Tour Operators' Initiative

Beautiful holidays are not exclusively reflected in the daily sunshine figures, the ambience and service of the holiday hotel, or the lovely surroundings. High quality holidays must also comply with the principles of sustainability. This is one of the special priorities of TUI AG Environmental Management.

To strengthen and promote the principles of sustainable tourism development, TUI* launched the Tour Operators' Initiative for Sustainable Tourism Development (TOI) together with other tour operators and the support of UNEP, UNESCO and WTO. All of the members of this global initiative have voluntarily committed themselves to the sustainable, environmental, economic and social development of tourism:

Voluntary commitment of the World of TUI to Sustainable Development in Tourism

As a founder member of the Tour Operators´ Initiative (TOI) for Sustainable Tourism Development, TUI has accepted a voluntary commitment to ecological, economic and social sustainability. This should be observed by all subsidiary companies as a model for sustainable development. In addition, many subsidiaries of TUI have established their own environmental policies, models or corporate guidelines. This great variety of initiatives should not be restricted in any way by the voluntary commitment of TUI, but should instead be included in an overall Group environmental framework:

We are Tour Operators concerned about the impact of our tours and activities.

We recognize our responsibility to develop and operate in a manner that makes a positive contribution to the natural, social and cultural environment. We also recognize and accept our responsibility to operate in ways that reduce environmental impacts, benefit host communities, safeguard the future livelihood of local people, and ensure the protection of destinations for future generations.

To fulfil this responsibility, we have joined together to work in close partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the World Tourism Organisation (WTO/OMT).

In doing so, we commit in this Initiative to:

• protect the natural environment and cultural heritage;
• co-operate with local communities and people, ensure they benefit from the visits of our customers and encourage our customers to respect the local way of life;
• conserve plants and animals, protected areas and landscapes;
• respect the integrity of local cultures and their social institutions;
• comply with local, national and international laws and regulations;
• oppose and actively discourage illegal, abusive or exploitative forms of tourism;
• work closely with business partners, local authorities, regional and national governments and other organisations to achieve sustainable development of tourism;
• provide information on our activities to develop and encourage the sustainable development and management of tourism;
• communicate our progress in implementing this commitment.

We also acknowledge that we cannot achieve our goal of sustainable tourism development without the help of all stakeholders, including our customers, and we hope that, together, we can create a better tourism experience for all.