“Making the world more accessible” was one of three key CSR initiatives for the company in the coming year.
Victoria Fox, global PR and communications manager, said the idea stemmed from a trip to India that the company last year gifted to 24-year-old Nadia Clarke, who has cerebral palsy and is deaf, during which she spent time at a school in Delhi for differently abled children.
Travel Counsellors will work with Clarke as an accessible brand ambassador to help achieve its vision, Fox said.
She also revealed plans for a partnership with sustainable tourism charity, the Travel Foundation.
This will involve supporting projects in destinations; launching a training programme to educate staff and clients about sustainable tourism; and working with supplier partners so they meet sustainability criteria. Finally, Travel Counsellors will support Reuben’s Retreat, a centre for children with life-limiting and life-threatening illnesses, as its charitable partner in the UK for 2018.