Villaspain Vanquishes Spanish Holiday Carbon Footprint

March 13, 2008 - Press Dispensary - A new phenomenon in holiday planning is guilt: concern that the overseas holiday habit, with its accompanying addiction to air travel, is irreparably harming the environment. Greening away not only the guilt but the underlying environmental harm, Brighton-based Spanish villa agent, Villaspain ( http://www.villaspain.co.uk ), is launching a tree planting programme which will cancel the carbon debt of every customer's flights and car hire, so that they can holiday abroad with a clear conscience.

And Villaspain customers don’t have to pay a penny to offset the environmental cost of their travel.

Villaspain got out its carbon calculator and worked out the number of trees needed to absorb the carbon dioxide created by every holidaymaker travelling to one of its villas in Spain. A customer taking a return flight from London to Alicante, for example, and hiring a car for their holiday, would typically be responsible for half a ton of CO2 emissions. By planting a tree for every customer, which will absorb approximately 0.7 tons of CO2 over its lifetime, Villaspain will render his or her flights and car hire ‘carbon neutral’.

Bruce Gibson, owner of Villaspain, says: “Eco-minded tourists can now take the green option when booking their Spanish villa holiday. As well as access to the best privately-owned villas on the beautiful Costa Blanca, booking through Villaspain guarantees that your carbon emissions have been offset for guilt-free fun in the sun.”

A ‘clickometer’ on the company’s website tallies the numbers of trees planted in real-time, and is already heading for the 2,000 mark. Planting is conducted independently by an accredited charity specialising in agro forestry throughout the developing world.

Customers complete the villa booking process in the normal way, and the agency automatically allocates a tree for every person (including children and babies) included on the booking form. In most cases the tree will have been planted by the time the customer flies. The program covers all guests arriving at its villas in 2008, even if booked in 2007.

In addition, Villaspain is cementing its green credentials by carbon offsetting its 20 staff in the UK and Spain, restoring the balance of the 10 tons of CO2 each individual incurs every year with additional tree planting.

Villaspain’s CO2 emission calculations are based on information from www.carbonneutral.com

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Notes for editors
Villaspain was established in 1997 and operates from Brighton, East Sussex, with a local support office in Benissa, Spain.

The company specialises in renting fully managed, privately owned, luxury villas in the Costa Blanca’s all-year destinations of Javea, Moraira, Denia, Calpe and Altea. Villaspain combines excellent local knowledge with a personalised service to clients.

Its online search facility provides detailed information and real time availability, and off peak rentals start from as little as £160 per week per villa. A virtual tour of each property is available on the website to help holidaymakers make a more informed choice.

For further information, please contact:
Bruce Gibson, Villaspain
Tel: 01273 623723
Email:
Site: www.villaspain.co.uk