Everlasting Experiences

We decide to engage in the sustainability certification process to learn, improve, implement and promote good sustainability practices on social, environmental, and economic aspects of our business. We will work and set actions to maximize positive impacts and minimize negative impacts of our operations. We aim to make tomorrow better than yesterday, to positively influence, inspire, and equally respect with dignity our team members, clients, suppliers, and partners, and to be an example of best practice in our country and the entire region.

This policy will apply to all operations, from management to the executive level of our company.
Staff, suppliers, and partners are expected to fully uphold objectives under this policy whenever possible within prevailing budgets.

We acknowledge we have limited influence over third parties. While we cannot control the decisions of these parties, we commit to educate them of our policy and encourage them to align operating practices with policy objectives.

We commit to:

– Have an active sustainability coordinator who has completed the basic Travelife Sustainability training and exam and is in charge of monitoring, reporting, and implement the sustainability policy and action plan.

– Define and public publish our sustainability mission statement and policy

– Conduct a baseline assessment of the company’s performance on sustainable practices

– Ensure company’s transparency in sustainability by public reporting and communicating;

– Involve the staff in our sustainability action plan and ensure that the staff is fully aware of our Sustainability Policy and is committed to implementing and improving it.

– Comply with all national legislation

We commit to:

–  Grant employees the freedom of employment and contract termination with notice and without penalty

– Include in the employment contract: labor conditions according to national labor law, a job description, wage rate equals or above the national legal wage;

– Determine and compensate for overtime working hours based on agreement;

– Provide medical and liability insurance according to the national law;

– Grant employees fixed paid yearly holiday and sick leave;

– Offer equal opportunities in regard to recruitment, conditions of employment, access to training, and senior positions to every candidate and not apply discrimination connected to gender, race, age, disability, ethnicity, religious belief, and sexual orientation

– Declare not to hinder trade union membership, collective labor negotiations, and representation of members by trade unions;

– Have a health and safety policy for employees that complies with national legal standards;

– Have first-aid kits and trained staff available at all relevant locations;

– Obey national regulations concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment;

– Measure regularly employees’ satisfaction and complaints and take action for improvement;

– Offer to our employee’s opportunities to gain experiences on the nature of their work and advance in a career within the company

Create opportunities for students in participating in traineeship/internship/apprenticeship;

We commit to:

– Actively reduce and (when possible) avoid the use of disposable and consumer goods.

– Act to find solutions and improve our internal waste management.

– Comply with the national legislation concerning waste disposal.

– Implement waste-reducing methods.

Examples:

– We use refillable toner.

– We use mostly glass and ceramic cups, plates, and glasses.

– We are changing some procedures to reduce the printing material.

– We purchased a new coffee machine. Instead of the coffee capsules, we are using more environmentally friendly and biodegradable paper pods.

– Print on environmentally friendly paper.

– Favor the purchase and the use of sustainable goods and services.

– Measure, monitor, and find solutions to reduce energy and water consumption. 

Examples:

– Our offices are in a new building and technologies connected to the water system are modern and set to minimize freshwater waste.

–  We have a dual-flush toilet.

– Heating and cooling systems are turned off when offices are closed.

– We monitor water bills and search methods for improvements.

– Use only green energy and efficient lighting for office purposes.

– Set all our equipment on energy-saving mode.

– Prefer low energy equipment when buying new items, including considerations of cost and quality;

– Use sustainable water sourcing, which does not adversely affect environmental flows.

– Provide periodic guidance, training, and/or information to all staff members, about their roles and responsibilities concerning internal environmental practices.

– Reduce transport-related impacts by telework, video meetings, work-at-home policies, or other means.

– Measure and reduce staff-related travel and use more sustainable modes of transport. Maintain and properly check motorized company vehicles, to reduce emissions and energy use and make sure they comply with the legal emission standards.

– Comply with land use, zoning, and protected or heritage area laws and regulations; when planning, designing, constructing, renovating, operating, or demolishing company buildings and infrastructure.

– Base planning, design, and construction of new buildings or renovations, on locally appropriate and feasible sustainable practices and materials.

– Contribute to the protection and preservation of local historical, archaeological, culturally, and spiritually important properties and sites, and not impede access to them by residents.

We commit to:

– Informing key partners on the Travelife and national tourism standards.

– Informing key partners about the travel companies’ sustainability policy and that they are expected to comply with it and/or communicate it to final customers where relevant.

– Including key sustainability clauses in contracts with inbound/receptive partners.

– Motivating incoming/inbound partners to participate in sustainability trainings for travel companies.

We commit to:

– Selecting the most sustainable options considering price and comfort when selecting transport options to the destination.

– Considering and giving preference to more sustainable alternatives when selecting transport options for transfers and excursions in the destination, taking into account price, comfort, and practical considerations.

– Integrating and/or promoting one or more sustainable holiday products/packages based on a recognized methodology, including sustainable transport, sustainable accommodations, and sustainable activities.

We commit to:

– Motivating and encouraging partner accommodations to become sustainably certified.

– Preferring and selecting accommodations that are locally owned and managed.

– Selecting accommodations that employ local communities.

– Encouraging accommodations to follow best practices on responsible tourism.

– Including standard sustainability clauses in all contracts with accommodation providers that focus on child labor, anti-corruption and bribery, waste management, and protection of biodiversity.

– Working with accommodations and restaurants that incorporate elements of local art, architecture, or cultural heritage; while respecting the intellectual property rights of local communities.

– Ensuring that through our accommodation supply chain, the rights of children are respected and safeguarded and has a zero-tolerance policy of sexual exploitation of children.

– Terminating cooperation with accommodation in case of clear evidence that contracted accommodations jeopardize the provision of the integrity of basic services such as food, water, energy, healthcare, or soil to the neighboring companies.

Encouraging accommodations to fill in the sustainability questionnaire to gain insight into their practices.

We commit to:

– Having an inventory of environmentally or culturally sensitive excursions which are offered in each destination.

– Advising guests on behavior standards during excursions and activities with a focus on respecting the local culture, nature, and environment.

– Not offering any excursions that harm humans, animals, plants, natural resources such as water and energy, or which are socially and culturally unacceptable.

– Not offering any excursions in which wildlife is held captive, except for properly regulated activities in compliance with local, national, and international law.

– Not being involved with companies that harvest, consume, display, sell, or trade wildlife species unless it is part of a regulated activity that ensures that their utilization is sustainable and in compliance with local, national, and international law.

– Having skilled and/or certified guides to guide our guest’s insensitive cultural sites, heritage sites, or ecologically sensitive destinations.

– Promoting and advise our guests on excursions and activities which directly involve and support local communities by purchasing services or goods, traditional crafts and local (food) production methods, or visiting social projects.

– Promoting and advising our guests on excursions and activities which support the local environment and biodiversity such as visiting protected areas or environmental protection projects.

We commit to:

– Ensuring that all employees have a written employment contract, including labor conditions and a job description, and fully understand the terms and conditions.

– Preferring to work with local tour leaders, local representatives, local tour guides, porters, drivers, cooks, and other local staff in case of equal ability, and provide training as required.

– Paying tour leaders, local representatives, guides, porters, and other local staff contracted by us at least a living wage that is equal to or above the legal minimum or relevant industry standard.

– Ensuring that our tour guides, hosts, and other employees under contract are qualified and trained regularly.

– Ensuring that our local employees are informed on relevant aspects of our sustainability policy and comply with it, by newsletters, references, or supplements to contracts, emails, or training and information sessions.

– Offering a special sustainable travel module in the training program for our local tour guides in which the main responsible tourism aspects are brought to attention followed by the role expected from the employees. This module will also include knowledge regarding the destination and its relevant sustainability aspects.

– Having our tour leaders, local representatives and guides inform clients on relevant sustainability matters in the destination (e.g. protection of flora, fauna, and cultural heritage, resource use), social norms and values (e.g. tips, dressing code, and photography), and human rights (e.g. sexual exploitation).

Training our employed tour leaders and local representatives on the avoidance of sexual exploitation of children. This will include training on how to check the requirements concerning the exclusion of child abuse.

We commit to:

– Consider sustainability aspects in the selection process of new destinations and possibly offer alternative, non-mainstream destinations.

– Not selecting destinations in which tourism leads to structural negative local effects, (unless the company’s involvement results in clear counterbalancing effects).

– Consider the selection of new destinations, which are reachable through more sustainable means of transport.

– Comply with legally based spatial planning, protected areas, and heritage regulations. Also with destination management strategies of local, regional, and national authorities.

– Support initiatives that improve the relationships between accommodations and local producers.

– Influence and support local government (when possible, together with other travel companies and stakeholders) concerning sustainability, destination planning, and management, use of natural resources and socio-cultural issues.

– Support biodiversity conservation, including protected areas and areas of high biodiversity, through financial contribution, political support, and integration in product offers.

– Not promote souvenirs that contain threatened flora and fauna species as indicated in the CITES treaty and the IUCN ‘Red List’; or historic and archaeological artifacts (except as permitted by law).

Support locally produced souvenirs and indicate which suppliers offer them for our clients.

We commit to:

– Ensure that customer privacy is not compromised.

– Comply with relevant standards and voluntary codes of conduct in marketing and advertising messages, and not promise more than is delivered.

– Make product and price information clear, complete and accurate, concerning the company and its products and services, including sustainability claims.

– Provide destination information, including sustainability aspects, which is factually correct, balanced, and complete.

– Inform clients about the environmental impact of different transport options to reach the destination (in case these are not included in the package), and to offer sustainable alternatives, where available.

– Promote (Certified) sustainable accommodations, excursions, packages, and/or transport options, with logos or other messages; ensuring they are recognizable to consumer and presented as the “better” option.

– Inform the customer about sustainable alternatives concerning accommodations, excursions, package holidays, and transport options, if available.

– Clearly inform (potential) direct customers, about sustainability commitments and actions.

– Provide Information to consumers about the natural surroundings, local culture, and cultural heritage in the holiday destination.

– Inform consumers about key sustainability aspects and issues in the destination and receive recommendations on how to make a positive contribution.

– Inform customers about risks and precautions related to health and safety matters in the destination.

– Keep a contact person and a telephone number permanently available for emergencies.

– Train personnel and keep guidelines available, on how to deal with emergencies.

– Provide clients with documented guidelines and/or codes of conduct for sensitive excursions and activities, to minimize negative visitor impact and maximize enjoyment. When possible, guidelines are developed in collaboration with relevant NGO’s and the affected community.

– Provide customers with information about commercial, sexual, or any other form of exploitation and harassment, particularly of children and adolescents.

– Inform clients about applicable legislation concerning the purchasing, sales, import, and export of historic or religious artifacts and articles containing materials of threatened flora and/or fauna in the destination.

Motivate clients to use local restaurants and shops.

– Inform clients on sustainable transport options in destinations, when feasible.

– Encourage clients to donate to a local charity and sustainable initiatives.

– Measure systematically client satisfaction and take into account the results, for service and product improvements.

– Include sustainability as an integral part of the research into client satisfaction.

– Have clear procedures in case of complaints from clients.