Cultural history holiday in Ghana

Responsible Tourism Policy

Ashanti African Tours

When you travel with Ashanti African Tours you can be assured that all trips are ethical and sustainable, as we put the environment and the communities at the heart of all that we do. As such, this policy draws on the criteria set out by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) and tries to recognise many of the principles within the United Nations World Tourism Organisation’s (UNWTO) Global Code of Ethics for Tourism.

Our aim

All Ashanti African Tours trips aim to have a positive impact on the countries, communities and environments we visit. Our policy of operating low-impact, ethical tours allows us to create authentic, cultural connections, which not only enhances the traveller experience, but also creates economic opportunity and social development, whilst preserving local cultures for future generations.

Key aims:

• To support local community-run businesses, thereby creating income for local people which reduces the negative impact on local ecosystems through hunting and farming activities

• To maintain the preservation of locally-run eco-tourism initiatives

• To provide opportunities for local communities - school projects educating the future generations; free training to educate youths to become self-sufficient and free reading and writing lessons for adults

• To continue to actively protect endangered and vulnerable wildlife species

Environmental Responsibility

We limit the physical impact of the tours we operate by educating the local communities and by working in partnership with other local companies.

• We used to hear the constant noise of illegal chainsaw operators cutting trees and the locals used to hunt the rainforest wildlife. We had several community meetings and explained the benefits of responsible tourism to preserve the forest and involve the local community

• We encourage guests to deal with waste appropriately and limit their use of single-use plastic. On our tours, to reduce the usage of plastic bottles, we use large containers to fill smaller reusable bottles for clients. Our aim for 2021 is to include personalised reusable metal drinking bottles for all clients, which will be provided on arrival and can be used long after their tour has finished

• In 2021, we are planning to drill a borehole to produce our own drinking water for future trips

• Our office recycles - we send plastics to Trashy Bags, an NGO who make products from plastic waste in Ghana

• We limit our printing and all office work is from a single online database to minimise the need for printing

• We don’t use plastic bags in our office or on tours - when purchasing items, and food for trips, we use reusable fabric bags. Any plastic bottles we do generate we give to remote communities who re-use them as storage containers

• At our project sites and in areas we visit we advise local communities on how to reduce their plastic waste and use more organic materials instead of plastic when possible. E.g. Most street vendors sell food in plastic bags and we encourage them to use local leaves or baskets instead

• We have introduced environmentally conscious farming to locals in honey production, snail farming (a local delicacy) and bush meat farming (prevents local hunting in the forest killing endangered animals)

• We have implemented a community outreach programme to educate other communities into the benefits of conservation


• We acquired land joining a forest reserve and have started a reforestation project: planting native trees, which will reconnect the villages to the forest we are protecting. We commit to planting 75,000 native trees as part of this reforestation project

• We also plan to purchase the timber concession from the nearby timber company surrounding this same forest

• Most recently, we have agreed with the Ghana Forestry Commission a supply of native tree seedlings and saplings to plant for our reforestation projects. We have decided to purchase and plant 3 native forest tree species for every guest that travels with us. This is in addition to our reforestation project. The main aim for this project is carbon offsetting - guests choosing to travel with us would offset their flights to/from Ghana by more than 15 times if the trees live to their expected lifespan. This is based on projected carbon dioxide generated on a return flight for the average guest (approximately 900kg/1980 lbs). The average tropical tree can absorb approximately 48lbs of carbon per year (when mature) and in Ghana it takes 30-50 years for a tropical tree species to grow to maturity, with an average life expectancy of 200-300 years. If the trees we plant for each guest are continued to be protected, then we are confident that we will be making a big difference in carbon offsetting: 3 trees planted would each absorb approximately 10,080 lbs of carbon, totalling 30,240 lbs/13,745 kg for all 3 trees (per guest).