking care of the local environment to supporting local communities in holiday destinations through simple actions, such as eating local food to saying no to plastic.

By making a pledge, holidaymakers will be entered into a prize draw to win a GoPro camera.

Make Holidays Greener is about encouraging all holidaymakers, travellers and tourists to take positive social and environmental action whilst on holiday. Last year, over 700 sustainable holiday pledges were made.

Recycling water bottles, reusing hotel towels and using local transport were among the most popular pledges. In addition, almost 2,000 people collected over 6,000kg of rubbish as part of 125 beach cleans in 23 countries.

Throughout the summer, the travel industry will also be making Greener Holiday pledges, such as running beach cleans in popular holiday resorts to support the campaign. Details of these will be shared on ABTA and Travelife’s social media channels.

Nikki White, director of destinations & sustainability, ABTA said: “Taking positive social and environmental actions whilst on holiday, not only contributes to you having a great holiday, but also help to ensure your chosen destination is looked after. Simple steps like making a sustainable holiday pledge can really add up and make a difference. I would encourage all holidaymakers to join in with Make Holidays Greener.”