Cyprus archaeological tour

Planet

CARBON REDUCTION • We have ensured that our tours do not use any internal flights and our tours are land-only tours. We believe in slow travel, not hit and run tourism. For example, many Cyprus tours fly across what is a small island. We think this is nuts. • We try to only work with accommodation partners that use renewable energy: Amazingly all businesses in Cyprus use solar water heating panels. Cyprus has the highest uptake of solar in the world (93.5% in 2024 of households used solar hot water). • We ensure that at least 80% of our accommodation partners use renewable energy and have Sustainability Management Plans in place with monitoring of their energy usage reduction. We also prioritize attractions (such as eco-farms and wineries) that use renewable energy and where sustainable materials and recycling are used in the construction and renovation of buildings. • These are some other sustainability initiatives we look for in our accommodation and attractions partners: o Policies with measurable targets for reducing energy and water consumption, as well as managing waste effectively. o Installing energy-efficient lighting and appliances throughout the hotel premises o An Energy Management System in all guest rooms to control lights, electrical appliances and air-conditioning. o Renewable sources of energy captured on site and used such as photovoltaic system for swimming pool pumps and solar panels for heating the water. o Effective energy LED lighting installed in 100% and thermoinsulation. o Policies regarding the purchasing low energy equipment for electrical devices. o Encouraging guests to reuse towels and linens. o Implementing a recycling program to reduce waste sent to landfill. o Providing guests with reusable water bottles to minimize plastic waste. o Using local and organic produce in our restaurant. (Where all seasonal fruit and vegetables come directly from local producers within 10 km (6 miles) wherever possible. • Human powered transport: Walking is a feature of every day on every tour and we advertise walking and hiking as an integral part of our tours. • Vegetarian food is available each day. Greek food, and Greek meze have significant vegetarian components and guests can choose entirely vegetarian meals. We ask guests about the dietary requirements and ensure we meet these. At many locations, we can also cater for vegans. ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE • Restoring Nature: In Cyprus we visit farms, wineries, and stay at accommodations that are restoring nature. We incorporate in our tours demonstrations of sustainable farming and fishing practices, and wherever possible, guests learning about these practices through participating. • Endangered Wildlife: Protection of endangered wildlife in the regions that our tours operate are supported through visiting research and conservation centers where our conservation guide and entrance fees contribute to endangered species survival.

People

LOCAL ECONOMY • We aim to stay all of our tour nights in locally-owned accommodations and in this tour, every hotel is locally owned, is not a global chain, and are family owned and run. We choose local stays consciously. We want our guests to meet as many locals on our tours as possible. • Local Economic Activities are at the heart of our tours. This is all we do. We visit farms, fisherfolk, wine makers, craftsmen and women, weavers, farmers, local tavernas, local cooking classes, local distilleries, olive oil producers, honey producers, etc. • Local guides: We only employ born and bred local guides. All our archaeologist guides at UNESCO World Heritage sites are local archaeologists. Our tour leaders are local, and we only use locals for our private walking tours of villages. EMPLOYMENT, INCLUSIVITY AND DIVERSITY • We aim for 100% of people employed through our tour company to be local to the country in which we are operating. • We are interested in helping provide year-round employment opportunities for rural Europeans and conduct our tours outside peak seasons to extend employment opportunities in villages.