Press Release: Mr and Mrs Green take their family on holiday
11 April 2006
Green issues are important to 86% of parents when they book a family
holiday, according to a new survey.
The survey, by leading family travel website www.takethefamily.com,
shows that the growth of eco-friendly tourism is beginning to impact
the family travel market.
Lucy Ace, managing director of takethefamily, said: “Parents
care about their children’s future. They recycle more and more
at home. And now it seems they want to protect the environment when
they’re on holiday.”
“It’s a tricky balance. Parents want to protect the environment.
But more and more want to travel further afield and as we know air travel
pollution is a growing concern for environmentalists at the moment.
Not everyone wants to stay at home in the UK.”
While a third of parents put cost above the environment, the vast majority
wanted to go green when they went abroad.
A small majority (14%) put the environment at the bottom of their list
of priorities saying it was a holiday not a science trip.
And the desire for green family holidays is reflected in increased
sales, according to Lucy Ace. “Consider Center Parcs, where you
park up and spend the break getting round on foot or bike. It’s
full practically all year round and planning to open a fifth resort.
It’s not just a great product; it’s also a greener holiday
option”
Other family holiday and break options that will appeal to green-minded
parents include city breaks via Eurostar. And while Scandinavia, Ireland,
southern France and northern Spain may all be further afield, they are
still easily accessible from the UK through direct ferry connections.
Families who do opt to travel by air can still clear their consciences
by donating to organisations like the CarbonNeutral Company or Climate
Care, which arrange for trees to be planted to offset the damage caused
by a flight. And more and more families are doing just that.
(489 families participated in the survey via Take the Family's site.
146 care about the environment 'loads - it's my child's future', 150
'care a fair bit - I do what I can', 128 'care a little - but cost is
more important' and 65 do not care at all.)
Take the Family’s favourite places offering kids clubs include
Lanzarote’s Princess Yaiza, the Algarve’s Vila Vita Parc,
the UK’s Luxury Family Hotels Group and the four Center Parcs
resorts. For those seeking a luxury break try the Four Bears Den at
one of the UK’s four Luxury Family Hotels or the Treehouse at
the Sandy Lane in Barbados. Mark Warner and Club Med have great reputations,
partly because of their kids clubs and smaller operators on our list
of favourites, with a dedicated family friendly portfolio, include Esprit,
Powder Byrne and Aspire Holidays.
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