Crystal Adds Voluntourism to Excursion Offerings

This fall, Crystal Cruises’ guests will be given the opportunity to “give something back” while stopped at Valetta, Malta.

Passengers aboard the Crystal Serenity’s 12-day Mediterranean/Holy Land Voyage can opt to “Go Green” while in Malta and help the environment and local economy by planting trees in the island’s only national park, donating food at a local charity and learning eco-conscious planting and harvesting practices at a local organic farm.

The optional excursion is nearly eight hours long, and costs $95 per person. The experience begins with a visit to Ta’ Qali National Park, where guests will plant trees and learn about the park’s conservation efforts. Following a guided tour and lunch at Ta’ Zeppi Organic Farm, guests will visit a local orphan refuge where they will donate food and interact with the children.

“This excursion affords guests the opportunity to contribute to the local needs in Valetta, and also gain a better understanding of the environmental efforts of the destination,” said John Stoll, vice president, land and port operations. “Like so many Crystal Adventures, this experience offers a new point of view for guests who want to explore destinations from a deeper, more informed perspective.”

The Valetta excursion is a prelude to a larger program, called “You Care, We Care,” debuting in 2011, a spokesperson for Crystal Cruises told Travel Market Report at a recent CLIA luxury and river cruising event.

As part of the larger program, in 2011 Crystal will offer one complimentary voluntourism shore excursion on every itinerary. Guests with an altruistic bent will be able to pay it forward in destinations like Peru, South Africa, Ecuador, and Mexico among others. At least 20 excursions will be made available throughout the course of the year.

“There’s been a level of interest from our guests on how they can help,” the spokesperson said, adding that agents have also informed Crystal their clients are inquiring about voluntourism.
Agents will be able to sign their clients up for the excursion before hand. Group sizes will be limited.

From the “Travel Market Report”

Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines Releases 2009 Environmental and Safety Report

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has made available its second annual Stewardship Report, which highlights the company’s safety, security, medical/public health and environmental efforts. The 2009 Stewardship Report provides insight into Royal Caribbean’s strategy in the areas of energy and air emissions, water and wastewater, waste and chemical management, community involvement and conservation, destinations and education. The report also reviews how the Above and Beyond Compliance philosophy, which guides the company’s environmental stewardship program, also influences all areas of the company, including safety and security, as well as medical and public health.

“Our goal with the 2009 Stewardship Report was to build upon last year’s inaugural report by enhancing its environmental stewardship content and significantly augmenting the safety, security and medical/public health information,” said Gary Bald, senior vice president of safety, security, environment and medical/public health for RCCL. “Within the report, readers can learn about our emphasis on incident prevention, increasing focus on destination stewardship and conservation, partnerships with medical centers of excellence around the world and our newest safety innovations and progressive security measures.

”Some of the highlights of the report include an overview of the company’s 40-year hi story of environmental activities, which was formalized with the creation of the Save The Waves program. Since its beginnings in 1992, the Save The Waves program has evolved from a program focused on reducing, reusing and recycling waste, to a companywide philosophy that is integrated into the daily operations onboard all our ships. This includes environmental officers onboard each ship, a waste-management program that completely addresses each waste stream, environmental training for every crew member and land-based employee, and the creation of the Environmental Stewardship department. For more information, visit http://www.rclinvestor.com/.