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Responsible Tourism: Our Pledge to You
At CTS Horizons, we want our tour operations to have a positive impact on local communities and the environment. We believe that those of us involved in the travel industry have exciting opportunities to support sustainable tourism projects, from collaborating with environmentally-aware ground operators to community outreach programmes to saving endangered animals. As a responsible tourism operator, we understand our grave responsibility to ensure we tread lightly on our travels, by reducing the carbon footprint of our trips and enhancing the environment
around us.
We have recently been awarded the AITO three star responsible tourism status . This is the highest possible responsible travel award with the Association of Independent Tour Operators (AITO). To gain the three stars the company must successfully implement and continually improve a responsible tourism policy, and must also undertake a specific project which contributes to the economy, culture or environment of a destination.
 

Here are the top ten key aims of CTS Horizons in our effort to become a more responsible
tour operator.

1.
We cap most of our group travel at a maximum of 20 persons to limit any adverse impact on communities and the environment.

2.
We have stopped automatically sending out new brochures to minimise our use of paper resources. Customers may request brochures (or sections of brochures) by visiting www.ctshorizons.com or phoning our office on
020 7868 5590.

3.
We aim to foster international exchange and understanding by immersing clients into local culture. For example, we recently began tours to the ancient water-town town of Wuzhen, China, which has transformed itself into a cultural hotspot by restoring old buildings and emphasising Chinese traditions. Guests can participate in Chinese medicine and traditional painting classes, and come away with a deeper understanding of China’s ancient heritage. They may also pass a half-day or day in voluntary work, helping local residents (who run bed-and-breakfast accommodation) understand Western tastes, for example showing them how to cook an English breakfast or mix a cocktail!

4.
We are offering all our customers the opportunity to make a donation of £15 per person in support of Conservation International, China’s panda protection initiative.
5. For every tour booked, we make a donation to one of the following carefully selected charities.
  • Cool Earth helps protect South American rainforest by purchasing land in high-risk areas. We are supporting the region of TP-Tapajos Corridor in Brazil, which has recently suffered severe deforestation. A half-acre of land here costs £45 and each secured plot fixes 130 tonnes of CO2
(www.coolearth.org).
  • The World Wildlife Fund works in areas where the most critically endangered wildlife and the least protected habitats are found (www.wwf.org.uk).
  • Hogar de Cristo provides shelter to the impoverished in Chile (www.hogardecristo.com).
  • The Galapagos Conservation Trust, working through the Charles Darwin Foundation and Galapagos National Park, raises awareness of, and funds for, the conservation needs of the islands (www.savegalapagos.org).
  • Tourism Concern works with local communities to reduce social and environmental problems connected to the UK outbound tourism industry. (www.tourismconcern.org.uk).
• Cambodian’s Children Advocacy Foundation supports children of single mothers in their education, health, nutrition and the prevention of child labour (www.ccaf-khmer.org).
6. We constantly strive to find environmentally-aware operators in our destinations. For example, the Sacha Lodge in the Amazon Rainforest (set within a 5000 acre private ecological reserve), the Inkaterra Machu Picchu hotel (a 100 per cent carbon-neutral company supported by the National Geographic Society) and the inspirational Mountain Retreat in Yangshuo, China. This small retreat has been built from reclaimed wood and stone products; burns recycled agricultural waste as fuel; uses a natural septic filtration system with low-flow toilets; employs a full-time English teacher to instruct its 14 local employees and supports school construction projects and scholarships for local students. Five per cent of the hotel’s operating profits are donated to the China-US Medical Foundation
(www.china-usmedical.org), which offers treatment, training and meaningful work to the severely physically disabled in China. The hotel’s efforts have been deservedly recognised by Responsible Tourism Awards, which has given it a place on the 2007 long-list (www.responsibletourismawards.com).
7. We raise awareness of important causes and global challenges in our destinations. For example, guests on our new Grand Tour to Borneo can visit Sepilok, the world's first and largest Orang-utan rehabilitation centre. Anyone interested in becoming more deeply involved in saving the orang-utan can adopt one of these enigmatic creatures for as little as £25.(Sepilok Orangutan Appeal UK at www.orangutan-appeal.org.uk).
8. We aim to offer guests alternative transportation methods to air travel such as train travel which is approximately
15 per cent less polluting than aeroplanes, on a per person basis.
9. We actively promote Responsible Tourism practices to our suppliers around the world. We work closely with hotels, guides, transportation firms and other travel-related companies, setting high standards and ensuring our partners do their best to meet our expectations.
10 We invite all our clients to spread the message of Responsible Tourism practices by discussing ideas directly with our guides and hoteliers, and offering constructive comments on local questionnaires.