Get unlimited access to the latest travel industry news and analysis, comment on articles and sign up to newsletters.
Register for free
Already registered? Login here or below.
Having difficulty logging in? Try these tips, or contact support@flymy.co.uk
With the return of the Big Holiday Beach Clean, Abta, Travelife and the Travel Foundation are encouraging litter picking as part of July’s Make Holidays Greener Month. Yashi Banymadhub reports
The Big Holiday Beach Clean has made a comeback this year as an integral strand of “Make Holidays Greener” Month, which lasts for the whole of July.
Led by Abta in association with Travelife and the Travel Foundation, the initiative seeks to motivate travel companies and hotels to make holidays more sustainable.
More than 40 travel companies have already pledged support for Make Holidays Greener Month and agreed to organise beach clean days while educating holidaymakers about protecting the local environment.
Nikki White, director of destinations and sustainability at Abta, said that the tourism industry was “uniquely placed” to make a difference to beaches and coastal regions by helping to preserve the natural environment that they operate in: “Cleaner beaches are good for wildlife, for people and for business so it’s important that the industry work together to take care of destinations and protect the marine environment. We’re really keen for more hotels and travel companies to get involved to show their customers and staff that they really care about the environment.”
Last year a total of 108 beaches in 20 countries were cleaned when 68 organisations took part in the programme.
As a result, four tonnes of rubbish were removed from the marine environment.
This year, beach cleans are taking place across the world, initiated by hotels such as Caribe Club Princess Beach Resort & Spa in the Dominican Republic.
In Cambodia the Tara Angkor Hotel even organised a street clean-up.
The Cape Verde islands organised a beach clean on World Ocean Day on June 8.
The Cape Verde Destination Council is working towards finding a solution for stray dogs on the islands’ beaches, while new signage informs visitors about important habitats where there is protected flora and fauna such as the Pedra de Lume cultural heritage site on the island of Sal.
The Cyprus Sustainable Tourism Initiative and Nissi beach joined forces on World Environment Day on June 5 for the annual clean of Nissi beach.
Around 100 people from Thomas Cook, local hotels and Ayia Napa Elementary School collected more than 20kg of waste and plastic.
