In addition to the KlimaLink e.V. and Futouris e.V. initiatives, the FTI GROUP is committed to promoting responsible travel and developing and offering more climate-friendly holidays and more sustainable products:
Sustainable Aviation Fuel
In 2023, a pilot project to offer more sustainable air fares was initiated in cooperation with Eurowings. By booking the so-called Leisure Value Fare, guests support the use of fuel with SAF content (Sustainable Aviation Fuel, SAF for short). This fuel, which is obtained from biogenic residues such as used cooking oil, reduces CO₂ emissions by 80 per cent compared to conventional paraffin and can be blended with it at a rate of up to 50 per cent. The pilot project includes all package holidays in combination with any hotel on Mallorca from the FTI Touristik portfolio.
Furthermore, the FTI Ticketshop, a B2B consolidator for airline tickets, marks fares with SAF content with a green leaf in the farewizard+ booking system. This currently applies in particular to Lufthansa Group fares.
The FTI GROUP also supports its guests in making a contribution to offsetting CO2 emissions. Holidaymakers can contribute to climate and environmental protection by making a voluntary donation to the offsetting providers atmosfair or myclimate.
Hotels for a more sustainable stay
In order to promote more sustainable travel, the FTI GROUP draws attention to more sustainable hotels in its tour operator portfolio by providing sustainability information in the hotel description, among other things.
The FTI GROUP focuses on hotels that are certified by a standard recognised by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). The non-profit and independent organisation creates a consensus for more environmentally conscious action and defines minimum criteria for more sustainable tourism. Standards recognised by the GSTC have been tested and classified as equivalent to the organisation's own minimum criteria. The GSTC does not certify accommodation itself, but offers an accreditation programme for certification bodies. The FTI GROUP wants to continuously increase the proportion of more sustainable hotels in its portfolio.
The tour operator group wants to create transparency and emphasise the development of hotels towards greater sustainability. With this in mind, as well as regulatory guidelines, and in order not to convey a false image, the FTI GROUP has decided to use the term "more sustainable".
Approximately every six months, the Group obtains the certificates directly from the hotels and checks their validity. The certificates currently shown are valid as of February 2024.
In our FTI GROUP hotels
The FTI GROUP's own hotels are sustainable across the board. This is reflected both in the corporate strategy and in the individual commitment of the hoteliers and their employees. This profound sustainability conviction is reflected in the Travelife GOLD auditing and certification for hotels and accommodation, which the FTI-owned hotels have achieved since the end of the 2022 season. Further information can be found here.
In addition to Travelife GOLD, the focus is on reducing single-use plastics. Disposable plastics are being reduced step by step in the guest area. Following the successful replacement of disposable plastic cups with polycarbonate cups in the Greek hotels as part of a pilot project in 2022/23, the programme is currently being rolled out to all company-owned hotels. A "Green Room" programme also gives hotel guests the opportunity to adapt the daily room cleaning to their own needs, thereby protecting the environment and conserving resources.
In our own destination management agencies under the umbrella of Meeting Point International
In 2022, the FTI GROUP-owned Destination Management Companies (DMCs) Meeting Point International set out on the path to Travelife certification in order to integrate sustainability more strongly into their processes, structures and products.
14 DMCs are currently in the Travelife process - six of the agencies were awarded Travelife Partner status at ITB 2024: Meeting Point Morocco, Meeting Point Spain, Meeting Point Egypt, Meeting Point Turkey, Meeting Point Dominican Republic and Meeting Point Asia (based in Thailand). The first more sustainable excursions have been developed in this context and can be booked locally. For more information on our Travelife Journey, click here for the link to the video.
The certificate confirms the commitment to environmental and social responsibility, based on over 100 assessment criteria such as fair treatment of employees and partners, minimisation of environmental impact and compliance with animal welfare guidelines. If you would like to read more, you can find details about Travelife here.
Animal Welfare
We are committed to promoting ethical and responsible tourism practices and are committed to ensuring the best possible conditions for animals in tourism. In line with this commitment, a group-wide animal welfare policy has been developed - aligned with the requirements of Travelife certification, which is based on the ABTA guidelines on animal welfare.