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What is Responsible Tourism?

Responsible tourism can be defined in many ways. To us it means travelling without causing any negative social, economic or environmental impacts on the places you visit, whilst leaving nothing behind and taking away only memories. We believe that responsible travel provides a more enjoyable experience for you as a guest as well. It allows for more meaningful connections with the local people as well as a greater understanding of their local culture and the social and environmental issues of the destinations you're exploring. This empowers you to be a responsible traveller and much more than simply a tourist. 

 

Call us on +44 117 313 3300 to start planning your holiday, we’re looking forward to hearing from you

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Our Ethos

At Wayfairer, responsibility and sustainability are at the core of our company values.

We are continually monitoring the social, economic and environmental impact of our operations to ensure we are at the forefront of a fairer industry: creating new and exciting ideas for the benefit of discerning travellers, the local communities where we work and the natural world that connects us all.

In this way our aim is to promote responsible travel by engaging travellers and communities in the benefits of travelling the Wayfairer way.

Supporting Local Communities

We believe that the true rewards of travel come from experiencing different cultures whilst also giving something back to the communities who make us welcome

At Wayfairer we engage local communities in our travel itineraries and treat local people as stakeholders in our business. This manifests itself in our community tourism initiatives, which can be found across our range of experiences. Look out for these in our full itineraries and key projects are often highlighted in our Why Wayfairer? section on each one of our holidays.

We employ local guides and support staff who we pay fair wages, often exceeding government standards which we still consider too low, and thereby remove the reliance on tipping for livelihoods. Our accommodation choices make use of locally owned properties where possible and often include adventurous, authentic choices including a growing number of luxury homestays.

Protecting the Environment

To ensure that we are offering ground-breaking itineraries, personally inspected accommodation choices and are up-to-date with all the latest developments our UK staff travel regularly to our destinations. We look to work with the most environmentally friendly accommodation options in destination and continue to promote product which fits our two core principles of luxury and responsibility.

Our UK office takes a leading role in setting the standards for an environmentally friendly work environment. We all walk to work and we work with local government to recycle our waste as we continually look for new ways to be greener.

This website represents another key contribution in our strategy to protect the environment. As an online business, using the power of the internet and electronic communication instead of high-street premises and glossy brochures, we minimise the carbon footprint of our business in the UK. 

Our Country Guides to Responsible Travel

We have collaborated with our partners, guides and other stakeholders to put together informative guides to travelling responsibly in all the countries that we offer. We're continually adding destinations and updating as new information and best practice changes. Sign up to our newsletter to get all the latest information. 

Call us on +44 117 313 3300 to start planning your holiday, we’re looking forward to hearing from you

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Our Partners

A more responsible and sustainable industry can only happen if we all work together. At Wayfairer, we partner with the industry's leading organisations as well as smaller grassroots projects and charities. We are also represented on SafariBookings.com and ResponsibleTravel.com where you can find and book our Africa safari holidays.

 

Charities & organizations we support

LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR: We donate £100/month to a small family run charity called Love Ur Neighbour, who work on several projects around Kenya. Their main project is based in a small village named Bungu in Kilifi county, near Mombasa on Kenya's coast. They support women and girls through education and employment, they established a goat "bank", provide santiary products and education, ship mobility aids from West Wales and support people with disabilities to reach local schools, to name but a few initiatives. Read more about it here in this short blog article.

 

REST (Rare & Endangered Species Trust): With every booking made, we donate £5 to REST. This is a small Namibia based charity initiating and supporting the scientific and practical study of rare and endangered species. They help develop and facilitate solutions to conservation problems among these species at community, national and international level.

With a large focus on pangolin, eagle, owl and vulture conservation and personal connections to this charity, we will be able to tell you exactly how your donation impacts their work. See their website here.

 

RESERVA (Youth Land Trust): With every booking made, we donate £5 to RESERVA. This is a charity established by a friend of the Wayfairer team, in association with the Rainforest Trust, Reserva empower young people to make a measurable difference for threatened species and habitats through conservation, education, and storytelling. They are establishing the world's first entirely youth-funded reserve in Ecuador’s Chocó cloud forest, one of the most biodiverse, but threatened, areas on Earth. This reserve is called Dracula Youth Reserve.

Youth are defined as 26 year olds and under. However, all adults can contribute to their active reserve project on behalf of, or as a gift to, someone 26 or younger. To read more about Reserva's work and watch their YouTube videos, please click here.

 

Others: We also support TOFT Tigers and Pack for Purpose and are registered KPAP and ATTA members. You can learn more about these organisations below.

Talk to the team

Find out more and tailor your perfect trip with the help of
our specialist team on +44 117 313 3300