The doorbell rings. A customer steps inside. Behind the desk sits Melvin Mak, a young travel advisor, ready to turn holiday dreams into reality and feeling very, very nervous.

“I was nervous at first,” he admits. “You don’t want to mess up someone’s once-a-year vacation.”

Those early years in retail taught him the art of listening, problem-solving, and creating experiences that truly mattered. “I loved designing complex itineraries, like a South Africa road trip, long before online tools made it easier.” Every journey was a puzzle, and Melvin thrived on finding the perfect fit. Today, that same skill helps him tackle complex sustainability challenges.

After four years in retail, Melvin began to wonder:

“What’s the impact of travel on destinations, on nature, on culture? Climate change and the impact of tourism were increasingly on my mind. I wanted to make sure these beautiful places would still be there for future generations.”

That decision changed everything. When a sustainability role opened at TUI Netherlands, he applied, and didn’t get it. A year later, the position came up again. He chose persistence. The CEO noticed: “You’re not someone who gives up easily.” That conversation marked the start of a new chapter.

When Melvin joined the sustainability team, the work was modest but essential: hotel certifications, eco-labels in brochures. Today, as Director of Sustainability & ESG for TUI Group, he looks back on a year of progress across a range of sustainability initiatives, including reported emission reductions across airlines, cruises and hotels, as well as several other milestones:

• TUI Group received an “A” rating in the global CDP Climate Ranking in 2025 for verifiable climate management and transparent reporting.
• Around a 60% rise in port calls with onshore power for Mein Schiff and Hapag-Lloyd compared to the previous year (115 connections in FY 2025 vs. 72 in FY 2024).
• 2,677 hotels with independent sustainability certification in FY 2025, up from 2,051 in FY 2024.
• 11,262 tons of voluntary Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) used in FY 2025, replacing conventional kerosene, almost 11 times more than in FY 2024. Depending on the fuel and production pathway, SAF can reduce lifecycle greenhouse-gas emissions by up to 80–85% compared with conventional jet fuel*.
• 2,490 experiences, tours and activities verified against international sustainability criteria compared to 1,881 in 2024.

Melvin is passionate about expanding initiatives that address specific environmental, social and operational topics associated with travel:

“Sustainability is more than thinking about the environment. It’s thinking about people, the economy and finding win-win scenarios. Replacing diesel buses and taxis with electric fleets can reduce direct vehicle emissions during operation. Hotel developments can contribute to employment, infrastructure and economic activity, depending on the project and destination. Producing our own renewable energy can contribute to hotel energy supply and may influence operating costs. These measures can have environmental, operational and socioeconomic implications.”

His focus now? Scaling solutions.

“Pilot projects are nice. I like us to pioneer, test and learn, succeed and fail. Making them big enough to matter, that’s the challenge.”

Another project close to his heart: tackling microplastic pollution.

“We started with one Marella cruise ship and equipped the crew laundry machine with a microplastic filter from the Cleaner Seas Group. According to supplier specifications and product testing, it can capture up to 99% of microfibres from laundry wastewater. Now it’s being rolled out across the entire Marella fleet, several TUI Cruises ships and 12 hotels, including Robinson Clubs in the Maldives.”

Despite his global role, Melvin hasn’t lost sight of retail.

“Those colleagues are the first face of TUI. They can make or break the customer experience.”

And in his mind, his job is still connected to how he started:

“We’re working so that in 20 years, you can still book that dream holiday.”

“We won’t save the world alone. But if we scale what works, solar, e-mobility, improving food systems and tackling waste, we can help address specific environmental impacts associated with travel.”

* Depending on the feedstock and production pathway, SAF can reduce lifecycle greenhouse-gas emissions by up to 80–85% compared with conventional jet fuel.