ExploreZanzi.com is dedicated to ethical travel. On this page, we have presented our Sustainable Travel Policy, which summarises our aims and actions. Through this document, we commit ourselves to providing you with a great experience regarding the environment and culture. All our tours are enthralling for you and provide benefits to the environment and the local communities.

ExploreZanzi.com aims to let our clients avail an adventure that they remember for the rest of their lives by allowing them to witness the diversities of different cultures and explore beautiful landscapes. And all this is achieved in a way that is not only exciting but safe and responsible. We have always supported the responsibilities associated with good travelling, so we keenly promote it within our company and provide its awareness to all our travellers and partners.

Here is a look at our central beliefs:

1. Your travel is worthwhile only if you experience a different culture and appreciate the differences between it and your culture. Whilst at this, you should provide something back for the local people who make your trip more welcoming and unique.
2. We respect the traditions people follow in different regions and share this knowledge with all our clients to promote respect and mutual understanding.
3. We prevent any offensive acts that we can, and we help our clients value the world’s different cultures. This enriches their experience and provides enjoyment to the localities as well.
4. We try our best to ensure that all locally operated companies benefit from our tours. So we arrange accommodation in local restaurants, eat local food, appoint local people to serve as tour guides, and use locally manufactured equipment.
5. We preserve the environment by trying to reduce harmful actions. This we achieve by recycling and reusing whatever we can while ensuring that wildlife and natural habitat are not affected by our actions.
6. This policy has highlighted all the practices we are committed to achieving. It provides complete details on the actions we are currently following and what we intend to do in the future. We constantly revise this policy to improve it and welcome any feedback you can provide us.

Economic Responsibilities

ExploreZanzi.com ensures that the financial benefits we receive from our tours should serve our entire company (including all the employees), the local communities where we work and the whole country in general. This is what we believe is our most important responsibility in terms of the economy. Here are some measures which we follow:

• We only use local companies’ products, suppliers and services because we believe it to be an extremely ethical action. Even if it may mean paying different prices, we do not have issues with it because we benefit the local economy.
• If possible, we employ local citizens to manage our operations, even on mainland tours.
• We support local tourism in regions where it exists, such as rural tourism or historical trip.
• We encourage our clients to buy locally-made products instead or purchasing imported items. We also advise them to buy craft items and other gifts from local stores, which serve as great monuments.
• We pay our staff salaries that are significantly higher than the market average. We do this very timely, right after a tour has been finalised.
• We ensure we commit to paying all local taxes.

 Environmental Responsibilities

Along with economic responsibility, we also focus on environmental responsibilities. We have several suggestions for supporting and preserving the natural environment and habitat. Moreover, our guides are educated individuals who speak multiple languages and can not only interpret for you. But can also provide you with detailed information on all national and regional issues in the language you speak daily.

Almost every region in the world faces issues like water shortage, landfills and environmental degradation. Even though we can leave it to the government to solve these issues, we play our part and do the little bits that can help the bigger picture combined.

• We ensure that our transportation means suit the region and satisfy our travellers’ needs. In addition, we regularly inspect and conduct maintenance of these vehicles, so they perform at total efficiency, limiting carbon emissions formation while ensuring our client’s safety and comfort.
• In regions where animals are used for transportation purposes, we hire only those operators that treat these beings rightly. We consider animal welfare important and do not support people who do not abide.
• Cleanliness is our most important attribute. We do not litter anywhere and properly dispose of waste in suitable places.
• We advise our clients to excrete at designated latrines. However, doing this right next to natural water sources is disgusting.
• Dispose of batteries in the cities and not in any remote location.
• Do not waste resources like water and electricity. You can contribute by switching off lights and equipment not being used.
• At all places where we only visit, we follow the motto “take only photos and leave only footprints”.

Social Responsibilities

ExploreZanzi.com is dedicated to promoting responsible tourism. We have integrated social responsibilities into the core of our business to provide humanity with more benefits while working to preserve the environment.

Clients

We know that relaxation is essential in every holiday, but we should respect our fellow beings as humans. As such, we want our clients to impact their destinations positively. We offer detailed notes highlighting cultural sensitivities for every tour, and we expect you to read them. Upon the clients’ arrival, our tour guides also brief them about the same.

We also consider ethics to be an essential part of our research. We value feedback on our policies, so we request our clients to comment on our responsible practices and make suggestions. This is done at the time of filling out the post-trip questionnaire. We also have country specialists who are encouraged and help us improve our travel initiatives.

Employees

While hiring our employees, we respect diversity. Fair payment rules, participative management, work safety, personal development and good working conditions are what we believe in. Moreover, we aim to extend and share our social responsibility not only with our staff but with our clients as well.

We hire those industry experts from local regions and have spent several years in the field. Moreover, we never overburden our employees with their duties and ensure their safety throughout the job.

We ensure that our offices operate in a safe and sound environment. We try to conserve energy, implement recycling plans, and take responsibility for our surroundings.

Local Suppliers and Operators

We aim to work with those individuals and companies who play their part in social responsibility and, like us, ensure that they provide their clients with the highest quality while respecting the local communities and preserving the environment.

We are committed to supporting their businesses and allowing these operators to prosper. This increases their confidence and leads to developing of their services and products.

Whenever we design a new tour, we consult and seek advice from several local communities to ascertain that we are drafting realistic proposals. While selecting these companies, we only take help from those who have a positive outlook and plan on working long-term. We are always very honest about how our products can affect the local communities and ensure that we do not force them where they are not wanted.

Since our inception, we have relied on local companies, representatives, and guides. In addition, almost all our hired experts are sourced locally to ensure knowledgeable and motivated employees, complete guidance provided to our clients and promotion of local traditions.

We are closely linked with local agencies, which allows us to contribute to the local economy. Moreover, it lets our clients gain a deeper insight into the culture, and local traditions followed in these areas when collaborating with our locally hired staff members.

ExploreZanzi.com ensures that locally hired employees work in fair conditions, are paid impressive wages, and are provided with adequate support by our tour staff.

Local Food and Restaurants

On all our tours, we encourage our clients to consume food offered by local inns instead of dining at multinational brands, which they can do at home. Not only does this provide the clients with an authentic experience of traditional cuisine, but it also supports these local communities. It helps them in following their customs in terms of cooking and recipes. This ensures cultural longevity, an asset in areas where these rituals are in danger of being lost.

The Community

We believe in promoting the participation of all local communities that exist in areas where we operate. For this, we sign contracts with the best drivers, guides, and experts.

We keep all our tour groups small, with a maximum of 10 people, so we do not create an intrusion for the local communities. This approach also lets our clients gain more benefits from our industry experts.

We introduce our clients only in areas where we know the local community will welcome them. Before adding new places to our list, we obtain consent from the localities and give them complete awareness of possible tourism effects.

We treat all people respectfully and carefully observe the traditions which they practice. We encourage all our clients to do the same and provide them with details about the national culture. We give them complete knowledge regarding the traditions and advise them to learn the basics of the local language. When we use local guides who help our clients, it ensures that at least some of the local communities gain benefit from our business.

We emphasise providing our clients with information through local guides and request them to pass on their cultural knowledge to our tour groups. This gives them insight into their destinations in an enjoyable manner and benefits both the localities and the clients. 

 Land and Office Space

ExploreZanzi.com leases the necessary amount of office space for company needs. We try to maximise the utilisation of our room and promote remote work. We keep our office tidy, clean and comfortable, providing our staff with an appreciable working environment. We have never leased additional space for corporate offices and high street stores and will not do so in the future.

Staff Education

We give our new staff members a complete briefing of our Responsible Travel Policy and provide them with a documented version. We offer our employees full awareness about recycling and request them to recycle cardboard, wastepaper, plastics and cans. We remind our staff, again and again, to switch off lights and appliances, not in use.

 Paper

1. We have aimed to recycle 100% of all the paper and cardboard material we use.
2. We store all our data electronically and do not rely on printouts or hard-copy records.
3. Both our clients and agents make their bookings only, which does not require any paper to be used.
4. We email clients travel guides and other relevant information, reducing paper use.
5. Our brochure is available as a soft copy, another means of saving paper.
6. If we must print brochures or other promotional materials, we use paper manufactured from renewable resources. After usage, all the material is sent for recycling.
7. We do not buy new notepads and use the blank sides of other paper materials to jot down things.
8. We refrain from unnecessarily printing emails and documents and follow the motto ‘Be Green. Read from the Screen’
9. If we must photocopy, we do it on both paper sides.
10. We buy stationary that has been made from recycled materials.
11. We buy toilet paper and other materials made through renewable energy resources from recycled materials.

Electricity and Technology

1. We use only those computers, photocopiers, desk phones, fax machines and printers that efficiently use electricity. The same goes for other appliances like a kettle, fridge, and microwave.
2. If we must replace our equipment, we sell them to be reused or send them for recycling. Therefore, they are not sent to landfill.
3. We switch off all appliances every night to save electricity.
4. We use energy-efficient lighting systems and request our staff to turn off the lights if there is ample sunlight in the room.
5. We only buy recycled print cartridges and send them for recycling when they finish.
6. We purchase rechargeable batteries.
7. We avoid using disposable CDs and recycle mobile phones, currency, and coins.
8. We run our heating and air conditioning systems at optimal temperatures to ensure energy efficiency and provide our staff with a comfortable environment.
9. We provide our employees with warm fleece during the winter.
10. The heating and air conditioning systems are used as consented to by the staff and turned off at night and weekends.

Last update: December 2022. Please email queries to hello@explorezanzi.com.