Berlin, 20 February 2025

Driving nature-based tourism: TUI Care Foundation expands TUI Forest projects in Zanzibar, Kenya and Gran Canaria

  • TUI Forest Zanzibar invites visitors to discover the 63,000-tree reforestation project through scenic walking and cycling trails 
  • TUI Forest Kenya offers tourists the opportunity to plant one of the 40,000 native trees that will contribute to a greener Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary 
  • TUI Forest Gran Canaria plants 3,000 trees, creates new jobs and engages  over 700 volunteers to help fight the island’s desertification process 
  • Projects are launched as part of TUI Care Foundation’s Forest February, which emphasises the global importance of reforestation

Forests play a crucial role in tourism, attracting many millions of visitors each year and contributing significantly to local economies. They cover over 30% of the global land area, providing endless recreational opportunities. Recognising the value of forests in the development of sustainable tourism, the TUI Care Foundation is expanding its forest projects in Gran Canaria, Zanzibar, and Kenya. These initiatives are part of the Foundation's commitment to developing sustainable tourism solutions that benefit both the environment and local communities. 

Near the World Heritage Site of Stone Town, the Masingini Forest National Park is under threat from urban desertification and deforestation. TUI Forest Zanzibar focuses on creating a buffer zone between the urban area and the forest by planting over 63,000 native trees and providing environmental education to young people and the broader community to raise awareness about the forest‘s importance. In collaboration with Kawa Foundation, the project also develops nature-based tourism, including walking and cycling trails, to attract tourists and generate income for the local community.

In Kenya, the Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, an important ecological and tourism area, has suffered from prolonged droughts leading to soil erosion and vegetation loss.
TUI Forest Kenya, in partnership with Taita Taveta Wildlife Conservancies Association, plants 40,000 native trees and restores over 24 hectares of forest in a critical riverbank region. The project includes community-run nurseries and a "leave a green footprint" campaign, allowing tourists to participate in tree planting and contribute to conservation efforts.

The extensive wildfires in 2019 and historical deforestation severely impacted Gran Canaria's biodiversity and soil quality. TUI Forest Gran Canaria, in partnership with Fundación Canaria para la Reforestación (FORESTA), aims to recover forest mass with native species. Planting 3,000 trees, the project creates jobs and involves over 700 volunteers in reforestation activities. As part of the project, holidaymakers have already had the opportunity to plant trees to help fight the island’s desertification process.

The TUI Care Foundation's ‘Forest February’ is a month of activities dedicated to reforestation. Through a series of project launches and educational activities, it emphasises the importance of community-managed reforestation solutions and sustainable agro-forestry tourism practices to safeguard forest ecosystems for local communities and generations to come.

About TUI Care Foundation

Building on the potential of tourism as a force for good, the TUI Care Foundation supports and initiates projects which create new opportunities and contribute to thriving communities in tourism destinations all over the world. Connecting holidaymakers to good causes, it supports education and training opportunities for young people; drives the protection of natural habitats and the marine environment; and helps local communities to thrive sustainably and benefit from tourism. The TUI Care Foundation builds on strong partnerships with local and international organisations to create meaningful and long-lasting impact. The independent charitable organisation was founded by TUI, one of the world's leading tourism businesses, and is based in the Netherlands.

About Kawa Foundation

Kawa Foundation strives to improve the economic status, reduce poverty and unemployment of Zanzibar Youth, empowering women and improving livelihood in rural communities through capacity building in skills, knowledge and leadership to fill the (skills) gap in the tourism and hospitality industry. All activities of Kawa Foundation focus around ensuring a sustainable future of the heritage and the tourism and hospitality industry by taking action to protect, enhance and make use of the natural, cultural and historical heritage of Zanzibar by creating sustainable income generating activities.

Kawa Foundation encourages partnerships, entrepreneurship, create economic links between the communities and the industry to improve economic resilience and to advocate the implementation of sustainable practices concerning fair working conditions.

About Taita Taveta Wildlife Conservancies Association

The Taita Taveta Wildlife Conservancies are a constellation of a total of 33 conservancies located within the Tsavo Conservation Area (TCA) Ecosystem and have formed the Taita Taveta Wildlife Conservancies Association (TTWCA). The TCA is made up of Tsavo East National Park, the Tsavo West National Park, the South Kitui National Reserve, and the Chyulu Hills National Park in south-eastern Kenya, the Mkomazi Game Reserve in north-western Tanzania, and the surrounding group ranches and community lands collectively encompassing approximately 5.8 million acres (23,553km2) of the iconic Tsavo wilderness landscape.

About FORESTA (Fundación Canaria para la Reforestación)

FORESTA (Fundación Canaria para la Reforestación) is a private non-profit organisation which recovers, maintains and conserves the Canarian forest masses, involving the Canarian society in the knowledge, respect and recovery of the region’s exceptional natural heritage. The NGO was established as a 100% private entity with its own decision-making capacity which operates in parallel to the environmental policies of Gran Canaria.