Plastic waste on holiday

Ever bought an inflatable on holiday only to leave it behind because you don’t have enough room in your suitcase? Have you abandoned it on a beach without even giving it a second thought? Did you ever stop and think about the environmental impact your flamingo or donut could be having on the ocean? Plastic pollution is a major threat, not only to our oceans, but our marine life - and it’s about time we did something about it!

In a recent survey commissioned by Thomas Cook over half of holidaymakers (53%) said they will throw away their inflatable this year. So to tackle this ever-growing problem, we’ve teamed up with the Marine Conservation Society to launch a campaign to help our holidaymakers make more environmentally friendly choices.

But what if inflatables are a summer holiday essential? If you can't imagine your trip without these floating favourites, we're asking you to reduce, reuse, or recycle them instead. From beach clean ups to recycling facilities in hotels and passing them on to other guests - there’s so much we can change! Will you join us in reducing our plastic footprint?

For more information from the Marine Conservation Society see reduce your plastic waste on holiday, where you can download their free guide.

The survey key findings were:

37% of respondents bought an inflatable for their upcoming or most recent holiday;

47% always bring inflatables back home from holiday or it’s a waste of money;

34% would recycle if the hotel had offered a recycling service;

The main reason for respondents to buy inflatables was to relax in the pool or sea, cited by 47%;

30% of respondents purchase inflatables mainly because their kids love playing on them;

20% of respondents worry about the environmental impact they have on their local environment on holiday;

45% of respondents think about their impact they have on the local environment but feel there is not a lot they can do about it;

The cleanliness issue of the sea and beach was important to 21% of respondents who said it was important because they enjoy the beach and being in the water.

Iberostar hotels

Why not choose an environmentally friendly hotel for your next trip like Iberostar? This leading hotel group has been single-use plastic-free since 2020 by using materials such as glass, compostable cardboard and renewable plant-based items. These hotels below offer inflatable recycing centres: