Purpose
Ecotour Albania is committed to working and growing as a business in a sustainable manner. We recognize that the environment, communities and cultures within which we operate are vital to the success of our business. The purpose of this policy is to outline what we have already managed, what we are currently doing, and what we hope to achieve in the future.
Scope
This policy applies to all staff members and to all departments of Ecotour Albania. This Policy does not apply to our partner agencies or supply chain but they are expected to fully support our commitments described in this policy and to facilitate this process, we commit to share our sustainability policy with them and encourage them to align with us in this journey.
Sustainability management & legal compliance
Sustainability commitment
Ecotour Albania’s leadership is wholly committed to the company’s sustainability performance and endorses the company’s sustainability mission statement and policy. We will use the Travelife platform to report on our sustainability progress and to monitor and evaluate progress. We are committed to (publicly) communicating our sustainability performance (by means of the Travelife report) every two years.
Sustainability management & legal compliance
Ecotour Albania commits to continuous improvement of sustainability practices, including the ongoing monitoring and evaluation of our sustainability policy, with dedicated personnel and resources to achieve our sustainability goals. Ecotour Albania follows all local, regional, national, and international regulations as they relate to human resources, human rights, children’s rights, land rights, environmental management, wildlife, and land use. We follow a strict Code of Ethics, including a zero-tolerance policy for corruption, bribery, forced labor, and discrimination.
General suppliers policy
Employees
- Ecotour Albania is committed to sourcing its products and services responsibly, avoiding harmful impacts on society, culture and nature as much as possible. We expect the same level of engagement and commitment from our suppliers.
- Ecotour Albania prefers to work with partners that share the company’s commitment towards sustainability. This means that we prefer partners that have a written sustainability statement as an integral part of their business policy and/or a clear sustainability policy in place.
- We prefer to work with suppliers in the destinations that are locally owned or managed, use local and seasonal products and services and benefit the local community by hiring locally and equitably and by providing fair working conditions.
- Whenever possible, Ecotour Albania prefers to select partner companies that comply with tourism-specific, internationally recognized (GSTC-accredited) certifications, or other sustainability certifications like B Corp or ISO.
- Ecotour Albania offers incentives for partners that are actively engaged in sustainable operations.
- Ecotour Albania expects its suppliers to adhere to our Code of Conduct, that includes the following responsible business practices:
- Complying with all local, regional, national and international regulations
- Respecting all human rights including labour rights, children’s rights, and women’s rights
- Committing to fair employment conditions
- Following anti-corruption, anti-bribery, anti-extortion, and anti-discrimination policies
- Protecting children from (sexual) exploitation through tourism
- Protecting the environment and natural resources
- Acting in the best interest of local communities
- Protecting the interests of Ecotour Albania
- Following a zero-tolerance policy, Ecotour Albania will immediately terminate any relationships with suppliers that violate our policies, specifically through acts of bribery, corruption, discrimination, and violation of human rights.
- Ecotour Albania raises awareness amongst its suppliers to adopt sound social and environmental practices, and to minimise their carbon footprint.
Ecotour Albania actively collaborates with suppliers to improve their sustainability performance. We encourage our suppliers to continuously learn about sustainability and provide/support this learning whenever possible.
- Ecotour Albania maintains open lines of communication with our suppliers and partners and encourage feedback from our stakeholders at any time and on any topic, particularly sustainability.
Internal management: environment
Environmental management of office operations
- We are committed to keeping the direct footprint of our business operations as minimal as possible and actively follow [circularity/the 5Rs (refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose, recycle)/sustainability/environmentallysound principles. We have the following measures in place:
- Follow all local and national regulations concerning environmental law
- Measure, monitor, and evaluate use of all commodities and products purchased, especially in terms of water, waste, energy, and carbon
- Procure office supply locally seasonally, fair trade, in bulk, with limited packaging, sustainability certified whenever possible
- Print only when absolutely necessary, and when printing, always print double-sided on grayscale.
- Energy saving measures are in place in all common areas
- All equipment and lighting is energy-efficient and turned off/unplugged/on sleep mode when not in use
- Water saving measures are in place in all common areas and restrooms, including water capture in external areas
- Waste is separated into the following categories: plastic, organic, paper products, glass
- Noise, light, and air pollution is minimised
Carbon management of office operations
- We are committed to reducing our carbon footprint and endeavours to reduce the amount we travel as much as possible by:
- Reducing the amount we travel as much as possible
- Monitoring and measuring carbon footprint with the aim to reduce as much as possible and offset remaining amounts.
- Encouraging remote work whenever possible, and when it is not possible, making it easier for employees to limit their carbon footprint by use of eco modes of transportation.
- Renting offices in the areas closest to the city center in order for the staff to be close to the office so they can walk everyday.
- When selecting the office space to rent, we have always considered that it must have good public transport conections for the staff to have access to it.
- All the bikes of the office which have been stored in our yard have been in disposal for the staff that wants to use them to come to work or do other activities during the day.
- Company cars are at their disposal for different purposes, one of them being to organize staff trips to destinations we offer for training or travel to different meetings or gathering because of the work.
- The work trips we have taken for tourism fairs have always been through direct flights to the destination and we have tried to make the stay longer and schedule all meetings during that period in order to avoid short trips and limit carbon emission.
- Installing energy efficient equipment and appliances where possible.
Land use
- Ecotour Albania office is located in a urban area and abides by all local land use laws, respects local cultural and natural resources in our business operations, and favours sustainable architecture and design.
General suppliers policy
- Ecotour Albania is committed to sourcing its products and services responsibly, avoiding harmful impacts on society, culture and nature as much as possible. We expect the same level of engagement and commitment from our suppliers.
- Ecotour Albania prefers to work with partners that share the company’s commitment towards sustainability. This means that we prefer partners that have a written sustainability statement as an integral part of their business policy and/or a clear sustainability policy in place.
- We prefer to work with suppliers in the destinations that are locally owned or managed, use local and seasonal products and services and benefit the local community by hiring locally and equitably and by providing fair working conditions.
- Whenever possible, Ecotour Albania prefers to select partner companies that comply with tourism-specific, internationally recognized (GSTC-accredited) certifications, or other sustainability certifications like B Corp or ISO.
- Ecotour Albania offers incentives for partners that are actively engaged in sustainable operations.
- Ecotour Albania expects its suppliers to adhere to our Code of Conduct, that includes the following responsible business practices:
- Complying with all local, regional, national and international regulations
- Respecting all human rights including labour rights, children’s rights, and women’s rights
- Committing to fair employment conditions
- Following anti-corruption, anti-bribery, anti-extortion, and anti-discrimination policies
- Protecting children from (sexual) exploitation through tourism
- Protecting the environment and natural resources
- Acting in the best interest of local communities
- Protecting the interests of Ecotour Albania
- Following a zero-tolerance policy, Ecotour Albania will immediately terminate any relationships with suppliers that violate our policies, specifically through acts of bribery, corruption, discrimination, and violation of human rights.
- Ecotour Albania raises awareness amongst its suppliers to adopt sound social and environmental practices, and to minimise their carbon footprint.
- Ecotour Albania actively collaborates with suppliers to improve their sustainability performance. We encourage our suppliers to continuously learn about sustainability and provide/support this learning whenever possible.
- Ecotour Albania maintains open lines of communication with our suppliers and partners and encourage feedback from our stakeholders at any time and on any topic, particularly sustainability.
Inbound partner agencies
- Ecotour Albania only works with partner agencies that adhere to the company’s Code of Conduct.
- When selecting transport for guests and business related travel, Ecotour Albania commits to choosing the most environmentally friendly options available for travelling to, from, and within the destination – taking into consideration distance, price, route, and comfort.
- Ecotour Albania has implemented clear guidelines for reducing GHG emissions from transport and selecting the most environmentally friendly transport options, including the following measures:
- Preferring ground transport over air transport for short-haul travel destinations
- Using public transportation options in the destinations
- Using appropriate vehicle sizes for group sizes and purchasing most efficient vehicles available
- Training drivers on eco-driving techniques
- Inform travelers on the direct flight options
Activities & Excursions
- All excursions and activities run by or on behalf of Ecotour Albania respect local customs, traditions, cultural integrity, and natural resources.
- Ecotour Albania commits to not offering any excursions that harm humans, wildlife, environment, or natural resources such as water and energy.
- Ecotour Albania gives preference to excursions and activities that benefit local communities, respect animal welfare and support environmental protection.
- Ecotour Albania promotes and advises 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.
- Ecotour Albania provides excursion and attraction providers opportunities for sustainability learning and management, including free access to the Travelife online learning and reporting platform.
Tour leaders, local representatives, and guides
- Ecotour Albania commits to hiring qualified local guides, drivers or other local staff, paying them living wages and providing safe and fair working conditions.
- We expect the same from our suppliers that are hiring local staff on behalf of Ecotour Albania. We understand that guides are the intermediaries between the guests and the socio-cultural and environmental context of the destination, conveying the appropriate behaviour to them. Therefore, we make sure that all guides hired by or leading tours on behalf of Ecotour Albania are trained regularly and knowledgeable in the sustainability topics of the destination.
- Our guides are specifically trained on the critical issue of sexual exploitation of children in tourism.
- Ecotour Albania provides guides with learning opportunities on sustainability topics including providing free access to the Travelife online learning platform.
- We ensure that our tour guides, hosts, and other employees under contract are qualified and trained regularly.
Destinations
Sustainable destinations
- Ecotour Albania prefers to work in destinations that have committed to sustainability as an integral part of community and destination development.
- Ecotour Albania aims to send visitors to secondary or lesser-known tourist areas to avoid overtourism.
- Ecotour Albania does not support destinations that have a questionable human rights track record.
- Ecotour Albania considers the selection of new destinations, which are reachable through more sustainable means of transport.
Contribution to local communities / local economic network
- Ecotour Albania commits to positive contribution to the destinations in which we operate, by:
- Sourcing locally and responsibly, and supporting local and traditional arts and culture
- Encouraging guests to shop responsibly and educating them about illegal/prohibited/forbidden souvenirs
- Collaborating with other local tourism stakeholders [including local government, other tourism businesses, academia, community groups] to further the sustainable tourism development of the destination
- Respecting and advocating for all human rights (i.e. children’s rights, women’s rights, labour rights, etc.) as well as land rights
- Supporting initiatives that improve the relationships between accommodations and local producers.
Environmental stewardship in destinations
- Ecotour Albania commits to environmental stewardship in the destinations in which we operate by:
- Ensuring natural resources remain intact
- Educating guests about the principles of responsible travel and responsible visitor behaviour
Customer communication and protection
Privacy
- Our customer privacy and protection is our priority.
- Traverl information is secured and only accessible by accredited staff who follow strictly privacy procedures.
- If any documents containing personal date are printed for internal purposes, they are kept in a filing system in our office that is only accessible by our most trusted employees. If documents are no longer applicable, they are shredded before disposal.
- Any personal data is only collected if relevant and necessary for us to provide the services sold.
- We are committed to protecting the privacy of all of our guests and users.
- All of the information travelers provide us with is kept strictly private and confidential.
Marketing and communication
- Ecotour Albania strives to be truthful in all situations and at all times.
- We offer products and services that do what we claim in our communications.
- We honour our explicit and implicit commitments and promises.
- We endeavour to be inclusive and representative in our marketing, and to always take into account cultural, religious, and ethnic sensitivities.
- We commit to being fully honest and transparent about the social and environmental impacts of our work.
Sustainability communication
- Customers are informed about the social and environmental impact of their journey, and are educated about the sustainable choices they can make, including transparent communication on:
- Certified accommodations
- Compensation of their trips CO2 emissions
- Activities and excursions that benefit the local communities and environmental protection
- Responsible shopping and illegal souvenirs
- Sustainable transport options in destinations, when feasible
- Recommendations on how to make a positive contribution
Customer experience
- The company aims for all customer experiences to be positive, and follows strict health and safety, marketing, and excursion policies to ensure customer satisfaction. These policies cover specific topics of (but not limited to):
- Health and safety
- Emergency procedures
- Privacy Group numbers
- Greenhouse Gas emissions and offsetting
- Transport Shopping
- Sexual exploitation
- Children in tourism
- Satisfaction and complaints
- Ecotour Albania maintains open lines of communication with our customers and encourages feedback at any time and on any topic, particularly sustainability.
