Titan Travel has updated its corporate social responsibility commitments to mark Earth Day.
The escorted touring specialist has set out a vision to ‘Be Better’.
Under the slogan, Titan will commit to making its holidays as sustainable as possible, identified through three pillars: conservation, wildlife, and community.
In terms of conservation, it has has removed single-use plastics from all its river cruise ships, saving 20,000 plastic bottles a year, and is working towards offering reusable branded water bottles on some tours.
Brochures are now ‘fully recyclable’ as they are made of to water-soluble sealants and vegetable-based inks. Titan said 61% of all its mailing is compostable with “steps being taken” to make the remaining 39% recyclable too.
The operator transitioning to paperless documentation for booking confirmations, invoices and itineraries, unless paper copies are specifically requested.
To protect wildlife, Titan said it is “fully committed to making sure that the welfare of animals is paramount on all its tours”. It vowed to only works with partners who share its views on the safe treatment of animals and who support animal conservation, rehabilitation, and research.
Titan said it will not allow elephant rides, dolphin swimming or “any wildlife experiences where it believes animals are mistreated or neglected” on its tours.
To protect communities, Titan it aims to “enhance the cultural and historic heritage of the destinations its customers visit by providing meaningful travel experiences” and “strives to protect and empower local communities around the world by giving them opportunities and the chance to benefit from tourism in their areas”.
The operator supports social enterprises, from building schools and feeding more than 800 children a day in Zimbabwe to partnering with Armenian families who prepare traditional meals for its customers.
Managing director Andy Squirrell said: “Titan has always been committed to providing sustainable travel experiences.
Our new ‘Be Better’ programme will enable us to listen, learn and grow, together with our customers, to help support and deliver sustainable travel.
“As well as partnering with hotels and suppliers who share our same objectives, we pledge to continue to better our practices so we and future generations can all enjoy the destinations and travel experiences we love for years to come.
“This new initiative will help showcase our efforts and achievements as well as keep us and our suppliers accountable to ensure our product, services and operations are executed in a sustainable way.”