As a travel agency committed to various tourism stakeholders, namely consumers, tour guides, travel agencies, hotels, transport companies, restaurants, and attractions, Karavan Travel understands its key role and influence in the sustainable development of tourism. Therefore, we are committed to promoting sustainability. We aim to follow, implement, and promote good sustainability practices to maximize positive impacts and minimize negative impacts of our activities on tourism and to encourage our clients and partners to do the same.

Our sustainability policy is divided into 10 themes. Each theme consists of a set of principles and corresponding practical actions.

1. Sustainability Management and Legal Compliance

We are committed to sustainable management, practiced through the following actions:

• Have a designated employee who is responsible for sustainability coordinator tasks;
• Have a sustainability mission statement that is communicated to clients, partners, and suppliers;
• Have an accessible, written sustainability policy that aims to reduce negative social, cultural, economic, and environmental impacts of the company’s activities, and includes health and safety aspects related to employees;
• Collaborate and actively involve in external forums and working groups that support sustainability in tourism;
• Conduct a baseline assessment of the company’s performance regarding sustainable practices;
• Have sustainability guidelines and an assessment system to identify the sustainability performance of key suppliers/partners;
• Have a sustainability action plan with clear goals, actions, measures, responsibilities, and time planning;
• Develop documented procedures to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the sustainability policy, goals, and targets;
• Ensure company transparency regarding sustainable development by publishing reports and communicating;
• Ensure all staff are fully aware of our sustainability policy and are committed to implementing and improving it.

We are committed to complying with all national legislation, regulations, and codes of practice.

2. Internal Management: Social Policy and Human Rights

We are committed to sustainable internal management by having a clear, written, and well-communicated social policy that includes the following principles:

• Grant employees freedom of employment and contract termination with notice (ideally at least one month) and without penalty.

• Include working conditions in accordance with national labor law and a job description in the employment contract;
• The wage rate must be mentioned in the contract and be equal to or higher than the national legal wage;
• Determine and compensate overtime hours based on an agreement;
• Provide medical and liability insurance in accordance with national legislation;
• Grant employees paid fixed annual leave and sick leave, as well as unpaid annual leave allowance;
• Have a health and safety policy for employees that complies with national legal standards;
• Have first aid kits and trained staff at all relevant sites;
• Respect national provisions regarding the minimum age for admission to employment;
• Have documented and effective procedures for employees to express their complaints and expectations;
• Have a clear disciplinary procedure effectively communicated to employees;
• Have a system for measuring employee satisfaction on a regular basis;
• Provide periodic guidance and training to employees on their roles, rights, and responsibilities regarding health and safety. This includes fire and relevant natural disasters;
• Create opportunities for students to participate in internships, traineeships, and apprenticeships;
• Encourage employment opportunities for people with special needs;

We are committed to respecting human rights by ensuring the application of the following practices:

• Declare not to hinder union membership, collective labor negotiations, and representation of members by unions;
• Participate in and comply with a collective bargaining structure for working conditions (industry-wide) (if locally available).
• Prohibit discrimination in recruitment, employment conditions, access to training and senior positions, or promotion, based on gender, race, age, disability, ethnicity, religion/beliefs, or sexual orientation;
• Ensure all employees have an equal chance and access to resources and personal development opportunities through regular training and education;

3. Internal Management: Environment and Community Relations

We are committed to practicing environmental protection and improving community relations by ensuring the application of the following practices:

• Actively reduce the use of disposable and consumer goods;
• Favor the purchase of sustainable goods and services, office and catering supplies, promotional gifts, and merchandise;
• Purchase products in bulk to reduce the amount of packaging materials;
• Set photocopiers and printers by default to double-sided printing or other paper-saving modes;
• Use non-hazardous, non-eutrophic, and biodegradable cleaning products, certified by an ecolabel if locally available;
• Print brochures on environmentally friendly paper with a printing company that works with a certified environmental management system, if locally available at reasonable costs;
• Implement measures to reduce brochure waste or an "Internet only" policy;
• Actively commit to measuring, monitoring, and reducing energy consumption;
• Calculate and offset CO2 emissions and compare different periods;
• Purchase green energy and energy-efficient lighting for all areas where possible;
• Turn off lights and equipment when not in use, use an automatic on/off system with timers or motion sensors, and set equipment to energy-saving mode by default where possible;
• Prioritize energy-efficient equipment when purchasing new items, considering cost and quality;
• Have an active policy to reduce water consumption, implemented and monitored on a monthly or annual basis for evaluation purposes;
• Use sustainable water sources that do not harm environmental flows;
• Install water-saving devices in toilets, reuse wastewater and/or collected rainwater;
• Comply with national legislation regarding waste disposal;
• Develop and implement a solid waste reduction and recycling policy with quantitative targets;
• Take measures to reduce the amount of packaging materials and do not provide non-recyclable or non-biodegradable packaging materials;
• Take measures to reduce the number of plastic (non-refillable) drinking water bottles used in the office;
• Separate all materials that can be recycled and organize appropriate collection and disposal;
• Implement waste reduction methods when using ink and toner cartridges for printing and copying whenever possible;
• Recycle or properly dispose of batteries;
• Comply with national legislation on wastewater treatment, which must be reused or safely discharged;
• Minimize and replace the use of harmful substances and properly manage the storage, handling, and disposal of chemicals;
• Use lead-free and water-based paints, indoors and outdoors, when locally available;
• Implement practices to minimize pollution from its buildings (to the extent controllable by the company);
• Measure and reduce staff-related travel and use more sustainable modes of transport. Calculate emissions with the aim of reducing and offsetting them through a locally available reliable program;
• Financially encourage employees to use public transport or sustainable means of transport;
• Reduce transport-related impacts through teleworking, tele/video meetings, work-from-home policies, or other means;
• Properly maintain and check company motor vehicles to reduce emissions and energy consumption and ensure they meet legal emission standards;
• Periodically provide guidance, training, and/or information to all staff members on their roles and responsibilities regarding internal environmental practices;
• Comply with laws and regulations regarding land use, zoning, and protected or heritage areas during planning, design, construction, renovation, operation, or demolition of company buildings and infrastructure;
• Base the planning, design, and construction of new buildings or renovations on appropriate and locally feasible sustainable practices and materials;
• Contribute to the protection and preservation of locally important historical, archaeological, cultural, and spiritual properties and sites, and not hinder access to them for local residents;

4. Partner Agency

Based on an inventory of our main partner agencies, we have developed and implemented a policy to improve the sustainability of our partner agencies. Our goal is to make sustainable development concrete for each of our company’s partners.

We are committed to this by;

• Keeping a list of sustainability practices of accommodations and partner agents;
• Working only with organizations that truly implement sustainability in their tourism policy;
• Minimizing the ecological footprint of the office by traveling mainly by public transport, working paperlessly as much as possible, sorting waste, and using certified recycled paper;
• Paying attention to the local benefits of communities when selecting local accommodations and their social policy for employees;
• Raising awareness among key partners about sustainable consumption by organizing (online) campaigns and training;
• Informing key partners about Travelife standards and national tourism standards;
• Having a cooperation contract including an annex of the national code of conduct for local partners to encourage their practices toward sustainability;
• Regularly evaluating the sustainability practices of our main partners to ensure their practices are truly sustainable;
• Informing key partners of travel companies' sustainability policies and the fact that they are expected to respect and/or communicate them to end clients where applicable;
• Including key sustainability clauses in contracts with inbound/receptive partners;
• Motivating inbound and outbound partners to participate in sustainability training for travel companies;
• Having a written contract with partner agencies;
• Including clauses in partner contracts allowing the latter to terminate the contractual agreement prematurely if the partner company does not take adequate measures to prevent sexual exploitation of children within the direct supply chain;
• Ensuring partner companies comply with all relevant national laws protecting employee rights;

5. Transport

We strive to ensure that vehicles used during tours do not cause above-average pollution. We believe that transport is an important aspect of sustainable tourism, and we do our best to reduce average pollution levels.

We are committed to this by;

• Choosing the most sustainable options considering price and comfort when choosing means of transport to the destination;
• Including sustainable (public) transport to the starting point of international/long-distance travel;
• Considering and giving preference to more sustainable alternatives when selecting transport options for transfers and excursions at the destination, considering 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 accommodation, and sustainable activities.

6. Accommodation

We strive to implement a fully sustainable tourism supply chain. Partner accommodations play an important role in this and are stimulated and motivated to adapt sustainable practices.

We are committed to this by;

• Selecting accommodations that comply with sustainability and quality standards, paying special attention to the following;
  • Do they have a signed sustainability contract?
  • Do they have a water-saving program?
  • Do they have an energy-saving program?
  • Do they have a waste management program?
  • Do they have a system for reducing energy consumption?
  • Do they have a sustainable supply chain?
  • Do they have a child protection policy?
  • Do they conduct CSR activities?
  • Do they train employees on health and safety?

• Motivating and encouraging partner accommodations to obtain sustainable certification;
• Preferring and selecting accommodations that are locally owned and managed;
• Choosing accommodations that employ local communities;
• Asking accommodations to provide evidence clarifying their sustainability goals and strategies;
• Having accommodations sign a sustainability addendum;
• Encouraging accommodations to follow best practices/training in responsible tourism;
• Encouraging accommodations to fill out the sustainability questionnaire to better understand their practices;
• Clearly and actively communicating our sustainability goals and requirements for contracted and other relevant accommodations;
• Giving a clear preference to accommodations that work with an internationally recognized certification (e.g., recognized by the GSTC) and/or Travelife;
• Including in all contracts with accommodation providers standard sustainability clauses focused on child labor, anti-corruption and bribery, waste management, and biodiversity protection;

• Offering incentives to accommodations that actively engage in sustainability;
• Ensuring that children's rights are respected and safeguarded through our accommodation supply chain;
  • Introducing into contracts across the value chain a clause stating a common policy of repudiation and zero tolerance for child sexual exploitation;
  • Having a dedicated clause on this aspect in their contract that allows the tour operator to terminate the contractual agreement prematurely if the accommodation provider does not take adequate measures to prevent child sexual exploitation;
  • Training employees on children's rights, prevention of sexual exploitation, and how to report suspicious cases;
  • Supporting, collaborating, and engaging stakeholders in the prevention of child sexual exploitation;

• Working with accommodations and restaurants that incorporate elements of local art, architecture, or cultural heritage, while respecting the intellectual property rights of local communities;
• Terminating cooperation with accommodation in case of clear evidence that contracted accommodations jeopardize the provision of basic services integrity such as food, water, energy, healthcare, or soil to neighboring businesses...;

7. Excursions and Activities

We place a high value on the welfare of animals and communities and aim for tours that leave only a minor footprint. We safeguard the authenticity of communities and the natural environment and are firmly opposed to any harm to wildlife and environmental pollution.

We are committed to this by;

• Having an inventory of environmentally or culturally sensitive excursions offered in each destination;
• Advising clients on behavioral standards during excursions and activities with an emphasis on respect for local culture, nature, and the environment;
• Communicating our sustainability goals and requirements to contracted excursion providers and other relevant providers by disseminating this information through codes of conduct, representative agents, social media, emails, discussions, and/or meetings, to minimize negative impact on visitors and maximize enjoyment;
• Not offering excursions that harm humans, animals, plants, natural resources such as water and energy, or that are socially and culturally unacceptable;
• Not offering excursions during which wild animals are held in captivity, except for duly regulated activities compliant with local, national, and international legislation;
• Not partnering with companies that harvest, consume, exhibit, sell, or trade wildlife, except as part of a regulated activity ensuring their use is sustainable and compliant with local, national, and international law;
• Having qualified and/or certified guides to guide our guests in sensitive cultural sites, heritage sites, or ecologically sensitive destinations;
• Promoting and advising our clients on excursions and activities that directly involve and support local communities through the purchase of services or goods, traditional crafts and local (food) production methods, or visiting social projects;
• Promoting and advising our clients on excursions and activities that support the local environment and biodiversity, such as visiting protected areas or environmental protection projects;

8. Tour Leaders, Local Representatives, and Guides

We aim to involve as many locals as possible by employing them in tourism activity. We advocate for a fair and safe working environment that supports and respects local communities.

We are committed to this by;

• Ensuring all employees have a written employment contract, including working conditions and a job description, and that they fully understand the terms and conditions;
• Preferring to work with local travel managers, local representatives, local tour guides, porters, drivers, cooks, and other local staff in case of equal ability, and providing training if necessary;
• Ensuring our local partners comply with all applicable international, national, and local laws and regulations, minimum industry standards, and any other relevant legal requirements, according to the strictest requirements;
• Paying travel organizers, local representatives, guides, porters, and other local staff contracted with us at least a living wage equal to or higher than the legal minimum or relevant industry standard;
• Ensuring our tour guides, hosts, and other contracted employees are qualified and trained regularly;
• Ensuring our local employees are informed about relevant aspects of our sustainability policy and comply with them, through newsletters, references or contract additions, emails, or training and information sessions;
• Offering a special module on sustainable travel in the training program for local tour guides and hosts, highlighting key aspects of responsible tourism, followed by the expected role of employees. This module will also include knowledge about the destination and its relevant sustainability aspects;
• Ensuring our tour leaders, local representatives, and guides inform clients about relevant sustainability issues in the destination (e.g., protection of flora, fauna, and cultural heritage, resource use), social norms and values (e.g., tipping, dress code, and photography), and human rights (e.g., sexual exploitation);
• Training our tour guides and local representatives in the prevention of child sexual exploitation. This will include training on how to check requirements regarding the exclusion of child sexual exploitation;

9. Destination

We seek to maximize positive impacts and minimize negative impacts at the destination to ensure the sustainable development of the places where we operate.

We are committed to this by:

• Taking sustainability aspects into account in the selection process of new destinations and potentially offering alternative, non-traditional destinations;
• Not selecting destinations where tourism leads to structural local negative effects (unless company involvement leads to clear offsetting effects);
• Considering the selection of new destinations that are accessible by more sustainable means of transport;
• Complying with legal regulations regarding land use planning, protected areas, and heritage. Also with destination management strategies of local, regional, and national authorities;
• Supporting initiatives that improve relations between accommodations and local producers;
• Influencing and supporting local government (if possible, with other travel companies and stakeholders) regarding sustainability, destination planning and management, natural resource use, and socio-cultural issues;
• Supporting biodiversity conservation, including protected areas and high biodiversity areas, through financial contribution, political support, and integration into product offerings;
• Not promoting souvenirs containing endangered species of fauna and flora, as indicated in the CITES treaty and the IUCN "Red List", or historical and archaeological objects (unless permitted by law);

10. Communication and Customer Protection

Customer welfare and information are very important to us. We ensure clear and consistent communication and high protection for our customers.

Before booking, we are committed to:

• Making available a company directive for customer consultation, followed by customer advisors;
• Ensuring customer privacy is not compromised;
• Respecting relevant standards and voluntary codes of conduct in marketing and advertising messages, and not promising more than what is delivered;
• Ensuring product and price information is clear, complete, and accurate regarding the company and its products and services, including sustainability claims;
• Providing information about the destination, including sustainability aspects, that is factually correct, balanced, and complete;
• Informing clients of the environmental impact of different transport options to reach the destination (if these are not included in the package), and offering sustainable alternatives where appropriate;
• Promoting (certified) sustainable accommodations, excursions, packages, and/or transport options using logos or other messages, ensuring they are recognizable to the consumer and presented as the "best" option;
• Informing the client about sustainable alternatives in accommodation, excursions, holiday packages, and transport where appropriate;
• Clearly informing (potential) direct clients of sustainability commitments and actions;

After booking and during the holiday, we are committed to this by:

• Providing information to consumers about the natural environment, local culture, and cultural heritage of the holiday destination;
• Informing consumers about the destination's key sustainability aspects and issues and receiving recommendations on how to make a positive contribution;
• Informing clients of health and safety risks and precautions in the destination;
• Keeping a contact person and a phone number available at all times for emergency situations;
• Training staff and making directives available on how to handle emergency situations;
• Providing clients with documented guidelines and/or codes of conduct for sensitive excursions and activities to minimize negative impact on visitors and maximize enjoyment. Where possible, guidelines are developed in collaboration with relevant NGOs and the affected community;
• Providing clients with information on commercial, sexual, or any other form of exploitation and harassment, particularly of children and adolescents;
• Informing clients of applicable legislation regarding the purchase, sale, import, and export of historical or religious objects and items containing materials from endangered flora and/or fauna in the destination;
• Encouraging clients to use local restaurants and shops (where appropriate);
• Informing clients on sustainable transport options in destinations where possible;
• Encouraging clients to make donations to local charities and sustainable initiatives;

After the holiday, we are committed to this by:

• Systematically measuring customer satisfaction and considering results to improve services and products;
• Including sustainability as an integral part of customer satisfaction research;
• Having clear procedures in case of customer complaints;