From protecting coral reefs in the Maldives to empowering female rickshaw drivers in India, the DERTOUR Foundation is scaling up its fundraising efforts as it launches as a UK registered charity this week, with the support of specialist travel brands within the group, including CV Villas, Jules Verne and Kuoni.

One of the first initiatives to go live is a new customer donation initiative from Kuoni.

Kuoni customers can now make an optional donation from £5 at the time of booking a holiday which will then be invested back into destination-based projects to support local communities and people, conservation and animal welfare. Donations can be made on Kuoni holidays booked through its network of 25 stores, the Expert Hub call centre or via travel agents who sell Kuoni holidays.

Kuoni has selected four projects for its customer donations to support which tie into some of the brand's best-selling destinations. They include:

• Connecting people and reefs in the Maldives
• Empowering women as rickshaw drivers in India
• Mangrove conservation in Sri Lanka
• 'Her Turn' women in hospitality programme in Vietnam

Mark Duguid, managing director of Kuoni, has now become a trustee for the DERTOUR UK Foundation along with Pete Brudenell, managing director of CV Villas, and Claire Ross, DERTOUR UK's sustainability director.

Mark Duguid said: “We did a trial customer donation project last year and it's clear that customers want to be involved and are more than happy to make a contribution. They are interested in the challenges many destinations face in terms of climate change, conservation and empowering young people and women to make a living through tourism. Many of our travel agent partners care equally about giving back to places they love and we are
helping them to have confident conversation with customers and make it easy to add the donation onto the booking.”

Mark added: “The DERTOUR Foundation embodies the essence of sustainable travel by championing impactful projects that protect environmental ecosystems, promote animal welfare, and empower communities worldwide, creating lasting change.”

“We have a real opportunity to amplify our impact by inviting our customers to contribute via their holiday booking, enabling us to expand beyond our current corporate donations and support. I am truly proud to lead a brand that makes such a significant difference."

Claire Ross, DERTOUR's sustainability director and chair of trustees, said: “The Foundation was set up ten years ago and, as the group has grown internationally, we've been looking at how our UK businesses can make a bigger contribution so we can expand the scope of our work. Becoming a registered UK charity strengthens the link between the global DERTOUR Foundation and our UK businesses. It means customers and staff here can donate in sterling, with the added benefit of Gift Aid for UK taxpayers, making every donation go further.

“It also reassures donors that we meet the highest standards of governance, transparency, and charitable oversight. Importantly, it enables us to bring the Foundation's inspiring global work closer to UK travellers by embedding it in our brands' customer journeys.

“Every small donation helps fund carefully chosen projects in destinations our travellers love to visit. This creates a virtuous circle: the holidays we sell contribute positively to local communities and ecosystems, helping to preserve what makes those destinations so special for future generations.”

Other brands within the DERTOUR UK group are also planning to launch customer donations, including CV Villas. Jules Verne already supports the Foundation through customer donations and curated travel experiences, including visits to mangrove restoration initiatives in Sri Lanka and the inspiring KOTO hospitality training program in Vietnam.

Find out more about how you can help at Dertour Foundation here.

For further information please contact:
Rachel O'Reilly
Rachel.oreilly@dertour.co.uk 
07866 427870