Ahead of World Ocean’s Day on 8th June, small cruise specialists Unforgettable Croatia pledge to be the most eco-friendly cruise company by 2020.
Reducing your carbon footprint is one of the most effective ways individuals can help with the fight against the current climate crisis the earth is experiencing. That’s why luxury small ship cruising company, Unforgettable Croatia, have pledged to be the most eco-friendly in their industry by the end of 2020. Their initiatives include fundraising for the Blue World Institute, reducing the plastic used on their ships, and supporting local communities and sustainable travel options to these areas.
Unforgettable Croatia’s mission is to create luxury travel experiences that have a firm commitment to sustainability. With that in mind, they have partnered with the Blue World Institute of Marine Research and Conservation team who are based in Losinj, Croatia, and work to protect the marine environment in the Adriatic Sea.
The research centre is run entirely non-profit, and it’s responsible for the dolphin, whale, shark, giant devil ray, and turtle conservation efforts happening in the Adriatic. As part of their work with Blue World, Unforgettable Croatia are donating 10% of their annual profits to the research centre.
As part of this, Unforgettable Croatia have set up a JustGiving page where they are encouraging the public to donate and support the work they’re doing with Blue World.
Unforgettable Croatia are also taking active steps to reduce plastic on-board their ships, and intend for all of their ships to be entirely free of non-biodegradable plastic by the end of 2020. In order to achieve this, the luxury cruise company will be replacing all plastic water bottles and straws with locally sourced and re-useable aluminium water bottles, removing plastic toiletries in exchange for biodegradable alternatives, and identifying more sustainable ways to recycle current products on board – or replace them entirely.
In addition, Unforgettable Croatia will be expanding their offering of onboard lectures covering the marine conservation effort in the Adriatic Sea. The brand new lectures will be presented by a researcher from the Blue World Institute, and will aim to give customers a better understanding of the marine life that exists below the cruise ship, the impact tourism can have on the marine life, and what individuals can be doing to improve their own environment.
Supporting the local people and community is also an important element of Unforgettable Croatia’s sustainable tourism mission. Many large ocean liners have recently been under fire for damaging towns such as Venice, Dubrovnik, and Santorini with over-tourism and crowding but Unforgettable Croatia’s small ships create a much more positive impact. Not only do the ships have a smaller carbon footprint, but many of Unforgettable Croatia’s clients will choose to spend their evenings having dinner at a local restaurant rather than on the ship, therefore contributing to the local economy.
All of Unforgettable Croatia’s cruise liners are built locally in Split, creating countless jobs in the local community, and the captain and crew on board the ships are locals with offices based in Split, and a large part of the income generated from the cruises is invested back into the local community.
For 2020, Unforgettable Croatia aims to use a lot more regional brands for their on board supplies. This includes buying fresh produce in local ports, introducing different wines at lunch, and reducing the number of meals offered on the ships in order to encourage the guests to eat at hand-picked traditional, family run restaurants on the islands. The company is also moving the manufacture of branded goods from the UK to Croatia.
Speaking of the new initiatives, Graham Carter, Sales and Marketing Director at Unforgettable Croatia, has said: “We’re really excited about these new projects. Becoming sustainable and eco-friendly is a big concern of ours, given the climate crisis we’re currently experiencing around the world. Of course, we’re already fairly sustainable, and we already have a big emphasis on encouraging our guests to participate in the local community, and we’re really proud of the work we’ve done in generating income and jobs for these communities. Hopefully, these new initiatives will encourage other travel companies to invest in similar projects, and between us we can work towards saving the environment.”
Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
