Lofoten self drive holiday in Norway
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
We have a close working relationship with our suppliers and encourage them to share our concerns about minimising impact on the environment. Norwegian hotel owners, staff and activity providers are passionate about their beautiful environment, committed to its conservation and many have working responsible tourism policies.
The Thon Hotels in Svolvaer and Harstad have an Environmental Lighthouse certificate which involves many specific environmental initiatives including waste reduction and environmentally sound waste management; focus on purchasing environmentally sound products; focus on initiatives to improve the working environment; serving organic food.
Norway’s commitment to responsible tourism has been reinforced by the establishment of Ecotourism Norway, set up to promote the concept of ecotourism by developing guidelines and environmental standards for the tourism industry. There is an award scheme in place with criteria such as an underlying ecotourism philosophy, active nature and culture conservation, positive contribution to the local community and sustainable operations.
We are proud to hold the AITO 3-star Responsible Travel accreditation recognising our commitment to sustainable tourism. In 26 years of operation, we have raised a significant sum of money for a number of extremely worthwhile causes. One of the organisations we support is the Friends of Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI) at the University of Cambridge. Their pioneering research investigates social and environmental issues in the Arctic and Antarctic, such as global warming.
Back home we have an active environmental policy in our office including recycling bins throughout; printing our brochures on FSC accredited paper from sustainable forests; systems to encourage a paperless office; and movement sensor lights which use the latest energy-saving long-life elements.
Community
We are dedicated to ensuring that local communities and environment are treated with the utmost care and respect. In the remote areas visited by this tour, tourism is one of the main income sources for rural communities, providing economic benefits for the local businesses and employment for the residents, thus avoiding a drift towards more urban areas.
An exemplary example of supporting a rural community is staying at Eliassen Rorbuer. Situated on a tiny island where the winter cod fishing season runs from January to April, visitors can stay in renovated fisherman’s cabins. Not only does this provide a fascinating insight into the way of life here it also provides a welcome source of additional income.
We continue to strive to ensure that the impact of tourism on communities throughout the tour is positive and work closely with our suppliers in maintaining this. We use family-run hotels where possible and encourage our guests to visit local attractions, use local restaurants and buy local produce and crafts.
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