TUI Care Foundation sponsorship of ARCHELON in Crete and the "Turtle-Friendly" hotel certificate
- My nests in Rethymno declined by 46% and in Chania by 49% over two decades, according to ARCHELON; the baseline years are not given. ARCHELON
From 1 June 2023 to 31 May 2026 the TUI Care Foundation funded ARCHELON's "TUI Turtle Aid Greece" project. Eight northern Crete hotels received a "Turtle-Friendly" certificate designed by the foundation; no independent audit of the certificate was found.
Self-reported by ARCHELON. ARCHELON also cites nest declines of 46% (Rethymno) and 49% (Chania) over two decades; baseline years are not given.
Status As of October 2026: the three-year project ended on 31 May 2026; ARCHELON reported its results and eight hotels hold the certificate; no funding amount or independent audit is on record.
- Nesting loggerheads in Rethymno and Chania — Nest declines of 46% and 49% over two decades, per ARCHELON ARCHELON
What happened
The TUI Care Foundation, the foundation of a tour operator, funded ARCHELON's "TUI Turtle Aid Greece" project from 1 June 2023 to 31 May 2026. ARCHELON reports that over the three years 66,557 visitors were informed, 423 beach walks were held and 1,728 nests were protected in northern Crete, and that 48 nests were recorded in Rhodes.
Eight hotels in northern Crete received a "Turtle-Friendly" certificate designed by the TUI Care Foundation. The conditions listed are that sunbeds are removed at night and that lights are hidden or off. ECOCLUB is named among those involved.
ARCHELON cites nest declines of 46% in Rethymno and 49% in Chania over two decades and proposes permanent umbrella-, sunbed- and light-free beach sections. The funding amount and the budget have not been published, and no independent audit of the certificate or of the certified hotels' compliance was found.
- 2023TUI Care Foundation funding of "TUI Turtle Aid Greece" starts (1 Jun)
- 2026Project period ends (31 May)
How it looked
Shown
- Eight hotels in northern Crete presented as Turtle-Friendly certified, with sunbeds removed at night and lights hidden or off.ARCHELON, on the TUI Care Foundation certificate · ARCHELON
Recorded
- ARCHELON reports 66,557 visitors informed, 423 beach walks and 1,728 nests protected in northern Crete over three years, and 48 nests recorded in Rhodes.
- ARCHELON cites nest declines of 46% (Rethymno) and 49% (Chania) over two decades; baseline years are not given.
- Eight northern Crete hotels received the Turtle-Friendly certificate designed by the TUI Care Foundation.
Who gained
Reached nature or the ground
Gained elsewhere
Responses on record
- ARCHELON (2026): Reported 66,557 visitors informed, 423 beach walks and 1,728 nests protected in northern Crete over three years, and proposed permanent umbrella-, sunbed- and light-free beach sections. · ARCHELON
In court and with insurers
Lawsuits and rulings
Insurers
What nature saw
Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.
What we don't know
Money
- None on record TUI Care Foundation funding of TUI Turtle Aid Greece — Budget not published; no funding amount on record.
Record
- Not disclosed None on record: the amount of the TUI Care Foundation's funding; the budget is not published.
- None on record None on record: compliance of the certified hotels with the certificate conditions.
- None on record None on record: an independent audit of the Turtle-Friendly certificate, which was designed by the sponsor.
- Unclear Unclear: the baseline years for the 46% and 49% nest declines.
Did the harm stop?
The sources reviewed give three-year project counts and the certification of eight hotels; they do not give a nest trend after the project or any inspection of the certified hotels.
Who paid?
The TUI Care Foundation funded the project; the amount is not on record.
Sources
Communities and civil society
Connected cases
- EU LIFE funding for loggerhead conservation, 2002-2029 European Union · 2002–2029
- ARCHELON (NGO) — here: Ran the project; reports its results; there: Beneficiary of LIFE02 NAT/GR/008500
- Kyparissia Bay (Thines Kyparissias), Greece: construction, roads and beach use at a loggerhead nesting site, CJEU C-504/14 (2016) Greece · 2010–2025
- ARCHELON (NGO) — here: Ran the project; reports its results; there: Named as complainant; monitors nesting; intervener before the Council of State
- Laganas Bay, Zakynthos, Greece: National Marine Park, Bern file 1986/8 and CJEU C-103/00 (2002) Greece · 1986–2025
- ARCHELON (NGO) — here: Ran the project; reports its results; there: Supported the Bern complaint; monitors nesting; reports on pressures