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Sapa Pana Travel Sustainability Policy

As a travel company that works with various stakeholders in the tourism sector – namely consumers, trip guides, travel agencies, hotels, transport companies, restaurants and attractions – Sapa Pana Travel understands our key role and influence in the sustainable development of tourism. We are therefore committed to promoting sustainability. We aim to follow, implement and promote good sustainability practices in order to maximise the positive impact of our activities on tourism and minimise the negative impact, and to encourage our customers and partners to do the same.
Our sustainability policy is divided into 10 themes. Each theme consists of a series of principles and practical actions tailored to it.

1. Sustainability management and regulatory compliance

Sapa Pana Travel is committed to corporate social responsibility by:

To appoint a member of staff to be responsible for the duties of the sustainability coordinator;
‘Having a sustainability mission that is communicated to customers, partners and suppliers’
To collaborate with external working groups that support sustainability in tourism;
Conducting a baseline assessment of the organisation’s performance in the area of sustainability;
Having a sustainability action plan with clear objectives, actions, measures, responsibilities and a timetable;
Developing documented procedures to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the sustainability policy and its objectives;
To ensure the organisation’s transparency regarding sustainability through public reporting and communication;
To ensure that all staff are fully aware of the sustainability policy and are committed to implementing and improving it.

Sapa Pana Travel is committed to complying with all national laws, regulations and requirements.

2. Internal management: social policy and human rights

Sapa Pana Travel is committed to sustainable internal management through a clear and well-communicated social policy by:

To grant employees the freedom to terminate their employment and contract with four weeks’ notice without penalty.
Inclusion of terms and conditions of employment in accordance with national labour law and a job description in the employment contract;
A stipulation in the contract that the wage rate is equal to or higher than the national statutory wage;
Determination and compensation for overtime based on mutual agreement;
Ensure that medical and liability insurance is in place in accordance with national legislation;
Having a health and safety policy for employees that complies with national legal standards;
Ensure that first-aid kits and trained staff are available at all relevant locations;
Comply with national legislation regarding the minimum age of employees;
Having documented, effective procedures in place for employees to voice their concerns and expectations;
Having a clear disciplinary procedure that is effectively communicated to employees;
‘To carry out regular staff satisfaction surveys and take appropriate follow-up action’
Providing regular guidance and training for staff on their roles, rights and responsibilities regarding health and safety issues.
Creating opportunities for students in the form of (final-year) work placements and traineeships;
Promoting employment opportunities for people with special needs and/or disabilities.

Sapa Pana Travel is committed to upholding human rights by:

Not to hinder trade union membership, collective bargaining or the representation of members by trade unions;
To comply with (sector-wide) collective labour agreement negotiation structures;
Not to discriminate on the grounds of gender, race, age, disability, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation in relation to recruitment, terms and conditions of employment, access to training, senior positions or promotion;
To ensure equal opportunities and access for all employees to resources and opportunities for personal development through regular training and education.

3. Internal management: Environment and community relations

Sapa Pana Travel is committed to environmental and community relations by:

Actively reducing the use of single-use items;
To give preference to sustainable goods and services, office and catering supplies, promotional gifts and merchandise;
Purchasing products in bulk to reduce the amount of packaging material;
Set standard photocopiers and printers to double-sided printing by default to save paper;
To use cleaning products that are biodegradable and certified with an Eco-label;
Have brochures printed on FSC (or other certified) paper by a printer that operates under a certified environmental management system;
To actively commit to measuring and reducing energy consumption;
To calculate and offset the office’s CO₂ emissions;
To use energy-efficient lighting and green energy;
Switch off all lights and equipment when they are not in use;
To give preference to energy-efficient equipment when purchasing new products;
To have an active policy to reduce water consumption in the office;
Install water-saving fittings in toilets
By complying with national legislation on waste disposal;
To develop and implement objectives for the reduction and recycling of solid waste;
Measures to be taken to reduce the amount of packaging material and to avoid using non-recyclable or non-biodegradable packaging materials;
Reusable cups, cutlery and plates are to be used in the office;
No plastic bottles to be used in the office;
Separate all recyclable materials and organise their collection;
Refill ink cartridges and toner cartridges for reuse and/or return empty cartridges to the supplier;
Batteries should be recycled or disposed of correctly;
To comply with national legislation on wastewater treatment;
To minimise the use of harmful substances and replace them where possible;
Lead-free, water-based paint suitable for use both indoors and outdoors;
Measuring and reducing staff-related travel and encouraging the use of more sustainable modes of transport;
To offset emissions from staff-related travel;
To provide financial incentives for staff to use public transport or other sustainable modes of transport;
To reduce commuting by encouraging teleworking, video conferencing and working from home;
To provide staff with regular guidance and training on their responsibilities in relation to the CSR policy;
To contribute to the protection and preservation of local historical, archaeological, cultural and spiritual features of significance at destinations, and not to hinder access to them for local residents.

4. Local partners

Based on an overview of our key local partners, Sapa Pana Travel has developed and implemented a policy to improve the sustainability practices of our local partners. Our aim is to make sustainable development a reality for every partner within our company.

Sapa Pana Travel is committed to this by:

To maintain an overview of the sustainability practices of local partners;
To work exclusively with organisations that genuinely implement sustainability;
To take into account the benefits to the local community when selecting local agents and their social policies for employees;
To raise awareness of sustainable tourism and its implications;
To inform local partners about the Travelife sustainability standards and national tourism standards and legislation;
To sign a cooperation agreement with local partners to encourage their sustainability practices;
Regularly assess the sustainability practices of our key partners to ensure that they are operating in a genuinely sustainable manner;
To inform local partners about the sustainability policy and that they are expected to comply with it;
Include key sustainability clauses in contracts with local partners;
Encouraging local partners to take part in (local)
sustainability training courses;
To have written contracts with local partners;
Include clauses in partner contracts that allow for the early termination of the contractual agreement if the local partner fails to take adequate measures to prevent the sexual exploitation of children in the direct supply chain;
To ensure that local partners comply with all relevant national laws protecting workers’ rights.

5. Transport

Sapa Pana Travel endeavours to ensure that vehicles used during trips do not cause more pollution than the average. We believe that transport is an important aspect of sustainable tourism and we do our best to reduce the average level of pollution.

Sapa Pana Travel is committed to this by:

To select the most sustainable options, taking into account price and comfort when choosing transport options to the destination;
Integrating (sustainable) public transport into the journey to the point of departure for international travel;
To give preference to more sustainable alternatives when selecting transport options for transfers and excursions at the destination, taking into account price, comfort and practical considerations;
To offset some or all of the trip’s CO₂ emissions.

6. Accommodation

Sapa Pana Travel strives to achieve a fully sustainable supply chain. Our partner accommodation providers play a key role in this and are encouraged and motivated to implement sustainable practices.

Sapa Pana Travel is committed to this by:

To select accommodation that meets sustainability and quality standards, with a particular focus on corporate social responsibility;
To give preference to accommodation that is locally owned and managed;
To select accommodation that provides employment for the local population;
To encourage accommodation providers to undertake sustainability training;
To clearly and actively communicate our sustainability objectives to accommodation providers;
To give clear preference to accommodation providers that hold internationally recognised certification (GSTC-accredited);
To encourage contracted accommodation providers to obtain certification from an internationally recognised certification body (GSTC-accredited);
To include sustainability clauses in all contracts with accommodation providers, focusing on child labour, anti-corruption and bribery, waste management and the protection of biodiversity;
Offering benefits to accommodation providers that already operate sustainably;
To ensure that children’s rights are respected and safeguarded throughout the supply chain;
To include a clause in contracts setting out a zero-tolerance policy on the sexual exploitation of children;
To include a clause allowing a contractual agreement
may be terminated early if the accommodation provider fails to take adequate measures to prevent the sexual exploitation of children.

7. Excursions and activities

Sapa Pana Travel attaches great importance to animal welfare and the well-being of the local community, and therefore strives to offer travel with a low environmental footprint. We protect the authenticity of the local population and the natural environment, and are opposed to the exploitation of wild animals and the pollution of the environment.

Sapa Pana Travel is committed to this by:

To provide an overview of ecologically or culturally sensitive excursions on offer;
To advise customers on standards of conduct during excursions and activities, with a focus on respecting local culture, nature and the environment;
To communicate the sustainability objectives and requirements to contracted trip operators;
Not to offer any excursions that cause harm to people, animals, plants or natural resources such as water and energy, or that are socially and culturally unacceptable;
Not to offer any excursions involving the keeping of wild animals, except for well-regulated activities in accordance with local, national and international legislation;
Not to collaborate with companies that hunt, consume, display, sell or trade in wild animal species;
To employ competent and/or certified guides to accompany customers to culturally and/or ecologically sensitive destinations;
To promote excursions and activities that directly involve local communities to our customers;
To promote excursions and activities that support the local environment and biodiversity (such as visits to protected areas) to our customers.

8. Trip leaders and guides

Sapa Pana Travel strives to involve as many local residents as possible in the tourism sector. We are committed to a fair and safe working environment that supports and respects local communities.

Sapa Pana Travel is committed to this by:

To ensure that all employees have a written employment contract, including terms and conditions of employment and a job description;
To give preference to working with local trip leaders, representatives, guides, porters, drivers, cooks and other local staff where their skills are equal;
To ensure that all local partners comply with the applicable international, national and local laws and regulations, and with minimum standards in the tourism sector;
Trip leaders, local representatives, guides, porters and other local
staff hired to be paid at least a living wage that is equal to or higher than the local statutory minimum;
To ensure that local employees are qualified and receive regular training;
To ensure that local employees are informed about relevant aspects of the sustainability policy and comply with it through training sessions, workshops, newsletters and informal communication;
Ensure that local staff inform customers about relevant sustainability issues at the destination, social norms and values, and human rights;
To train local staff in how to prevent the sexual exploitation of children and to communicate this to customers;

9. Destinations

Sapa Pana Travel is committed to promoting a sustainable destination by:

To take sustainability considerations into account when selecting new destinations and to offer alternative destinations where possible;
No destinations shall be selected where tourism leads to structural negative local impacts (unless the organisation’s involvement results in clear countervailing effects);
Takes into account accessibility via more sustainable modes of transport when selecting new destinations;
Compliance with statutory spatial planning, protected areas and heritage regulations.
To support initiatives that improve the relationship between accommodation providers and local suppliers;
To influence and support the local government in relation to sustainability, destination planning and management, and socio-cultural issues;
To support the conservation of biodiversity (including protected areas and areas of high biodiversity) through financial contributions, political support and integration into product offerings;
No advertising of souvenirs containing endangered species of flora and fauna as listed in the CITES Convention and the IUCN Red List of historical and archaeological artefacts.

10. Customer communication and protection

Prior to booking, Sapa Pana Travel is committed to customer communication and protection by:

Providing guidelines for customer contact, to be followed by the advisers;
To comply fully with the GDPR;
To adhere to relevant values and codes of conduct in marketing and advertising, ensuring that we do not promise more than we can deliver;
To provide clear, complete and accurate product and price information;
Providing destination information that is factually accurate, balanced and comprehensive;
To inform customers about the environmental impact of different transport options for reaching the destination and to offer sustainable alternatives where available;
To promote sustainable accommodation, excursions and transport using logos in such a way that customers clearly recognise them as ‘the better option’;
To inform customers about sustainable alternatives regarding accommodation, excursions, package holidays and transport options, where available;
To inform customers about sustainability commitments and initiatives.

Both during and after the customer’s trip, Sapa Pana Travel undertakes to:

To provide customers with information about the natural environment, local culture and cultural heritage at the travel destination;
To inform consumers about key sustainability aspects and issues at the destination and to provide tips on how customers can make a positive contribution;
To inform customers about risks and precautions relating to health and safety matters at the destination;
Ensure that a contact person and telephone number are available at all times in the event of an emergency;
To train staff and ensure guidelines are in place for dealing with emergencies;
To provide customers with written guidelines and/or codes of conduct for sensitive excursions and activities in order to minimise negative visitor impact and maximise enjoyment;
To provide customers with information about commercial, sexual or other forms of exploitation and harassment, including the names of children;
To inform customers about the relevant legislation concerning the purchase and export of historical or religious souvenirs made from materials derived from endangered flora and/or fauna at the destination;
To encourage customers to visit local restaurants and shops;
To inform customers about sustainable transport options at their destination wherever possible;
To encourage customers to donate to local charities and sustainable initiatives.

Following the customer’s trip, Sapa Pana Travel undertakes to:

To systematically measure customer satisfaction and take the results into account when improving services and products;
To incorporate sustainability as an integral part of customer satisfaction surveys;
Having clear procedures in place to deal with customer complaints and dissatisfaction.