The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has reported that three months after its launch, the “Meaningful Travel Campaign” – a collaboration between the TAT Stockholm Office and Thailand-registered social enterprise Socialgiver – has raised over 400,000 Baht and preserved 35,000 big trees in Thailand.
Yuthasak Supasorn, TAT Governor, said “It is wonderful to see such great support being shown to the Meaningful Travel Campaign by Nordic and Baltic tourists visiting Thailand, and we thank them for this. The campaign is aimed at helping tourists support nature conservation and protect green spaces throughout the kingdom. This is in line with the TAT’s commitment towards more sustainable and more responsible tourism, and we hope to see more travellers joining the good work being done.”
Socialgiver is a non-profit organisation that partners with social and environmental projects from across Thailand and helps them raise funds for the work they do. Working with Socialgiver and TAT in the “Meaningful Travel Campaign” is the Big Trees Project – an environmental volunteer and advocacy group that works with communities, government agencies, and the private sector in promoting awareness and helping preserve green spaces in Bangkok and around Thailand.
Big Trees was founded in 2010 and brings the general public and organisations together in preserving public green spaces and the environment. It is working to build a strong cycle of tree care – from the nurturing of seedlings, to training and connecting arborists to care for large trees around Thailand – and at the same time to create jobs for the local people and raise awareness on the important role big trees play in nature.
With the “Meaningful Travel Campaign”, 50 percent of the revenue from Nordic and Baltic tourists booking hotels, restaurants, attractions, and other experiences in Thailand through the Socialgiver platform, goes to Big Trees. It offers them not only a fantastic holiday, but a meaningful one as well, as they will be giving back to the local communities and the environment.
