Tui Group is set to unveil a new sustainability strategy, with a focus on helping local suppliers reduce their environmental impact.
David Burling, CEO markets and airlines, said a new strategy will be announced within “weeks or months”, and will include investment in local communities in its destinations.
“We’re looking at how we can help [the supply chain] develop more sustainable business models, reusing and recycling as much as possible,” he told delegates at WTM London this week.
“We’ve got to be really ambitious with this, to help those destinations get to net zero [on emissions targets] more quickly than overall targets,” he added.
Burling acknowledged that making the aviation sector more sustainable is more challenging, admitting: “the technology to sort out aviation is not going to be there tomorrow”.
“It’s not just about offsetting,” he insisted. “It’s about genuinely investing in the science.”
But he said the progress that had been made in wind and solar energy in the last decade made him optimistic.
“In 10-20 years we could see the same scientific innovation in aviation,” he said.
Burling said Tui Group had taken the opportunity during the pandemic to develop its booking systems.
Customers are now able to “individualise” elements of their holiday including choosing their hotel room at certain properties and adding on experiences.
“The amount of choice we can offer, with products and options, is now 10 times higher than a few years ago,” he said.
“We’re moving towards [being] a one-stop travel shop across Europe,” he added.
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