As part of the Hotelplan UK travel group's Climate Action Plan, tour operators, Inghams, Esprit and Santa's Lapland have taken further significant steps for sustainable travel this week, by;

• Becoming one of the first UK-based winter specialised travel groups to offset flights and ground operations using verifiable carbon credits*.
• Partnering Inghams with Protect Our Winters UK (POW UK) and taking the POW pledge as part of the Hotelplan group's longstanding commitment to a more sustainable future.
• Teaming up with Eco Ski to encourage skiers, snowboarders, staff and winter holiday-makers to rethink their 'ownership' of winter clothing and consider moving toward a circular economy.
• Announcing their plans to support rewilding projects to restore ecosystems.

From 1st March 2022, Inghams, Esprit Ski and Santa's Lapland are working to reduce carbon emissions from their operations. As well as working with ClimateCare to offset carbon emissions from flights and ground operations and supporting rewilding projects to restore ecosystems and help nature take care of itself.

Alongside their summer mountain and winter festive holidays, the Hotelplan UK group are very well known for their Inghams and Esprit package ski holidays—and marked the occasion by saying, “We're not green yet, but we're doing what we can to stop the slopes getting greener.”

The Hotelplan UK group appointed Prue Stone as Head of Sustainability last year to design and embed a comprehensive sustainability strategy across the brands. The strategy uses a holistic approach, combining biodiversity strategies with climate action, as well as focusing heavily on how the tour operators can work better with destination communities, staff and partners, both in the office and down the supply chains. Prue is working across brands to collaborate with partners who can support the group's initiatives and goals.

Prue Stone, Hotelplan UK Head of Sustainability said;

“In 2021 we announced our commitment to sustainability, a significant first for the ski and Lapland specialists. This year we are putting our words into action and I am thrilled with the progress and engagement so far.

“We are building really meaningful relationships with community led experts, learning from them and really transitioning our product and mind set based on this.

“Now, we are launching our new comprehensive carbon action plan, including carbon offsetting and rewilding, as well as taking our first steps into the circular economy by transforming how we think about uniform and clothing, away from the norm of fast fashion and waste.”

“We are also taking a team, by train, to our core destinations to meet local communities and hear about projects that are leading in this space and see how we can support them and scale the changes that are needed. We have a long way to go to create the perfect product, the perfect business, but these coming months and years will be fast paced and exciting.”

Joe Ponte, Hotelplan UK CEO said;

“At Hotelplan UK we have 5 tour operator brands across different categories, and we are committed to becoming the most sustainable in each of the categories that we operate in.

“Whilst some of our brands are very well progressed towards this goal, our winter focused brands, Esprit, Inghams and Santa's Lapland, do not yet showcase high enough standards in sustainable travel.

“However with the definition of our Climate Action Plan, and other key initiatives we are launching, we are making significant steps to our commitment to become leaders in sustainability. We have much work to do but hope these early commitments will help highlight the importance of sustainable practices in the broader ski and winter sector and raise awareness of the necessity to act now.

“We all have a responsibility to work together to build a more sustainable ethos—and Inghams, Esprit and Santa's Lapland will continue to look to lead the sector in this area.”

With both Inghams and Esprit providing ski holidays in mountain resorts and Inghams and Santa's Lapland delivering festive holidays in the snowy, winter wonderland that is Lapland—partnerships with Eco Ski and for Inghams, with POW UK, are important collaborations that will support the group, staff and customers to make more conscious and sustainable choices.

In the coming weeks, Hotelplan UK will be taking the POW pledge, highlighting the sustainability milestones they've already reached and the many more they plan to achieve in the coming years. And now, as a POW UK partner, Inghams are making firm plans to support POW UK as they develop more and more ways to help passionate outdoor people become effective climate advocates.

In addition, their partnership with the sustainable winter clothing brand, Eco Ski, will help encourage Inghams, Esprit and Santa's Lapland customers to make more responsible choices about their ski clothing. Highlighting it's not always the best option to buy new. The Hotelplan UK group hopes to support EcoSki to educate and encourage less waste and more sustainable choices across the winter travel industry. Hotelplan customers can enjoy 15% OFF Eco Ski rental items and 5% OFF new Eco Ski items.

-ENDS-

Hotelplan UK, Inghams', Esprit and Santa's Lapland Company Information

Hotelplan UK, owned by the leading Swiss co-operative retailer, Migros, is a well-established family of specialist tour operators, with a strong tradition of excellence and high standards of quality and service. Each company brand is incredibly passionate about its holidays. 

Its winter business includes three differentiated winter sport and snow brands – Inghams, Esprit Ski – plus family favourite Santa's Lapland, taking thousands of families to meet the “real” Santa above the Arctic Circle. 

Inghams also has a popular summer experience holiday programme and a self-guided and escorted tours programme. While Inntravel offer self-guided walking and cycling holidays and Explore operates its adventure travel trips all year round.​

POW UK Company Information

POW UK help passionate outdoor people become effective climate advocates to achieve systemic solutions to climate change. They do this by delivering community education and engagement programmes, providing organisational climate action support, and campaigning for systemic policy solutions.

The POW UK Pledge guides organisations in reducing their carbon footprint. The Pledge is a toolkit that provides a climate action framework and recognition of those setting strong Net Zero targets.

Eco Ski Company Information

EcoSki was founded in late 2020 by mum-of-three Rachael Westbrook, who wanted to help skiers and snowboarders make more informed choices when it comes to acquiring their ski wear. Their ultimate goal is to help reduce the pressure on our planet's finite resources, limit unnecessary waste and expense, raise awareness of how impactful everyone's clothing choices are and how everyone can meaningfully reduce their footprint, and giveback to environmental charities at the same time.  They have brought together four different arms to help everyone keep hardwearing kit in circulation for as long as possible – repair, pre-owned, rental and buy new but better.

*Notes to editors – Gold Standard Carbon Offsetting

Hotelplan UK are carbon offsetting all trips booked with them from 1 March 2022. Hotelplan UK is proud to be working with ClimateCare.

Carbon reductions from all the projects we support worldwide have been independently verified by the Gold Standard, so we can be sure that the carbon reductions are real and verifiable. The Gold Standard was established by the WWF, and other international NGOs, in 2003 to ensure that carbon reduction projects adhere to the highest levels of environmental integrity.

For further information on carbon offsetting, please visit:
www.inghams.co.uk/about-us/sustainability/climate-action-plan

www.santaslapland.com/about-us/sustainability/climate-action-plan

www.santaslapland.com/about-us/sustainable-skiing/climate-action-plan

For more media information, interview requests or images, please contact:Jenny Nicholls, PR Manager jenny.nicholls@hotelplan.co.uk  07773205464