Our Sustainable Development Policy sets out our vision and approach to sustainable development. We also have a policy on Child Protection and Animal Welfare.

Group Sustainable Development Policy

Vision

To make travel experiences special by providing holidays that cause minimal environmental impact, respect the culture and people of destinations and offer real economic benefit to local communities.

Policy

As a leading leisure travel company, we recognise that the environment, communities and cultures within which we operate are vital to the success of our business. Responsible Leadership is one of the company’s core values and underlines our commitment to sustainable development and to making a positive impact on society.

We therefore commit in the long term to:

• Embed sustainable development principles into core business practices throughout TUI Travel 

• Use the collective influence of TUI Travel to drive sustainability within the leisure travel industry 

• Understand and respect the needs of our stakeholders, including customers, colleagues, shareholders, suppliers, industry partners and local communities

• Comply with all relevant legislation, act in advance of it where possible and keep pace with best practice 

• Deliver long-term strategic benefit and shareholder value by maximising the opportunities that sustainable development presents

In support of the above, we will work to:

• Prevent pollution wherever possible and continually improve our environmental performance, specifically by reducing our carbon emissions through work programmes with our aircraft, water transport, hotels, ground transport and office premises 

• Optimise our holidays’ environmental, economic and social impact by embedding sustainability into our supply chain and initiating activities that protect and restore the natural environment and enhance local livelihoods 

• Provide information, training and support to colleagues, gaining their commitment to taking action on sustainable development issues 

• Encourage our customers to choose more sustainable leisure travel options and to take action to reduce their negative impacts and maximise their positive impacts in destinations

• Responsibility for ensuring that each operating business complies with the Group's policy on sustainable development is with the Managing Director of each business.

Child Protection Policy

TUI Travel is committed to child protection – both those we take on holiday and those in destinations. We condemn the exploitation of children, a fundamental abuse of a child’s human rights and dignity, and we reserve the right to terminate business with any person or company that is engaged or associated with any form of exploitation.

Travel and tourism businesses have an important role to play in protecting children’s rights. The TUI Travel Code of Conduct commits the Group to upholding the principles of the UN Global Compact and our Mainstream businesses are signed up to the Tourism Child-Protection Code of Conduct.

Animal Welfare Policy

We acknowledge the level of public concern about the welfare and protection of animals in captivity and in the wild. We therefore commit to working with suppliers to ensure compliance with relevant national and international legislation and best practice.

At TUI Travel PLC, we experience high demand amongst our customers for visits to animal attractions and wildlife-viewing opportunities whilst on holiday. We also recognise that these activities have a socio-economic benefit and potential educational and biodiversity advantages.

We are committed to upholding minimum standards of welfare for animals whose lives are impacted by tourism, and to protecting animals from exploitation, neglect and cruelty. We respect the fundamental requirements proposed by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), Terrestrial Animal Health Code 2010, and expect all our suppliers to do the same. The Five Freedoms are internationally recognised as providing the benchmark for an animal's physical and mental well-being. They are:

1. Freedom from hunger and thirst: nutritious food and clean water
2. Freedom from discomfort: a suitable living environment that provides shelter, opportunities to rest and considers the species-specific needs of wild animals
3. Freedom from pain, injury and disease: preventative and curative health care
4. Freedom to express normal behaviour: living space that encourages natural behaviour
5. Freedom from fear and distress: appropriate areas to seek privacy and limited human contact

We work closely with ABTA (Association of British Travel Agents), other industry partners and animal welfare NGOs worldwide, in particular the Born Free Foundation, in order to understand and identify practices which pose a risk to both the safety of the public and to animal welfare in the destinations to which we send customers. Together we have developed the Travelife Animal Attractions Handbook and checklist in order to help educate our suppliers where necessary, encourage higher standards of welfare, promote awareness of the importance of animal conservation, and eradicate practices that have a negative impact on animals or that do not contribute to the protection and preservation of species in the wild. www.fto.co.uk/responsible-tourism/sustainability-guidelines

Our objective is to help ensure our suppliers achieve best practice standards in animal welfare and protection, in all animal attractions and other establishments to which we facilitate visits for our customers.

We therefore commit to:

1. Cascade this Animal Welfare Policy to ensure that colleagues, customers, suppliers and other interested parties understand our commitment to animal welfare
2. Include compliance with our Animal Welfare Policy in supplier contracts and influence suppliers to meet relevant requirements of the Travelife Animal Attractions Handbook
3. Ensure awareness of colleagues on animal welfare matters and arrange training for relevant personnel and organisations to audit animal attractions, following up with suppliers to improve standards where necessary
4. Develop a reporting structure to allow colleagues, customers, NGOs and travel partners to report bad practice and take action where activities are found to contravene this policy
5. Work in consultation with governments, NGOs, industry partners and animal welfare organisations to continue to raise standards of animal welfare