TO CONSERVE AND PROTECT

Posted on 02/05/2016

Royal Caribbean has partnered with The World Wildlife Fund for Nature to develop programmes for ocean conservation and to share exposure of the WWF with five million cruise passengers annually.

The announcement was made in the remote village of Donsol, a region of importance both to the cruise line as well as global conservationists in the Philippines. Donsol’s tourist industry’s main attraction is swimming with whale sharks, the world’s largest fish. Royal Caribbean chose the location because they employ more Filipinos than any other national group, with 11,000 employees from the Southeast Asian country. The cruise line has pledged £3.5 ($7) million for a five year commitment with the first priority being to place a WWF magazine in the cabins of all the Royal Caribbean Celebrity and Azamara Club Cruises’ ships. There will also be a dedicated WWF channel on the in-cabin TV and the cruise line will work with the charitable foundation to develop shore excursions that do not impact the environment. Royal Caribbean has pledged to reduce its environmental footprint by reducing gas emissions by 35% by 2020. They have committed to sourcing 90% of the fish consumed on ships from sustainable fisheries. New targets will be announced June 30 to address destination stewardship and sustainability.