As a travel company that engages with various stakeholders in tourism, Charmission Travel aims to follow, implement and promote good sustainability practices to maximize positive impacts and minimize negative impacts on tourism of our operations and to influence our partners to do the same.

Our sustainability policy is divided into 8 themes.

1. Exceeding Legal Standards with Outstanding Rewards and Support

Charmission Travel complies with all applicable laws and regulations. In addition, it provides employee benefits that go beyond the requirements of the law, and its remuneration packages are significantly higher than both the local average level and typical packages in the tourism industry.

For further information, please refer to: Building A Great Team

2. Local Partners

We convey our sustainability policies to our partners by booking sustainable tours with them. We regularly evaluate the sustainability practices of our key partners to ensure that they are truly sustainable and comply with all relevant national laws.

3. Transport

When selecting transport options for transfers and excursions at the destination, we consider and give preference to more sustainable alternatives, taking into account price, comfort, and practical considerations.

4. Accommodations

We prefer and select accommodations that are locally owned and managed, and that employ members of the local community. We also work with accommodations and restaurants that incorporate elements of local art, architecture, or cultural heritage while respecting the intellectual property rights of local communities.

Upon request, the company supports collaborative initiatives with other tour operators and/or stakeholders to promote sustainability among accommodations in destinations.

Incentives are offered to accommodations which engage actively in sustainability.

The business does not contract directly or indirectly accommodations which are involved in compulsory labour or which employ children to complete work which is normally undertaken by adults; There are special working times and conditions for children (14; years) working within the business, in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and/or the ILO convention 138. 

The supplier condemns the exploitation of children at the premises and facilities of subcontracted accommodations. Charmission Travel will terminate the contract, if the supplier does not take adequate measures to prevent and/or stop the sexual exploitation of children within the direct supply chain (e.g., accommodations and excursions).

In case of clear evidence that contracted accommodations jeopardize the provision or integrity of basic services such as food, water, energy, healthcare or soil to the neighboring communities it can be a reason to terminate the co-operation with the accommodation.

5. Excursions and activities

We place a high value on animal and community welfare and aim to offer tours that leave only a minor footprint.

We advise our guests on behavior standards during excursions and activities, with a focus on respecting local culture, nature, and the environment.

We communicate our sustainability objectives and requirements to contracted and other relevant excursion providers through various means, including code of conduct, representative agents, email, discussions, and meetings.

We do not offer any excursions that harm humans, animals, plants, or natural resources such as water and energy, or that are socially or culturally unacceptable. We also do not offer excursions in which wildlife is held captive unless it is part of a properly regulated activity that complies with local, national, and international law.

We do not engage with companies that harvest, consume, display, sell, or trade wildlife species unless it is part of a regulated activity that ensures their utilization is sustainable and complies with local, national, and international law.

6. Tour leaders, local representatives and guides

We aim to involve as many locals as possible in the tourism business by employing them. We ensure that our tour guides, hosts, and other contracted employees are qualified and receive regular training.

We ensure that our local partners comply with all applicable international, national, and local laws and regulations, industry minimum standards, and any other relevant statutory requirements. We pay our tour leaders, local representatives, guides and other local staff contracted by us at least a wage that is equal to or above the relevant industry standard.

We ensure that our tour guides, hosts, and other contracted employees are qualified and receive regular training. 

We offer a special sustainable travel module in our training program for local tour guides and hosts. This module covers the main responsible tourism aspects and the role expected of employees. It also includes knowledge about the destination and its relevant sustainability aspects.

Our tour leaders, local representatives, and guides inform clients about relevant sustainability matters in the destination such as protection of flora, fauna, cultural heritage, resource use, social norms and values (e.g., tips, dress code, photography), and human rights (e.g., sexual exploitation).

7. Destination

We consider sustainability aspects when selecting new destinations and may offer alternative, non-mainstream options. We do not select destinations where tourism leads to structural negative local effects unless our involvement results in clear counterbalancing effects. We also consider selecting new destinations that are reachable through more sustainable means of transport.

We support biodiversity conservation, including protected areas and areas of high biodiversity, through financial contributions, political support, and integration into our product offerings.

We do not promote souvenirs that contain threatened flora or fauna species as indicated by the CITES treaty or the IUCN Red List or historic and archaeological artifacts except as permitted by law.

8. Customer communication and protection

We ensure that customer privacy is not compromised and comply with relevant standards.

We do not promise more than we can deliver.

We provide clear, complete, and accurate product and price information.We inform customers about sustainable alternatives for accommodations, excursions, package holidays, and transport options if available.

After booking and during holidays, we inform customers about risks and precautions related to health and safety matters in the destination. We keep a contact person and telephone number permanently available for emergency situations and train our personnel on how to deal with emergencies. We motivate clients to use local restaurants and shops where appropriate and inform them about sustainable transport options in destinations when feasible.

After holidays, we are committed to systematically measuring client satisfaction and taking the results into account for service and product improvements. We also have clear procedures in place for handling complaints from clients.