Virgin Holidays and TTG are offering agents who hold a “Green Day” in August an amazing chance to help develop sustainable tourism in Kenya.

Agents who hold the best events will get to spend three days helping Kenyans in the Rift Valley followed by some relaxation time visiting world famous national parks such as the Masai Mara.

The trip aims to help agents learn more about sustainable tourism, which is growing in importance as consumers ask more about the impact of holidays on destinations.

To win, agencies need to demonstrate their commitment to the environment and sustainable tourism in a Green Day and tell us about the event.

The activities are entirely up to you, but could be anything from:

* Doing voluntary work in their local community
* Using displays to encourage customers to buy locally made souvenirs
on holiday
* Selling reusable bags and encouraging customers to take them on holiday
* Advising customers where they don’t need to drink bottled water because the local tap water is fine
* Coming up with great ideas to protect the environment.

How to enter

Agencies must hold Green Days in August.
Entries open on August 1. 
Agencies must hold their event before submitting their entry.
Entries can be submitted after August 1 here 
Winners will be chosen by a panel of Virgin Holidays and TTG staff.
Winners will be chosen in the week starting September 8.
Two agents from each winning shop will join the six-day trip leaving from Heathrow on October 29.


Win a soundtrack to responsible travel

Every agency that enters will win an MP3 player with a green soundtrack being put together by Virgin Holidays.

TTG and Virgin Holidays have already come up with 10 suggestions for tracks. Have a listen here and if you have any other suggestions, email cgray@ttglive.com

Louis Armstrong, Wonderful World

Jodie Mitchell, Big Yellow Taxi

Nelly, It's Getting Hot in Here

The Clash, London Calling

Jack Johnson, The 3 Rs (Reduce, Reduce and Recycle)

Marvin Gaye, Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)

Duran Duran, Planet Earth

Jamiroquai, Emergency on Planet Earth

World Party, Private Revolution

John Lydon and Afrika Baambata, World Destruction

What you will get out of the trip

Virgin Holidays corporate social responsibility manager Rachel McCaffery (right) said the “experience of a lifetime” would help agents understand and be inspired by sustainable tourism.

McCaffery said it was an ideal time to get to grips with the issue because it was moving into the mainstream.

“It’s something that  people are becoming much more aware of . It is not just about yoga and yurt holidays any more,” she said.

“Customers want to get more out of the holiday in a responsible way, taking account of people local to the destination and making sure that they get a fair return from the tourism industry.”

Virgin Holidays is supporting a school in the Rift Valley in the same way it has backed community projects in the Caribbean, such as helping women in Tobago develop embroidery businesses.

McCaffery said staff who had visited similar projects returned enthused with what travel could do to help local people in destinations.

“People who have been on similar trips to other countries do not stop telling us how much it has changed their outlook and opened their eyes to the world.

“I think they will come away feeling completely different about selling holidays and really encouraged to motivate others to get involved in sustainability.”

Understanding the issue would also help agents sell more, she said.

“It’s an extra selling tool. It’s another way to sell holidays. As people get more conscious about the issues they are looking for a guilt-free holiday.”

It could be done by offering the people the option of staying in places like a Porini safari camp in Kenya (left), which has a low environmental impact through using solar power and having no permanent structures.

“The agent has the opportunity to sell people exactly the same holiday as before but with an extra sustainability or green selling tool,” added McCaffery.