Travel
Sustainable Travel
Sustainable tourism attempts to reduce impact on the environment and local culture, while helping to generate future employment for local people. The aim is to ensure that development brings a positive experience for local people, tourism companies and the tourists themselves.
Can any holiday be environmentally friendly?
We are focusing on sustainable tourism here. There are clearly many environmental considerations to travel. That said, sustainable tourism generates considerable income for many poor communities around the world while minimising the impact on the environment and culture.
One thing you can do easily is carbon offset your journey. Start now
at ClimateCare.
It’s cheaper than you think; “a round-trip from Heathrow to Bangkok airport might be
almost 13,000 miles and releases two tonnes of carbon dioxide, but the cost of
offsetting it can be as little as £20 per person.”
Who to travel with
As we said in a recent article, “you’re unlikely to see a sustainable tourism travel agent on your local high street.
They tend to be small, independently-run organisations that make provisions for clients to visit small regions known personally to its workers.
Such experiential knowledge makes them best able to provide information about how to travel responsibly without damaging the local equilibrium.”
A personal favourite of the team is Green Traveller, which provides information on how to have a green holiday.
The Association of Independent Tour Operators (AITO) was the first tourism industry association to incorporate into its business charter a commitment to responsible travel and green tourism. Sustainable travel guidelines for its members are based upon five key objectives:
- To protect the environment – its flora, fauna and landscapes
- To respect local cultures – traditions, religions and built heritage
- To benefit local communities – both economically and socially
- To conserve natural resources – from office to destination
- To minimise pollution – through noise, waste disposal and congestion
Here are their highest scoring five star tour operators, in alphabetical order:
Andante TravelsExperts in Archealogical travel
Archipelago ChoiceAzores (Portugal) Holidays – Advernture, activity and tailor made holidays
Audley TravelTailor-made journeys for the discerning traveler
Corsican PlacesThe Corsica specialists – handpicked villas apartments and hotels
Cox & Kings TravelCox & Kings, the world’s longest established travel company, organizes high quality group tours, private journeys and tailor-made holidays to many of the world’s most fascinating regions.
DiscoverExperts at arranging trips to Morocco
Discover AdventureSpecialises in fundraising trekking and cycling challenges and has been running worldwide trips
DragomanLife changing adventure travel
EurocampSelf-catering holidays with freedom and flexibility. We have over 160 parks with highest quality facilities – from France to Croatia, Sicily to Sardinia
Expert AfricaWe aim to help you to make the right decisions about your visit to Africa, and then to organize a trip or safari that suits you perfectly.
ExploreWe aim to help you to make the right decisions about your visit to Africa, and then to organize a trip or safari that suits you perfectly.
InntravelInntravel offers a unique range of holidays to the most beautiful regions of Europe, New England, Canada, Morocco and India, and the widest choice of ways to discover them, from self-catering cottages to walking, cycling, skiing and touring (by train or car)
Journey Latin AmericaDedicated Latin America Specialists
KE Adventure TravelWorldwide trekking, climbing, biking and family adventures
Mountain KingdomsMountain Kingdoms is the UK trekking holiday specialist with twenty-four years’ experience in running worldwide trekking holidays as well as select Trekking Peaks and Cultural Tours.
We offer the best treks to the biggest destinations: Everest Base Camp Trek, the Inca Trail,
the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal, and an ascent of Kilimanjaro are amongst the most well-known
routes that we cover.
Nomadic ThoughtsNomadic Thoughts specialises in personalised travel itineraries – worldwide.
Serenity HolidaysSerenity Holidays is a specialist UK tour operator offering quality holidays to a number of interesting destinations from The Gambia, Senegal and Cape Verde in West Africa to the
islands of Corsica and Sardinia in Mediterranean.
Sunvil HolidaysOur holidays range from packaged hotel and villa breaks to Greece and Cyprus to bespoke
travel itineraries off-the-beaten-track in Europe and beyond.
The Travelling NaturalistThe Travelling Naturalist is a small, specialist tour operator, with a simple aim – to provide the
most enjoyable guided wildlife holidays possible!
Tribes TravelWe are a small, friendly group of travel professionals whose aim is to arrange the perfect tailor made holiday for you, be that a luxury African safari, a Galapagos Islands cruise, a short
weekend break in Marrakech, or other wonderful travel options.
Wild FrontiersAward-winning adventure holiday travel company specialising in stylish and original small group tours and tailor-made holidays to some of the most interesting countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America
Wilderness Scotland & Wilderness JourneysWilderness Scotland is an award-winning adventure travel and ecotourism
company. We specialise in small group walking holidays and adventure holidays in
the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.
Wildlife TrailsWildlife Trails is a specialist tour operator that has broken away from the crowd of group tour operators that offer rushed wildlife tours with little or no flexibility. Our goal is to fit in with our client’s hopes and aspirations for their tour, and not the other way round
You can find a full list of accredited tour operators here.
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