TUI Care Foundation

This , meet the youth working in tourism in Africa 🌍

Through the UN Tourism Small Grants Programme, enabled by the TUI Care Foundation, 126 young artists and artisans from Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda and Tanzania, build new skills, access new markets, and turn their cultural heritage into visitor experiences.

This , meet a few of them from Red Rocks Rwanda:

💃 Eugeine, 21 | basket weaving and dancing
🎥 Roger, 24 | film and photography
🍲 Patience , 22 | culinary arts and basket weaving
🎶 Stone, 22 | music and video production

Supported by Red Rocks Initiative For Sustainable Development, these young creatives are proof that tourism can be a powerful driver of youth economic empowerment | turning heritage and craft into opportunity.

World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Best Tourism Villages by UN Tourism Red Rocks Initiative

New opportunities for young people and entrepreneurs on Sal island 💡

The TUI Care Foundation is expanding its work in Cabo Verde with two initiatives that use tourism to support skills development, entrepreneurship and more inclusive economic growth.

🎓 Through TUI Academy Sal, 330 young people aged 16 to 35 will receive fully funded, nationally certified training in areas including hospitality, tour guiding and small business management. The programme combines classroom learning, technical workshops and internships with local businesses, helping participants gain the skills and practical experience they need to enter the tourism job market.

🚀 At the same time, TUI Futureshapers Sal is supporting local entrepreneurs to build stronger, more resilient businesses. More than 180 small and medium-sized enterprises will be assessed to receive tailored support, including training, mentoring and business incubation.

The programme has a particular focus on women entrepreneurs, with dedicated support for women-led businesses and women working in the local fishing sector. Entrepreneurs are also learning how to use digital and AI tools, improve their financial management and connect with new market opportunities, including Sal’s hotel supply chain. 💻

In partnership with Sal Academy Vocational Training School and Target 8.9, the projects are helping more people benefit directly from the opportunities created by Sal’s growing tourism economy.

🔗 Read more: https://tuicarefoundation.com/empowering-young-people-and-local-entrepreneurs-in-cabo-verde-tui-care-foundation-launches-additional-projects-on-sal-island/

A new phase of wildlife protection in Costa Rica 🦜

Together with the Work with Nature Foundation, the TUI Care Foundation is expanding TUI Wildlife Costa Rica to strengthen the protection of the Caribbean lowland rainforest and the endangered species that depend on it.

Building on the project’s first phase, the initiative is:

🌳 Expanding wildlife protection patrols across 289 hectares of rainforest
🦜 Restoring habitats for endangered species including the Great Green Macaw and Lemur Leaf Frog
🦇 Advancing research into lesser-known and endangered bat species using bioacoustic technology
🌱 Introducing 50 native tree species to an arboretum designed to support conservation, research and education
🤝 Engaging more than 350 local and Indigenous community members through employment, training and nature-based activities

The project will strengthen an important biological corridor between the Work with Nature Reserve and Barbilla National Park, helping wildlife move safely between fragmented forest habitats.

Find out more: https://tuicarefoundation.com/wildlife-protection-through-responsible-tourism-and-community-action-tui-care-foundation-launches-new-phase-of-tui-wildlife-project-in-costa-rica/

A canal tour can show you the city. This one introduces you to its people. 👇

Amsterdam’s canals are one of the city’s best-known visitor experiences. But the stories shared along the way do not always reflect the full diversity of the people who shape the city.

That is why we're launching TUI Colourful Cultures Amsterdam. 📣

The project brings a different kind of storytelling to Amsterdam’s canals. Instead of a traditional sightseeing commentary, visitors join small-scale tours led by storytellers with roots in countries such as Colombia, Iran, Ukraine, Syria, Ethiopia, Yemen and beyond.

Through personal experiences and Amsterdam’s lesser-known migration history, the tours explore themes such as identity, belonging and cultural connection. The intimate setting also creates space for visitors to ask questions, exchange perspectives and discover the city through the voices of the people who call it home. 🛶

Over the next two years, the project will support almost 50 storytellers, captains and artists through training, mentoring and professional opportunities in cultural tourism. The first 11 storytellers have already completed their training, with seven now working permanently on board.

By bringing underrepresented stories into one of Amsterdam’s most familiar tourism experiences, the project is helping create a more personal and inclusive way to discover the city.

🔗 Read more about TUI Colourful Cultures Amsterdam: https://tuicarefoundation.com/putting-amsterdams-untold-stories-on-the-map-tui-care-foundation-launches-tui-colourful-cultures-amsterdam/

For centuries, Taranto’s black mussels have been part of the city’s identity. Now, local producers are building new opportunities through oyster farming and tourism experiences rooted in the traditions of the Mar Piccolo. 🦪🌊

Swipe to learn how TUI Field to Fork Puglia, in partnership with Slow Food, is helping protect this unique food heritage.

Mariam joined the Destination Zero Waste Zanzibar project in 2023. 👇

She quickly found that she enjoyed the precision and care involved in her work of transforming glass and plastic waste into new products. Over time, the role has become an important source of both professional pride and financial independence.

Earning a stable income has enabled Mariam to support her family and even start building her own house. 🏠 For her, this is what empowerment looks like: being able to make her own decisions, plan for the future and create greater security for herself and those around her.

💭 “I believe women should not wait on others, but instead take the step towards creating their own stability and future”, says Mariam.

Through Destination Zero Waste Zanzibar, we're working with CHAKO to address two challenges at once: the growing amount of waste generated on the island and the barriers that many women and young people face in accessing employment.

By collecting discarded glass and plastic from Zanzibar’s tourism industry and transforming it into beautiful, high-quality products, the project is helping to keep valuable materials in use while creating training, employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for local people.

Mariam’s story is a wonderful reminder that giving waste a second life can also create new possibilities for people. 💙