The SeaLink Travel Group nationally, including its Captain Cook Cruises brand, will partner with the Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife on a range of initiatives fostering sustainable tourism programs in National Parks around Australia of high tourism value.

SeaLink is one of Australia’s largest tourism and transport companies, carrying over 8 million passenger trips annually in five states and the Northern Territory. SeaLink has been actively supporting a range of nature-based tourism initiatives around Australia including wildlife care and research programs particularly in the National Parks of Kangaroo Island in South Australia and in the Magnetic Island National Park in Queensland.

The partnership is a natural extension of SeaLink’s strong ties to Australian National Parks and its Corporate Social Responsibility programs.

Together, the Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife (FNPW) and SeaLink hope to strengthen tourism initiatives and infrastructure in National Parks and cultivate community relationships with environmental conservation groups.

“We have been searching for a national partner to support our work for some time and we wanted to select an organisation that had, at its heart, philosophies that tie in to what our brand stands for. Both SeaLink and FNPW’s vision is to link Australian icons and landscapes to the world.
Investment into national parks of high tourism value is critical to the advancement of tourism in Australia. Our services link tourists from around the world to Australia’s wonderful national parks and therefore parks with visitor amenities, infrastructure and facilities play a vital role in the overall visitor experience” says Jeff Ellison, CEO of SeaLink nationally.

FNPW, a not-for-profit, non-government organisation, was founded in 1970 with a goal to protect Australian land, native wildlife and cultural heritage through conservation schemes and fundraising for environmental education. The Foundation’s partnership with SeaLink, will dramatically increase awareness of national environmental issues and ultimately result in more funds being raised for conservation projects.

This partnership will allow SeaLink to co-ordinate conservation and wildlife tourism commitments through FNPW for greater efficiency and in turn will give FNPW a larger platform from which to fundraise, call for sustainability measures and invest into parks of high tourism value.

The partnership is part of a corporate responsibility program promoting ethical and environmentally sustainable business practices. The move also creates shared value for SeaLink, whose business model depends on environmental sustainability and prosperity.

“In partnering with SeaLink we are able to educate many more people about our initiatives and are able to multiply the number of projects we undertake. Our collaboration also enables us to increase our coverage to raise funds for many more projects that benefit the Australian environment and all the people, creatures and plants living within it,” says Ian Darbyshire, CEO of FNPW.

FNPW also hosts corporate days with a number of high profile companies including Qantas, Zurich, and BMP. These events aim to boost employee morale and raise funds for sustainability efforts. FNPW benefits from its many business relationships, having worked with 50 different companies in the last 18 months.

For more information visit www.fnpw.org.au