ANWB Travel Companies. Our Green Ambition. Together towards a more sustainable travel industry

Transcription

1 ANWB Travel Companies Our Green Ambition Together towards a more sustainable travel industry

2 CONSCIOUS & RESPONSIBLE The most sustainable traveller is the one who stays at home is often said. And yes, there s certainly an element of truth in that. However, if you travel in a responsible way you can minimize your footstep and the negative impact on the earth and all of its living creatures. Moreover, conscious tourism even provides opportunities. Opportunities to protect species. Opportunities to support local communities. Opportunities to start new initiatives. A maximum travel experience with minimal impact on nature, culture and the environment; that is what the ANWB Travel companies are aiming for in the coming years with Green Ambition. And that's what we call sustainability. From the mini-van in which you travel to the hotelroom where you lay yourself to sleep. From the local tourguide, to the office space where we work. If you travel with one of the five ANWB travel companies you can count on sustainability with all aspects of your trip. Why? Because we want to preserve all those beautiful places on this planet for future generations. Or, as the first Dutch space traveller, Wubbo Ockels, perfectly described just before his death: "We are all astronauts on the spaceship called Earth".

3 INTRODUCTION Five travel companies. All with their own unique identity and history. But despite the differences, all are members of one and the same family. That's the story of the five ANWB tour operators: Fox Travel, Travelhome, SNP Nature Travel, Pharos Travel, and ANWB Camping Tours. From campers to cycling holidays, and from road trips to hiking in the wild. SNP, with its Travelife certificate (a United Nations international sustainable award) is already far ahead. The others have more recently taken their first steps towards sustainability. But we have all set our compasses in the same direction: together on our way to a greener travel world. Ambition: In 2020, the ANWB travel companies belong to the leading group of sustainable tour operators. We are the greenest in our specialty and are all awarded with the Travelife certificate.

4 A BETTER WORLD... begins with yourself. Exactly! And so, as ANWB travel companies, we also try to keep a sharp eye on the ecological footprint of our internal household. Some things you will also notice as our clients: no longer travelling with a thick pile of paper, but preferably digital travel documents. Other, no less important things are only visible behind the scenes. For instance, the office buildings we are housed in. At the Taurus Avenue in Hoofddorp, FOX Travel and Pharos Travel are situated in one of the Netherlands's most sustainable office buildings thanks to recyclable materials, solar and wind energy, and even advanced heat and cold storage. Or take Villa Verde: the green office of SNP Nature Travel in Nijmegen. A high-tech heating system, 65m² of solar panels, a green roof full of sedum plants, LED lights, energy-efficient motion switches, renewed insulation, recycled materials... all contributing to the extremely high level of durability of the building. Ambition: By 2020, we have significantly reduced our ecological footprint through various measures

5 TOGETHER WE ARE STRONG Okay, okay, we admit: from Nijmegen, Hoofddorp or Geldrop it's not always easy to keep a sharp eye on whether that specific lodge in Ecuador divides its garbage every day, or whether that hotel owner in Zambia really spends a part of its revenues to support local street children. Fortunately, we are represented in various national and international networks in the area of sustainability and responsible tourism. Networks like MVO Netherlands, ANVR Better Holidays, ECPAT, Rainforest Alliance, TOFT Tigers and ATTA. Don t worry, you don t have to remember all these abbreviations and names. What matters is that we can share knowledge across the globe, thus supporting the right people, organizations, accommodations and initiatives. To jointly promote the positive effects of tourism and minimize the negative impact. Ambition: By 2020 we contribute to a common fund in which we use a fixed percentage of our profits for projects in the field of corporate social responsibility.

6 CLIMATE NEUTRALITY Whether you take the plane, take the train or drive your own rental car or camper; you have hardly left home and the choice of transport has already largely determined the impact of your trip. It is therefore logical that we constantly look for the most environmentally friendly ways to travel from A to B to C. For example, on Travelhome's North American roadtrips, you can already choose for a smaller, more energy-efficient camper that comes equipped with solar panels. The CO2 emissions of your trip are compensated by one-click in the booking form using the Greenseat Program. Greenseat supports projects that counteract climate change and at the same time improve living conditions in developing countries. For example the Cooking Stove Project: clean, efficient wood ovens in Uganda as a replacement for the unhealthy old charcoal ovens traditionally used by many locals. Due to the joint development of a so-called 'carbon calculator', every passenger is made aware how much CO2 is expelled with his or her journey. Ambition: By 2020, we will offer CO2 compensation for all our trips.

7 SLEEP WELL One traveller may like to wake up in a simple lodge in the middle of the jungle, while the other is more likely to choose only five star hotels. No problem, we ll cater for all. Whatever type of accommodation you choose, sustainability should be a top priority. For example, if you travel with Pharos in south Tyrol, on a farm holiday in the Rogen Hotel, your kids may feed the cows while you are enjoying a dish made of fresh courgettes and tomatoes from the vegetable garden. Or have a look at the offer of ANWB Camping Tours. They are committed to effectively screening most of the campsites in Europe by their own inspectors. They also check on sustainable aspects such as energy saving, waste management and recycling. Ambition: By 2020, at least 50 percent of all our accommodations will be screened for sustainability.

8 RESPECT FOR MAN & ANIMAL Sustainable thinking does not stop as soon as you get off the plane or the train. For the entertainment on the spot, only the activities and excursions with the highest respect for humans and animals are chosen. For example, you will not find elephant riding excursions in the programs of SNP or FOX. Although these rides may seem innocent, the animals are often tamed using a lot of physical and mental violence. The five ANWB travel organizations have also undersigned 'The Code', an international treaty of rules and agreements to combat child sex tourism throughout the world. Ambition: By 2020, our total travel offer has been screened and we use only sustainable, certified providers.

9 EXPERIENCED TOURGUIDES How does a giraffe drink? How do carnivorous plants chase food? And why does a woodpecker never get a headache? Don t be scared, there is no question you can not ask the tourguides on our group trips! At SNP Nature Travel, most of the tourguides have a background in natural studies. But also for the other ANWB tour operators, sustainable travel is now a standard part of their education. Ambition: By 2020, sustainability is an integral part of all our travel leaders.