Sustainability Policy and Procedures

NGO “Destination Jalal-Abad”, as a travel company that interacts with various stakeholders in the field of tourism, namely with consumers, guides, travel agencies, hotels, transport companies, restaurants and attractions, we understand our key role and impact on sustainable tourism development. Therefore, we are committed to sustainability. We are committed to following, implementing and promoting best practices in sustainable development to maximize the positive impact and minimize the negative impact of our operations on tourism, and to encourage our customers and partners to do the same.

Our sustainability policy is divided into 10 themes. Each topic consists of a set of principles and related practices.

1. Sustainability management and legal compliance

We commit ourselves to sustainable development management using the following methods:

  • Have a designated staff member who is responsible for the tasks of the sustainability coordinator;
  • Have a sustainability mission statement communicated to customers, partners and suppliers;
  • Have an accessible and written sustainability policy aimed at reducing the negative social, cultural, economic and environmental impacts of the company’s activities; and includes aspects of employee health and safety;
  • Collaborate and actively participate in external forums and working groups that support sustainability in tourism;
  • Conduct a baseline assessment of the company’s activities according to sustainable practices;
  • Have sustainability guidelines and an evaluation system to determine the sustainability performance of key vendors/partners;
  • Have a sustainable development action plan with clear goals, actions, measures, responsibilities and time planning;
  • Develop documented procedures for monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the sustainable development policy, goals and objectives;
  • Ensure company transparency on sustainability issues through public reporting and information sharing;
  • Ensure that all employees are fully aware of our Sustainability Policy and strive to implement and improve it.

We are committed to complying with all national laws, rules and regulations.

 

2. Internal governance: social policy and human rights

We are committed to sustainable internal governance with a clearly articulated social policy that includes the following principles:

  • Give employees the freedom to hire and terminate contracts with notice and without penalty
  • Include working conditions in accordance with national labor laws and a description of the position in the employment contract;
  • The wage rate must be specified in the contract;
  • Determine and compensate for overtime hours as agreed;
  • Provide health insurance and civil liability insurance in accordance with national legislation;
  • Provide employees with fixed annual paid and sick leave and unpaid annual leave;
  • Have an employee health and safety policy that is in line with national legal standards;
  • Have first aid kits and trained staff available at all appropriate locations;
  • Respect the national minimum age for employment;
  • Have documented effective procedures to enable employees to voice their complaints and expectations;
  • Have a clear disciplinary procedure effectively communicated to employees;
  • Have a system to measure employee satisfaction on a regular basis;
  • Provide periodic guidance and training to employees on roles, rights, and responsibilities in relation to health and safety matters. This includes fires and related natural disasters;
  • Create opportunities for students to participate in internships/apprenticeships;
  • Encourage employment opportunities for people with special needs;

 

We are committed to respecting human rights by ensuring that:

  • Declare that we do not interfere with trade union membership, collective labor bargaining and representation of trade union members;
  • Prohibit discrimination in employment, conditions of employment, access to training and senior positions, or promotion based on gender, race, age, disability, ethnicity, religion/belief, or sexual orientation;
  • Provide all employees with equal chances and access to resources and opportunities for personal development through regular training and education;

 

3. Internal management: environment and public relations.

We are committed to protecting the environment and strengthening public relations by ensuring that we comply with the following rules:

  • Actively reduce the use of disposable and consumer products;
  • Support the purchase of environmentally friendly goods and services, stationery and catering, free gifts and goods;
  • Buy products in bulk to reduce the amount of packaging materials;
  • Set copiers and printing machines to double-sided printing or other paper-saving modes by default;
  • Use cleaning materials that are non-hazardous, non-eutrophic, biodegradable and eco-labeled, if available locally;
  • Print brochures on environmentally friendly paper from a printer that operates a certified environmental management system, if available locally at a reasonable cost;
  • Measures to reduce wastage of brochures or Internet-only policies;
  • Have an active commitment to measure, monitor and reduce energy consumption;
  • Calculate and offset CO2 emissions and compare different periods;
  • Acquire green energy and energy efficient lighting for all areas, if any;
  • Turn off lights and equipment when not in use, use an automatic on/off system with timers or motion sensors, and set equipment to default power saving mode where possible;
  • When buying new products, give preference to equipment with low energy consumption, taking into account cost and quality;
  • Have an active water consumption reduction policy implemented and monitored on a monthly or annual basis for control purposes;
  • Use sustainable water sources that do not adversely affect environmental flows;
  • Installation of water-saving equipment in toilets;
  • Comply with national legislation on waste disposal;
  • Develop and implement solid waste reduction and recycling policies with quantifiable goals;
  • Take measures to reduce the amount of packaging materials and not provide non-recyclable or biodegradable packaging materials;
  • Take action to reduce the number of (single-use) plastic drinking water bottles for office use;
  • Separate all materials that can be recycled and arrange for collection and proper disposal;
  • Apply waste reduction practices when using ink and toner cartridges for printing and copying, whenever possible;
  • Dispose of batteries properly;
  • Comply with national legislation on wastewater treatment, which should be safely reused or disposed of;
  • Minimize and replace the use of hazardous substances and properly manage the storage, handling and disposal of chemicals;
  • Use water-based and lead-free paints both inside and out if available locally;
  • Implement methods to minimize pollution from buildings (as far as the company can control);
  • Measure and reduce staff travel and use cleaner modes of transport. Calculate your emissions to reduce and compensate with a reliable local program;
  • Financially encourage employees to use public transport or environmentally friendly modes of transport;
  • Reduce traffic exposure through online work, tele/video meetings, work-from-home policies, or other means;
  • Maintain and properly test the company’s motorized vehicles to reduce emissions and energy consumption and ensure they comply with emission regulations,
  • Provide periodic guidance, training and/or information to all employees on their roles and responsibilities in relation to internal environmental practices;
  • Comply with land use, zoning, and protected or cultural heritage laws and regulations; when planning, designing, building, repairing, operating or demolishing company buildings and infrastructure;
  • Base the planning, design and construction of new buildings or renovations on acceptable and feasible environmentally sound methods and materials;
  • Contribute to the protection and preservation of local historical, archaeological, cultural and spiritual values and objects and not hinder access to them by local residents;

 

4. Partner agency

Based on an inventory of our key partner agencies, we have developed and implemented a policy to improve the sustainability of our partner agencies. Our goal is to make sustainability specific to every partner in our business.

We are committed to doing this:

  • Maintain a list of sustainable placement practices for partners and agents;
  • Work only with organizations that truly integrate sustainability into their tourism policy;
  • Minimizing the environmental footprint of the office by traveling primarily by public transport, being as paperless as possible, sorting waste, and using certified recycled paper;
  • Paying attention to the local benefits of communities when choosing local housing and their social policies for employees;
  • Raising awareness of key partners about sustainable consumption by organizing (online) campaigns and trainings;
  • Informing key partners about Travelife and national tourism standards;
  • Existence of a cooperation contract, including an annex to the national code of conduct for local partners, to encourage their practices aimed at ensuring sustainability;
  • Regularly assessing the sustainability practices of our key partners to ensure that their practices are truly sustainable;
  • Informing key partners about the sustainability policy of tourism companies and that they are expected to comply with it, and / or communicate it to end customers, if necessary;
  • Inclusion of key sustainability provisions in contracts with incoming/open partners;
  • Motivation of incoming/arriving partners to participate in sustainable development trainings for tourism companies;
  • Availability of a written contract with partner agencies;
  • Inclusion in partner contracts of clauses allowing contract partners to prematurely terminate the contractual agreement if the partner company does not take appropriate measures to prevent the sexual exploitation of children in the direct supply chain;
  • Ensuring that partner companies comply with all relevant national employee protection laws;

 

5. Transport

We try to ensure that the vehicles used on the tours do not cause more than average pollution. We believe that transportation is an important aspect of sustainable tourism and we do our best to reduce the average level of pollution.

It contributes to:

  • Choosing the most environmentally friendly options considering price and comfort when choosing transport options to your destination; including sustainable (public) transport to the point of departure for international / long-distance travel;
  • Consideration and preference for more sustainable alternatives when choosing vehicles for transfers and excursions to a destination, taking into account price, comfort and practical considerations;
  • Integration and/or promotion of one or more eco-friendly holiday products/packages based on a recognized methodology, including sustainable transportation, sustainable housing, and sustainable activities.

 

6. Accommodation

We strive to create a fully sustainable tourism supply chain. Partner accommodations play an important role in achieving this by stimulating and motivating the adoption of sustainable practices.

  • Selecting housing that meets sustainability and quality standards, with particular emphasis on the following points;

Do they have a signed sustainability contract? Do they have a water saving program? Do they have an energy saving program? Do they have a waste management program? Do they have a power reduction system? Do they have a sustainable supply chain? Do they have a child protection policy? Do they carry out activities in the field of CSR? Do they educate employees on health and safety issues?

  • Motivation and encouragement of placing partners to obtain sustainable certification;
  • Preference and choice of housing that is locally owned and managed;
  • Choice of housing in which local communities work;
  • The presence of accommodations provides evidence that clarifies their sustainability goals and strategies;
  • Availability of housing that signs the sustainability application;
  • Encouraging accommodations to follow best practices/trainings for responsible tourism;
  • Encouraging accommodations to complete the sustainability questionnaire in order to better understand their practices;
  • Communicating clearly and proactively about our sustainability goals and requirements in relation to contractual and other relevant terms;
  • Give a clear preference to accommodations that have internationally recognized (e.g. GSTC recognized) and/or Travelife certifications;
  • Include standard sustainability clauses in all housing contracts that focus on child labour, anti-corruption and bribery, waste management and biodiversity protection;
  • Offering incentives for housing actively involved in sustainability;
  • Ensuring that children’s rights are respected and protected throughout our housing supply chain;
  • Having a provision in contracts throughout the value chain that establishes a general policy of no sexual exploitation of children and zero tolerance;
  • The presence in the contract of a clause dedicated to this aspect, which allows the travel company to prematurely terminate the contractual agreement if the accommodation provider does not take appropriate measures to prevent the sexual exploitation of children;
  • Training employees on children’s rights, prevention of sexual exploitation and how to report suspected cases;
  • Support, cooperation and involvement of stakeholders in the prevention of sexual exploitation of children;
  • Work with premises and restaurants that contain elements of local art, architecture or cultural heritage; while respecting the intellectual property rights of local communities;
  • Termination of cooperation with residential premises in the event of clear evidence that the contracted residential premises compromise the integrity of the provision of essential services such as food, water, energy, health or soil to neighboring companies;

 

7. Tours and activities

We value animal and community welfare very highly and aim for tours that leave only a small footprint. We protect the authenticity of communities and the environment and are strongly against harming wildlife and pollution.

  • Availability of a list of excursions, taking into account the ecological or cultural features offered at each destination;
  • Advising guests on standards of conduct during excursions and events, with an emphasis on respect for local culture, nature and the environment;
  • Communication of our sustainability goals and requirements to contracted and other relevant tour providers by disseminating this information through a code of conduct, agent agents, social media, email, discussions and/or meetings to minimize negative impact on visitors and maximize enjoyment ;
  • Not offer excursions that harm people, animals, plants, natural resources such as water and energy, or that are socially and culturally unacceptable;
  • Not to offer any excursions involving captive wild animals, except for properly regulated activities in accordance with local, national and international laws;
  • Not be associated with companies that harvest, consume, display, sell or trade in species of wild animals, unless it is part of a regulated activity that ensures that their use is sustainable and complies with local, national and international laws;
  • Availability of qualified and/or certified guides to accompany our guests to sensitive cultural, heritage sites or environmentally sensitive destinations;
  • Promoting and advising our guests about excursions and activities that directly engage and support local communities by purchasing services or goods, traditional crafts and local (food) production methods, or attending social projects;
  • Promoting and advising our guests about excursions and activities that support the local environment and biodiversity, such as visits to protected areas or conservation projects;

 

8. Tour leaders, local representatives and guides

We aim to attract as many locals as possible by hiring them in the tourism business. We stand for a fair and safe work environment that supports and respects local communities.

We are committed to doing this:

  • Ensuring that all employees have a written employment contract, including working conditions and job descriptions, and fully understand the terms and conditions;
  • Prefer to work with local tour leaders, local representatives, local guides, porters, drivers, chefs and other local staff of equal ability, and provide training as needed;
  • Ensuring that our local partners comply with all applicable international, national and local laws and regulations, minimum industry standards and any other relevant legal requirements, whichever is more stringent;
  • Payment to tour leaders, local representatives, guides, porters and other local staff contracted by us, not below the living wage, which is equal to or exceeds the statutory minimum or the appropriate industry standard
  • Ensuring that our guides, hosts and other contract staff are qualified and regularly trained;
  • Ensuring that our local employees are informed about and comply with relevant aspects of our sustainability policy through newsletters, links or contract amendments, emails or training and information sessions;
  • Offering a dedicated module on sustainable travel in a training program for local guides and hosts that focuses on the essential aspects of responsible tourism and then the roles expected of employees. This module will also include information about the destination and its relevant aspects of sustainability;
  • Keeping our tour leaders, local representatives and guides up to date on current destination sustainability issues (e.g. protection of flora, fauna and cultural heritage, use of resources), social norms and values (e.g. advice, dress codes and photography) and human rights (e.g. , sexual exploitation);
  • Training our hired tour guides and local representatives to prevent the sexual exploitation of children. This will include training on how to test child abuse exclusion requirements;

 

9. Destination

We are committed to maximizing positive impact and minimizing negative impact on the destination to ensure the sustainability of the places where we operate.

We are committed to doing this:

  • Take into account sustainability aspects in the process of choosing new directions and, possibly, suggest alternative, non-core directions;
  • Refusal to choose destinations in which tourism leads to structural negative local effects (unless the company’s participation leads to clear counterweight effects);
  • Consider choosing new destinations that can be reached with more environmentally friendly vehicles;
  • Comply with legal norms for spatial planning, protected areas and heritage. Also with destination management strategies of local, regional and national authorities;
  • Support initiatives that improve relationships between residential properties and local producers;
  • Influence and support of local authorities (when possible, together with other tourism companies and stakeholders) in matters of sustainability, planning and management of destinations, use of natural resources and socio-cultural issues;
  • Support the conservation of biodiversity, including protected areas and areas of high biodiversity, through financial contributions, political support and integration into product offerings;
  • Not promote souvenirs containing endangered species of flora and fauna, as specified in the CITES treaty and on the IUCN Red List; or historical and archaeological artifacts (except as permitted by law);

 

10. Communication with clients and protection

 

The well-being of our customers and information are very important to us. We provide clear and constant communication and high protection for our clients.

Before booking, we undertake:

  • Make available the company’s guidance on advising clients that consultants follow;
  • Ensure that client confidentiality is not violated;
  • Comply with relevant standards and voluntary codes of conduct in marketing and promotional communications and not promise more than is delivered;
  • Make product and pricing information clear, complete, and accurate regarding the company, its products, and services, including sustainability statements;
  • Provide destination information, including sustainability aspects, that is true, balanced and complete;
  • Inform customers about the environmental impact of various means of transport to reach their destination (if not included in the package) and suggest environmentally friendly alternatives, if available;
  • Promote (certified) sustainable accommodations, excursions, packages and/or transportation options through logos or other messages; ensuring that they are recognizable to the consumer and presented as the “best” option;
  • Inform the client about sustainable alternatives regarding accommodation, excursions, tours and vehicles, if any;
  • Clearly inform (potential) direct customers about sustainability commitments and actions;

 

After booking and during the holiday, we undertake:

  • Provide information to consumers about the environment, local culture and cultural heritage in the holiday destination;
  • Inform consumers about key aspects and issues of sustainable development in the destination and receive recommendations on how to make a positive contribution;
  • Inform customers about risks and precautions related to health and safety issues at the destination;
  • Contact person and phone number always available for emergencies;
  • Train staff and keep instructions available on how to deal with emergencies;
  • Provide clients with documented instructions and/or codes of conduct for sensitive tours and activities to minimize visitor impact and maximize enjoyment. Where possible, guidelines are developed in collaboration with relevant NGOs and the affected community;
  • Provide clients with information about commercial, sexual or any other form of exploitation and harassment, especially of children and adolescents;
  • Inform customers of current legislation regarding the purchase, sale, import and export of historical or religious artifacts and items containing materials of endangered flora and/or fauna at the destination;
  • Motivate customers to visit local restaurants and shops (if necessary);
  • Where possible, inform customers about sustainable transport options at destinations;
  • Encourage clients to donate to local charities and sustainable initiatives;

 

After the trip, we are committed to:

  • Systematically assess the degree of customer satisfaction and take into account the results to improve services and products;
  • Include sustainability as an integral part of customer satisfaction research;
  • Have clear procedures in case of complaints from customers;