Around 1,000 First Choice managers and assistant managers are jetting off to Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, for the company�s annual retail conference and, for the first time in its history, First Choice is off-setting the flights� carbon dioxide emissions.

On Thursday, April 19, managers from First Choice retail stores across the UK will fly out to the resort for a four-night stay in the luxurious Hotel

Coral Seas Resort in Sharm.

Then on Monday, April 23, the assistant managers will also fly out to the same resort for their four-day conference.

The decision to offset the carbon dioxide emissions from these flights follows a month of �green� in First Choice retail shops, which includes green point of sale in shop windows, plus the launch of the World Care Fund, which supports The Travel Foundation and Climate Care. Through its partnership with these two organisations First Choice can help manage sustainable tourism and reduce the impact of travel on the environment.

After calculating the amount of carbon dioxide used on the conference flights, First Choice has donated the equivalent figure to Climate Care which will go to a project in Zambia helping water-powered electricity to bring clean energy to the village of Kalene, powering schools and hospitals.

During the conferences, First Choice staff will also visit the new Holiday Village in Sharm, which will open just weeks after the conference.

Holiday Villages are all-inclusive resorts geared towards families offering a selection of restaurants and bars as well as swimming pools and fun activities aimed at youngsters.

First Choice already has Holiday Villages in the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Costa Del Sol, Lanzarote, Majorca, Turkey and Cyprus as of next year.

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Press information: Lisa Boardman, Press Officer First Choice Holidays Tel: 01293 588437