Walking holiday in Crete

Planet and people

Throughout this tour to Crete we stay in locally owned accommodation in which you experience hospitatily and food, most of which is sourced locally, as well as some great wine! This not only provides direct employment within the hotel, 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. Minimising our impact by exploring on foot means that this tour operates in a very eco-friendly way. Donations given on optional sightseeing visits to the monasteries around Zaros means that we are helping maintain these local churches. Taking the optional sea-kayaking at Loutro supports this community situated in a very much out-of-the-way location, the residents of which depend upon tourism.

In addition to the above, 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. As well as this, 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 UK travel industry bodies Tourism Concern and AITO because we believe it’s important to share our knowledge and experience, as well as learn from other operators.

As a company we support Cool Earth. Protecting rainforest is one of the most effective actions to tackle climate breakdown. Cool Earth work with indigenous communities empowering them to conserve their forest; keeping CO2 locked in.