Highlights of Greece holiday

Planet

We try to reduce our impact on the environment by switching to public transport, for example we use the railway through the Vouraikos Gorge to Kalavryta and use the metro system to travel from our hotel to Syntagma Square on our Athens city tour. Where it is not possible to use public transport we charter a vehicle. We recently switched our transport provider to use a more modern fuel efficient smaller buses.

We spend a time at a number of designated historic sites on this tour, and the included entrance fees help to preserve the status and upkeep these famous landmarks for future generations.

The tap water is safe to drink and we encourage travellers to take a reusable water bottle to fill up throughout the day, rather than adding to the number of plastic bottles used and to be carried.

As a travel company we are continually looking for ways to improve and are proud to be ‘Responsible in everything we do’. Education is key, and so all staff, Tour Leaders and partnering suppliers are trained in responsible and sustainable tourism. At our Head Office, we continually strive towards a sustainable and planet-friendly working environment, including having solar panels installed and a company commitment to reducing our plastic usage.

People

We go out of our way to include experiences that are off the tourist trail, be that purchasing produce for a picnic, visiting a family run ouzo distillery and visiting a local winery to sample the delicious wine. This not only provides direct employment, but also has the effect of percolating money beyond to small businesses that supply the hotel and in this way money is spread throughout the region we visit.

Our Tour Leaders are trained by us in the importance of responsible tourism with guidance given on how they can make a difference. This trip uses the services of a number of different suppliers, from the numerous restaurateurs, boat owners, guides and drivers, and our visit provides significantly more employment than on a more conventional ‘package holiday’.

Greece can get busy in the summer, to mitigate the impact and help spread the positive effects of tourism we have started to use hotels just away from the main sites. A good example of this is in Delphi where we use a charming mountain lodge in the small community of Arachova. Its just a short fifteen drive into Delphi, customers can expect a warm welcome in Arachova and have a more pleasant experience.

As a company we have valuable and longstanding partnerships with UK charities Toilet Twinning and Send a Cow, plus many smaller initiatives and projects around the world. We’re members of the UK travel industry body AITO because we believe it’s important to share our knowledge and experience, as well as learn from other operators.