Group touring travel specialists Just You and Travelsphere have launched a new customer initiative to further support global community tourism. The new match for match donation scheme marks the next phase with partner Planeterra, the leading global not-for-profit foundation that encourages tourism to create a positive impact to communities through meaningful travel experiences.

From April, all customers that book touring holidays with Just You and Travelsphere, operated by G Touring, will be opted in to a £5 donation per traveller to support the Planeterra foundation, and for every donation made, Just You and Travelsphere will match that amount. Customers can choose to opt out at checkout online or when booking over the phone with a Just You or Travelsphere holiday advisor.

Just You and Travelsphere launched their Just You Cares and Travelsphere Cares programmes in 2014 and have been working with Planeterra since 2017. Thanks to Planeterra’s numerous initiatives around the globe, customers can support local communities via inspiring travel experiences that are owned, led, and run by non-profits, cooperatives, and social enterprises. These include Native Grill, a DinéHózhó-supported food truck owned and operated by the Littleboy family near Cameron, Arizona, which offers training and employment to Native American youth, providing them with valuable experience and income while preserving cultural heritage, and the Ccaccaccollo Women’s Weaving Co-op near the Inca trial in Peru, which funds training programmes to help bring back weaving traditions that have been lost over generations.

Jamie Sweeting, President at Planeterra said: “At Planeterra our mission is to use tourism as a catalyst to improve people’s lives, protect their natural environments, and celebrate their culture. Working with our partners Just You and Travelsphere enables us to do just that and now, to an even greater extent with every single customer that books a group touring holiday. This new match for match initiative will make a huge difference to what we can achieve through empowering communities through travel, and we are thrilled to take our longstanding relationship to this next exciting level.”

Adam Kemp, Managing Director at G Touring added: “At G Touring, it is our mission to ‘Change people’s lives through travel’ – we aim to make a positive impact on both our customers and the places we visit. Since 2017 we have been working in collaboration with Planeterra, which uplifts communities through travel, creating economic opportunities and celebrating cultures.

Throughout that time, we have supported various Planeterra initiatives and where possible, visited such projects with our customers on tours. We are now thrilled to announce that we are stepping up this relationship with our new donation scheme and we look forward to sharing regular news and updates on the many donations matched. This is a significant step as we continue to increase the support we provide to the global communities we visit. Here’s to uplifting more communities through travel!”