Responsible Travel - Thomas Cook

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Thomas Cook's Responsible Travel Policy

163 years ago a former Baptist preacher and temperance supporter, Thomas Cook, created the first package holiday out of a sense of social responsibility. In keeping with the values of the Victorian Society of the day, he believed that by offering alternative, more virtuous and learning leisure activities, the lives of working people would be greatly improved if they became better educated through travel.

Fast-forward to the 21st century and the Thomas Cook name lives on as one of world's best known and respected brands in travel. And whilst the world has changed considerably during this time, so has Thomas Cook's business in the UK and Ireland. Today it incorporates tour operating brands that carry over 4 million customers a year, a travel agency and bureaux de change network of more than 600 outlets, and the UK's second largest leisure airline comprising a fleet of 24 aircraft.

Given the growth of its business Thomas Cook continues to recognise the significant impact it has on the areas in which it operates in all social, economic and environmental terms and embraces the opportunity to address them in a responsible and positive manner. Thomas Cook UK & Ireland is therefore committed to reducing and mitigating the negative aspects, improving the positive aspects and building a more sustainable approach to the way in which it runs all areas of it's business activities.

POLICY

To achieve these objectives, Thomas Cook aims to:

Develop a more ethical and sustainable approach to the way Thomas Cook UK & Ireland conducts its business, via involvement in the local communities in all the countries in which it operates, including the UK, through providing jobs, training and education and by supporting local economies and community development where possible.
Improve the commitment amongst Thomas Cook staff, customers and other major stakeholders by raising awareness of sustainable tourism and providing training and education opportunities, where appropriate.
Review and improve its own internal performance and identify negative impacts so that relevant actions can be taken to conserve the environment, where possible.

MISSION STATEMENT

Thomas Cook's mission is to: Perfect the Personal Leisure Experience. As part of this mission the company is committed to working towards developing, operating and marketing our business in a sustainable manner i.e. in a way that makes a positive contribution to the natural and cultural environment, which generates benefits for the communities in which the company operates, and which does not put at risk the future livelihoods of the people in those communities.

As a business Thomas Cook believes that it can be an important contributor to the global society. The company will, therefore, strive to anticipate and prevent economic, environmental, social and cultural degradation. It works towards integrating these considerations into its operations and activities.

In many ways this is the modern day embodiment of the values Thomas Cook espoused in 1851.

PIONEERING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR: PEOPLE & COMMUNITIES

The Company opposes and actively discourages illegal, abusive or exploitative forms of tourism.
The Company is committed to working with charities, including The Travel Foundation and the Variety Club of Great Britain. The Travel Foundation because of its focus on sustainable tourism and The Variety Club, the children's charity, because it is the charity of choice as voted by the staff of Thomas Cook UK & Ireland.
The Company encourages and seeks co-operation with local, national and international authorities, communities, and any other interested parties, to develop and implement the integrated planning and management of our business outputs in order to preserve the quality and sustainability of these outputs.
The Company aims to comply with local, national and international laws and regulations applicable to our business activities.
The Company aims to conserve landscapes, cultural and national heritage, respecting the integrity of local cultures and avoiding negative impacts on social structures.
The Company will endeavour, in its public communication and advertising, to promote behaviour and activities compatible with the principles of sustainable development and management of its business.
The Company will focus its aim to become an employer of choice, building on its success with the 'Investors in People' scheme.
The Company aims to ensure that all its key stakeholders become better educated through travel.

PIONEERING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR: THE ENVIRONMENT

Energy conservation at home and overseas. The Company will continue to develop a policy on energy management, seeking methods of measuring our energy usage, then developing ways to maximise efficiency and minimise wastage.
The Company will continue to develop its policy on waste management, which incorporates the three principles of reducing, reusing and recycling.
Airline emissions and noise pollution. The Company will continue to develop an action plan to seek and, where possible, implement measures to minimise the impacts of both.

PIONEERING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR: LOCAL ECONOMIES

The Company will encourage its partners, suppliers and sub-contractors to improve their contribution to the sustainable development and management of its business, and will work with them, and share information to assist in this.
The Company will operate a policy of only importing goods from overseas, when locally sourced goods are not feasible.

Responsibility for achieving these objectives lies with the senior management teams of the individual operating businesses within Thomas Cook. In order to measure progress and improvement in performance, a reporting structure will be implemented to include key performance indicators and these will be reviewed on a regular basis.

November 2004