Ag. CEO of Travel Foundation, Salli Felton.
The Travel Lottery has launched a website offering tickets for regular draws, while raising funds for charity.
The first of its kind for the travel industry, the lottery aims to fundraise to protect communities and natural environments in popular holiday destinations, such as Cyprus, St Lucia, Turkey and Thailand.
The website www.thetravellottery.co.uk aims to be easy for travel companies to promote, and quick for customers to buy tickets.
Tickets now on sale are for a draw at the end of March, giving customers a chance to win back the cost of their holiday – up to £5,000.
The scheme was announced by the Travel Foundation charity last September, and Midcounties Cooperative Travel and Holiday Extras have pledged support as launch partners.
At least 20 firms are expected to be directing customers to the website or selling tickets directly at the point of booking by the end of 2014.
The aim is to sell at least 100,000 tickets and raise more than £50,000 for good causes in the first year.
The Travel Lottery also creates a new revenue stream for the UK travel industry. Those who direct customers to the website or sell directly can earn up to 20p per ticket sold, which can choose to donate this to the charities they support or add it to their bottom line.
Salli Felton, acting chief executive at the Travel Foundation, said: ‘All types of businesses that sell holidays and travel-related services can now play their part in protecting the destinations on which they depend.’
Noel Josephides, chairman of the Travel Foundation, said: ‘This really is a win-win for everyone involved – for customers who have a chance to win a cash prize every month, for travel firms who can earn commission and support their corporate responsibility, and ultimately for the destinations which we rely on and send our customers to every year.’
At least 50p from each ticket sold will go directly to support charitable projects run by the Travel Foundation, with a further 50p contributing to the prize fund.
The hope is that, as more and more organisations back the lottery, more than half the ticket price will go towards the delivery of charitable activities.
For details from the Travel Foundation, click http://www.e-tid.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Britain%E2%80%99s-first-Travel-Lottery.pdf.