JUAN EFFECT LAUNCHED, TO PROMOTE RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL
Cebu Pacific president and chief operating officer Lance Gokongwei announces that Cebu Pacific will no longer use plastic utensils for inflight meals and refreshments
Seeing the adverse impact of mass tourism in some of its prime destinations such as Boracay, Cebu Pacific is calling for support for sustainable tourism in the country.
Cebu Pacific, the carrier that has made travel within and outside the Philippines affordable, together with the Department of Tourism, yesterday launched its sustainable tourism program called Juan Effect at Makati Shangri-la.
Juan Effect encourages passengers to be responsible travelers and collaborates with island stakeholders in environment conservation.
“As Cebu Pacific aims to fly 22 million passengers in 2018, we recognize sustainable tourism as a key priority for the airline. The Juan Effect program is a call for all stakeholders to come together, to collaborate and cooperate towards concerted efforts, to ensure that the tourism industry progresses sustainably,” Cebu Pacific president and chief operating officer Lance Gokongwei said.
Candice Iyog, vice president of marketing and distribution at Cebu Air Inc. that runs Cebu Pacific, illustrated the Juan Effect in three simple ways a traveler can do: to bring a reusable water bottle so he doesn’t have to buy bottled water, to carry an eco bag for shopping, and to throw his trash in the waste bin.
Iyog mentioned as an example of how a flight carrying 78 passengers to an island destination can contribute to the accumulation of plastic bottles. One passenger consumes an average of six bottles of water in three days. In a year, the trash from the consumption of drinking water can accumulate to 500,000 bottles in a year.
Can you imagine the trash the travelers leave behind in an island with no proper waste disposal system, Iyog asked.
Gokongwei, speaking at the launch, said, “Part of the Juan Effect program is looking at the way we do things at Cebu Pacific. We want to cut down on our use of non-recyclable plastic to only what is necessary, and are committed to rolling out more initiatives to help protect our planet and ensure that we operate sustainably.”
Juan Effect will be piloted in Siargao, an island in Mindanao known for its surfing waves and which has become the go-to destination after Boracay was temporarily shut down.
The sustainable tourism action plans will be rolled out before the peak tourist and surfing season starts next month, Cebu Pacific said.
Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, for her part, said the department has taken on a mission to preserve and protect local destinations for the future.
“We engage consumers by making them feel empowered to embrace their role as responsible tourists,” she said.
Also at the launch of Juan Effect, Gokongwei announced that starting Oct. 1 this year, Cebu Pacific will no longer use plastic utensils for inflight meals and refreshments.
On the average, the Cebu Pacific group mounts about 400 flights daily across 37 domestic and 26 international destinations. Those flights use about 18,500 pieces of plastic spoons and forks, plastic cups, and plastic stirrers daily, a Cebu Pacific statement said.
The change to eco-friendly utensils for inflight catering is just the latest in environmental initiatives that Cebu Pacific is integrating into its operations and core strategy, the airline said.