Our Impact
Meaningful travel experiences with sustainable impact
FAIR VALUES AND SUSTAINABLE IMPACT AT ALL LEVELS
Impact in focus
Sustainability means different things to different people. For us, it involves a process of continuous improvement, where we try to constantly increase our positive impact and avoid negative impact. Allow us to define a few core tenets to better illustrate the impact we want to make as Fair Trails®.
+ Comprehensive Impact
Sustainable impact entails manifesting a social, economic and environmental change using our particular brand of transformative tourism.
+ Deep Engagements
We work with our partners and vendors to increase the sustainable impact of our tours across each of the different steps of the travel experiences.
+ Fair Values
True to our name – we optimise socio-economic benefits for destinations while ensuring a fair distribution at the local level, especially for those most vulnerable.
+ Due Respect
We ensure a spirit of respect in everything we do, as our staff and customers have due regard and appreciation for local culture, religion and biodiversity.
+ Multiple Levels
Creating change for us starts from the individual trekker and then gradually moving up to impact creation at community, country, regional and global levels.
SYNERGISITIC EFFECTS TO CREATE A SUSTAINABLE IMPACT
Our tools
Fair Trails® tools have been developed to fund and manage our impact from local to global levels and to affect a lasting, sustainable impact in the destinations we operate in. We leverage our own knowledge and expertise, along with the deep experience and resources of our trusted partners to address some of the critical issues we hold dear. Using four critical tools we aim to resolve sustainability challenges associated with the tourism sector from global to local levels.
Fair Trails® Experiences
Our transformative travel experiences are the main tool we use to create a social, economic and environmental impact. Almost all our travel experiences are designed to contribute to conservation – be it the biodiversity or the cultural treasures of the destination. To this end, we ensure that friends who trek with us have a chance to be the change they wish to see in the world. An unforgettable experience!
Fair Trails® Academy
We recognise that part of our responsibility as Fair Trails® is to contribute towards building the ecosystem for sustainable tourism in target destinations. As such, our training Academy aims to impart critical skills and knowledge for local stakeholders within and beyond our value chain in the tourism sector. Stay tuned as our Academy will be launched shortly with an initial focus on capacity building for Himalayan tourism.
Fair Trails® Impact Fund
Money talks – and we at Fair Trails® like to walk our talk! We commit to invest 4% of our earnings into impact projects that are designed to uplift low-income people and conserve the biodiversity that thrive along our trail sites. We work with experienced practitioners – such as the Snow Leopard Conservancy on our Snow Leopard Trail – to deliver meaningful impact projects designed in tandem with local communities.
Fair Trails® Carbon Offset
When it comes to long distance travel, air travel is a necessity. However, we aim to minimise, and eventually neutralise, the climate impact of our operations through offset partnerships with experienced players. Fair Trails has partnered with Atmosfair, who offers GHG offsets by promoting, developing and financing renewable energies in over 15 countries worldwide, including the destinations we operate in.
OUR CONTRIBUTIONS
Our global sustainability commitments
We join hands with the United Nations World Tourism Organisation in its vision for tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities. Our commitment is to promote tourism solutions that make a meaningful contribution towards seven Sustainable Development Goals where we are well positioned to create a scalable impact and leverage our strengths.
Economic growth must be inclusive to provide sustainable jobs and promote equality. We create direct and indirect employment opportunities.
Obtaining a quality education is the foundation to improving people’s lives and sustainable development. We increase the ability to practice sustainable tourism.
Sustainable economic growth will require societies to create the conditions that allow people to have quality jobs. We create direct and indirect employment opportunities.
To reduce inequalities, policies should be universal in principle, paying attention to the needs of disadvantaged and marginalised populations. We ensure fair wages for vulnerable communities.
There needs to be responsible production and consumption by all. We promote sustainability along the whole value chain.
Climate change is a global challenge that affects everyone, everywhere. We offset and aim to neutralise our climate footprint.
Sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss. We conserve biodiversity in our target destinations.
OUR INDICATORS
The Proof of Our Impact
We always intend for our partners and community to hold us accountable for our actions. To this end, we have developed a set of key indicators that serve as guiding stars to effectively steer our ship towards a more sustainable destination. It is our commitment to the clients and communities we serve, that we will continually improve the depth and scale of our engagement along these key dimensions of impact.
Local income
80 %
of the revenues are spent directly
in the target destinations
Impact fund
4 %
of the revenues are invested directly in local sustainability projects
Climate
72,9 t
CO² compensation
Conservation
100 %
of the hiking trails are oriented towards sustainability
WHAT OUR COMMUNITY SAYS
IMPACT PARTNER
IMPACT STORIES
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