Travelife Partner award highlights unwavering commitment to sustainable tourism
Arabian Adventures, part of the Emirates Group, has been recognised for achieving market-leading standards of service and sustainability across its operations in Dubai. The Destination Management Company (DMC) has received the Travelife Partner award, the leading international sustainability certification in the travel industry.
The global recognition follows a comprehensive audit of Arabian Adventures’ operations. The company demonstrated excellence in sustainability management, supplier relations and customer communications, becoming the first in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to achieve the prestigious certification.
Arabian Adventures has always been at the forefront of sustainable tourism in the UAE. The company constantly monitors and manages its carbon footprint and operates most Dubai-based safaris in the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve (DDCR), donating a portion of the fees to local conservation projects. On all safaris, impact on the environment is minimised with garbage segregation and recycling carried out in line with the conservation reserve guidelines.
In addition to the Travelife Partner award, the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has recently awarded Arabian Adventures the ‘Safe Travels’ stamp, recognising the company for achieving high health and safety standards across its operations.
Justine Thomas, General Manager of Arabian Adventures, said: ”We are proud to be recognised for our sustainability efforts with Travelife’s prestigious award.
“As a leading DMC, we find it vital to take responsibility for the conservation and protection of the environment in which we operate. Demand for sustainable and responsible experiences and products is rapidly growing across the world and we are committed to constantly enhancing our operations and offering to deliver on customer expectations.
“We continue our efforts to provide best-in-class, sustainable and safe products to our partners and customers.”
Naut Kusters, Manager of Travelife for Tour Operators, said: “I am delighted to see that sustainability in the tour operators sector is obtaining momentum. The award of the frontrunner Arabian Adventures will inspire other companies in the United Arab Emirates to follow the same path.”
Travelife, which was established with the support of the European Commission, is the leading international sustainability certification for the travel sector. More than 35 national travel associations are promoting the scheme to their members including ABTA, The British Travel Association and PATA, the Pacific Asian Travel Association.
The Travelife standard covers the ISO 26000 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) themes, including environment, biodiversity, human rights and labour relations; and is formally recognised as being in full compliance with the United Nations-supported Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria.
