Sustainability Policy

​Sustainability Policy
 
Being engaged in tourist activities, our company interacts with a number of travel agencies, hotels, transport companies, guides, restaurants, historical monuments’ administration.
 
The staff of Asia Adventures understands the importance of sustainability in tourism; therefore, we have developed five basic rules that we follow ourselves and that we ask our partners to follow.
 
 
1. Sustainability management and legal compliance
- When organizing tours, our company complies with all relevant laws of the Republic of Uzbekistan;
- We have an employee who is responsible for sustainability issues;
- We have a sustainability mission statement that is communicated to customers, partners and suppliers;
- Wehave an accessible and written sustainability policy that aims for a reduction of the negative social, cultural, economic and environmental impacts of the company’s activities; and includes employee related health and safety aspects;
- We have sustainability action plan with clear targets, actions, measures, responsibilities and time planning;
- Our company is transparent in sustainability. Our Sustainable Policy and Mission are published on company’s web-site;
- Company’s staff is aware of our Sustainability Policy.
 
 
2. Social policy & human rights
- We grant employees the freedom of employment and contract termination with notice and without penalty;
- We include labor conditions according to national labor law and a job description in the employment contract;
- Wage rate is above the national legal wage;
- We determinate and compensate of overtime working hours based on agreement;
- We grant employees fixed paid yearly holiday and sick leave;
- Our company complies with minimum age for admission to employment (18 years in Uzbekistan);
- We provide periodic guidance and training for employees on roles, rights and responsibilities regarding health and safety issues. This includes fire and relevant natural disasters;
- We are ready to hire persons with special needs.
 
Asia Adventures protects human rights of its employees by the following:
- Every employee of our company has right to become a member of trade unions;
- We prohibit discriminations, regard to recruitment, conditions of employment, access to training and senior positions, or promotion in terms of gender, race, age, disability, ethnicity, religion/beliefs or sexual orientation;
- We ensure that all employees have an equal chance and access to resources and opportunities for personal development through regular training, education.
 
 
3. Protection of environment
We commit to practice environmental protection and enhance community relations by ensuring the enforcement of following practices:
- Reduce the use of disposable and consumer goods;
- Favor the purchase of sustainable goods and services, office and catering supply;
- Purchase products in bulk, to reduce the amount of packaging materials;
- Implement measurements to reduce brochure wastage or an 'internet only' policy;
- Have an active commitment to measure, monitor and reduce energy consumption;
- Switch off lights and equipment when not in use;
- Prefer low energy equipment when buying new items, including considerations of cost and quality;
- Have a policy to reduce water consumption;
- Comply with the national legislation concerning waste disposal;
- Take measures to reduce the amount of packaging materials and not provide non-recyclable or non-biodegradable package materials;
- Take action to reduce the amount of (non-refillable) plastic bottles of drinking water for office use;
- Maintain and properly check motorized company vehicles, to reduce emissions and energy use and make sure they comply with the legal emission standards,
- Contribute to the protection and preservation of local historical, archaeological, culturally, and spiritually important properties and sites.
 
 
4. Customers communication and protection
Customers welfare and information are very important to us. We obtain their loyalty by the following:
- We do not send private clients' information to the third parties. Exceptions are: MFA in case of visa invitation arrangement, ticketing offices and obligatory report to State Committee of Tourism;
- Comply with relevant standards in advertising messages, not promise more than is delivered;
- Make product and price information clear, complete and accurate, with regard to the company and its products and services;
- Provide destination information;
- Keep a contact person and a telephone number permanently available for emergency situations;
- Train personnel and keep guidelines available, on how to deal with emergency situations;
- Motivate clients to use local restaurants and shops;
- After the holiday provide tourists with feedback form to fill-in. Annual analyzation of these feedbacks to improve level of service;
- Have clear procedures in case of complaints from clients.
 
 
5. Cooperation with local communities, partner agencies and subcontractors
To organize our tours, we cooperate with partner agencies abroad, different local businesses and communities.
 
Working with foreign partner agencies we comply with the following rules:
- Having a written contract with partner agencies;
- Ensuring that partner companies comply with all relevant national laws protecting the rights of employees;
- Inform our partner agencies about our Sustainability Policy.
 
Offering transport and working with local transport companies we comply with the following rules:
- Try to use vehicles on tours that do not cause more than average pollution;
- We believe that transport is an important aspect of sustainable tourism, and we do our best to decrease the average pollution level;
- Considering and giving preference to more sustainable alternatives when selecting transport options for transfers and excursions in the destination, taking into account price, comfort, and practical considerations.
 
We work with local accommodations in accordance to the following aspects:
- Working with accommodations and restaurants that incorporate elements of local art, architecture, or cultural heritage;
- Having official contracts with every hotel or other accommodation;
- Working with accommodations we comply with all relevant laws of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
 
We are safeguarding the authenticity of the communities and the natural environment, and are strongly against harming wildlife and polluting the environment.The following aspects help us:
- Communicating our sustainability objectives and requirements to contracted and other relevant excursion providers by distributing this information via code of conducts, representative agents, social media, email, discussions, and/or meetings, to minimize negative visitor impact;
- Not offering any excursions that harm humans, animals, plants, natural resources such as water and energy, or which are socially and culturally unacceptable;
- Not offering any excursions in which wildlife is held captive, except for properly regulated activities in compliance with local, national, and international law;
- Not being involved with companies that harvest, consume, display, sell, or trade wildlife species unless it is part of a regulated activity that ensures that their utilization is sustainable and in compliance with local, national, and international law;
- Having skilled and/or certified guides to guide our guests in sensitive cultural sites, heritage sites, or ecologically sensitive destinations;
- Promoting and advise our guests on excursions and activities which directly involve and support local communities by purchasing services or goods, traditional crafts and local (food) production methods, or visiting social projects;
- Promoting and advising our guests on excursions and activities which support local environment and biodiversity such as visiting protected areas or environmental protection projects.
 
We work with local guides and communities on the following rules:
- Preferring to work with local tour leaders, local representatives, local tour guides, porters, drivers, cooks, and other local staff in case of equal ability;
- Ensuring that our local partners comply with all applicable international, national, and local laws and regulations, industry minimum standards;
- Paying tour leaders, local representatives, guides, porters and other local staff contracted by us at least a living wage that is equal to or above the legal minimum or relevant industry standard.
 
We aim to maximize positive impacts and minimize negative impacts at destination to ensure the sustainable development of the places that we operate in.
We commit to this by:
- Consider sustainability aspects in the selection process of new destinations and possibly offer alternative, non-mainstream destinations;
- Not selecting destinations in which tourism leads to structural negative local effects, (unless the company's involvement results in clear counter balancing effects);
- Comply with legally based spatial planning, protected areas and heritage regulations.  Also with destination management strategies of local, regional and national authorities;
- Not promote souvenirs which contain threatened flora and fauna species as indicated in the CITES treaty and the IUCN ‘Red List’; or historic and archaeological artefacts (except as permitted by law).