The project officially started with the placement of the first pile.
TUI announced last December that, in partnership with Dynaf, it would install 55 charging stations for electric vehicles on the ABC islands. This project, which officially started with the installation of the first charging station, is an investment by the travel organization in the sustainable development of the islands and in stimulating the use of electric transport.
The inaugural charging station was installed in the parking lot of TUI's office on Schottegatweg. Customers who come to the TUI store with their electric car can charge their vehicle here. In addition, TUI now has its own electric car for employees who have to travel for work-related matters. This can also be charged at the TUI car park. Rick van der Pluijm, head of TUI Dutch Caribbean, and Kris Bouwstra, Chief Commercial Officer at Dynaf, officially commissioned the first charging station by connecting TUI's electric pool car.
“I am proud and happy that our 'journey in the right direction' has really started with the installation of the first charging station. With a strong charging station infrastructure, it is finally possible to drive electrically on the islands without any worries. We therefore hope that our tourists will soon travel electrically en masse and that we can minimize the impact on the islands, just like with our other sustainability projects. The electric pool car that we have taken into use is not only very handy, it is above all an example that electric driving really works. Hopefully the rentacar companies will follow our example and quickly expand their electric fleet.”
This project, which started with the installation of the first pole, involves the installation of a total of 30 charging points on Curaçao. In the coming weeks, the other charging stations will be installed at various locations on the island, starting at Avila Beach Hotel, Chogogo Dive & Beach Resort and Papagayo Beach Resort, as well as at the public parking lot at Van den Tweel.
More charging stations in public places will follow. After Curaçao, it is Aruba and Bonaire's turn. On Aruba, TUI and Dynaf will jointly install 15 charging stations, while 10 will be installed on Bonaire. Upon completion of the project, there will be 55 additional charging stations on the ABC Islands, serving both tourists and locals.
This project accelerates electric driving. To enable a rapid transition to electric driving, it is crucial that the charging infrastructure grows with it. It is fantastic that TUI has taken the initiative to accelerate this with 55 charging stations and 110 green parking spaces where electric driving can form an important impulse for the economy and employment on the islands.”
FairTravel
TUI finances the charging stations with part of the proceeds from the fair travel product which has been sold in Belgium and the Netherlands since last year. When booking a Fair Travel trip, € 2 per person is added to the travel sum, an amount that is doubled by TUI. This contribution is used for projects that support the local population and economy (via the TUI Care Foundation), and to make mobility more sustainable. Moreover, with a Fair Travel trip, a stay in an accommodation with a recognized sustainability label is always guaranteed.
In the first year of Fair Travel in the Netherlands and Belgium, more than € 2,3 million was collected together, which amounts to € 4 per traveler for a total of 575.000 travelers. Half of this amount has been donated to the TUI Care Foundation, while the rest is invested in various sustainable mobility projects, including the charging station project on the ABC islands.
