Responsible Tourism
Footloose helps people travel to remote and
unspoilt parts of the world and this undeniably changes people and places.
We know that this can be a change for the better – money and facilities
are taken into needy areas, people begin to understand a little more
about each other's culture – but it can easily be a change for
the worse. At Footloose we are committed to trying to make the world
a better place by the way we deal with people, the way we do business
and the care we show for the environment.
The ground arrangements for our tours are all made by local companies and we use local experienced and qualified guides. This gives you a unique perspective into the country and of course you are in the hands of people who know the area better than anyone.
We encourage those that travel with us to be thoughtful about how they travel. The pre-departure information supplied when you book a trip with Footloose contains guidelines to help you enjoy your trip in a culturally and environmentally responsible way.
We work with:
Tourism Concern
Climate Care
Footloose Local Action
Associations
Tourism Concern
Tourism Concern is an organisation campaigning on behalf of people
who suffer as a result of tourism but also works to encourage best practice
within the industry.
Tourism is a huge business which affects the lives of millions of people world-wide. But while huge amounts of money change hands, local people rarely benefit. People living in many tourist destinations are now paying the cost of development which has failed to put their interest on a par with those of their visitors.
Tourism Concern is for people who care about the quality of the experience for the tourist and the quality of life for the people who live there. Footloose is pleased to be a member of Tourism Concern.
If you are interested in their work, please phone 0207 753 3330 or
visit their website: www.tourismconcern.org.uk
Tourism Concerns Traveller's Codes
[new window]
Fairly Traded Tourism [new
window]
Climate Care
The more you travel the more you pollute this world. We at Footloose
are great believers in the value of travel, but we are realistic and
honest enough to know that there is a cost to people wandering the globe.
There are the obvious effects of pollution and environmental damage on the ground, and we work hard to minimise those. But look at the huge number of planes in the skies – many with you on board – and think of the exhaust gases being pumped out into the delicate upper atmosphere. And think of the floods, famines and natural disasters around the world. Yes, there's a connection.
We're not advocating less travel, but we are offering a way to help find solutions. When you book a flight with Footloose we ask you to make a small contribution, based on the amount of carbon dioxide your seat on your flight produces, to the Climate Care Trust. The Trust then invests the money in short term solutions like tree planting, but more radically in projects researching sources of cleaner power. More information can be found on the website www.co2.org.
Footloose Local Action
Many people return from their travels with a strong wish to put something
back into the country they've visited. They usually want to help in
a way which is direct and practical. Through our personal contacts Footloose
has often been able to help by channeling money straight to the community.
We have now decided to make the arrangement more accessible and effective
and so have set up a fund – Footloose Local Action –
with its own account and trustee.
Several small but effective projects have been identified. Footloose will make contributions to these funds and we are looking at ways in which we can raise more money. We would be pleased to accept donations to the fund, to hear about ideas for fundraising, to receive ideas for local projects to fund, or to give you more details of the Footloose Local Action fund.
Associations
At Footloose we network worldwide through the adventure and travel community.
This helps us give you the best possible service by being up-to-date
and well connected to all new developments and by having a small degree
of influence on the direction the travel trade is moving.
Footloose is a member of the Pacific Asia Travel Association and the African Tourism and Travel Association. These are the main trade bodies for these regions and work to improve the standards of tourism in their areas.