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Responsible Travel in Turkey

We aim to be one of the most planet-positive businesses out there and provide leadership for our whole industry to improve. It’s a journey, we’ve made a start, but there is a long way to go. Read on to see more......

At Amber Travel we aim to decrease our carbon footprint to the lowest possible level. We educate our staff and suppliers according to our sustainability principals in order to achieve the most responsible levels possible in every area of our business. We aim to reach the highest level of involvement by motivating our customers to reduce their negative impact on nature and the socio-cultural makeup of the area, while at the same time bringing economic benefits to the region.

 

 

Sustainability in all our operations is at the forefront of all our business decisions, ranging from office and personnel management to tour design and accommodation choice. 

- No Internal Flights.  None of our tours contain internal flights.

 

- Public transport at the forefront.  When there is a useful public transport option available we use it.

 

- Staff Travel.  We subsidise our staff journeys to work when they walk, bike or take public transport.

 

- We use family run small hotels, no multinational chains unless there is a very good reason.

- In Turkey there are many hotels and accommodations illegally built and run on protected sites, be they natural or archaeological (e.g. Kabak Beach - Olympos). We do not partner with businesses that we know or suspect are operating unlawfully.

 

- We encourage genuine home-stays on a low key level, that provide a genuine 2 way interaction and benefit.

 

- We do not arrange apartment rentals or any Airbnb style rentals that destroy local communities and by inflating the rental market in resort towns, can make working families homeless.

-When we use private transfers we do our best to find a fare on the return, if different customers are going to the same place at the same time we combine the vehicles.

 

- Unlike many of our local competitors, we take full payment via the banking system and declare all our earnings for taxation.  We do not take a online deposit and then 'cash' on arrival to evade taxation.

Tax evasion is a criminal offence and we do not want to be involved or have our customers involved in crime.

 

-All our staff members are paid via the bank and all their earnings are fully declared and social insurance is paid accordingly.

 

- We develop long-term working relationships with our suppliers, based on honesty and trust.  We do not unfairly force down prices or jump to other suppliers entering the market undercutting prices in the short term.

 

- We do not organise 'School visits' as we consider them to be disruptive and culturally suspect.

 

- On group tours we provide opportunities to refill bottles rather than buying plastic bottles.

- Our staff and guides are paid fairly, promptly and all social insurances and taxes are paid.

 

-While tipping for great service is welcomed, the tour prices are not subsidised by commission based 'shopping experiences'.  The time you spend on tour used visiting natural or historical wonders or actively relaxing, not wasted on unnecessary shop-stops.

We are also very happy to support the Culture Routes Society, which works to develop and maintain long-distance trekking and biking routes connecting areas of cultural interest in Turkey.

We are certified as a Sustainable Tourism Operator by Travelife.

We have declared a climate emergency, and strive to lead by example when it comes to environmental issues.

 

 

  

 


 

Climate emergency organisation link

Our Sustainability Audit

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