Haivenu's
Responsible Tourism Policy
This
policy has been developed by the entire staff of Haivenu during
a series of team meetings and workshops.
Aim:
To be recognised as the leader in developing
responsible tourism in Vietnam while providing all our visitors
with an experience that significantly exceeds their expectations
Principles:
We believe that
- income derived from
tourism activities in host countries should remain there,
- visitors
should be treated with respect and friendship, and should behave
similarly towards the local people they encounter during their
visit,
- the economic benefits of tourism
should be shared equitably, and that
- one of the best ways of preventing
damage to the natural and cultural environment is to promote activities
to relieve poverty among communities who live in sensitive areas
Responsibilities:
We are responsible for
- equipping
visitors with advance information about the culture and environment
of the countries that they will be visiting
- striving
to ensure that, wherever possible, the impact of our activities
is beneficial to the environment and culture of the countries
in which we operate
- providing
our staff with a good working environment and a salary based on
profit sharing
operating a continuous staff training programme
- promoting
responsible tourism practice, and
- complying
with all pertinent laws and regulations
General Commitments:
We will:
- design
attractive programmes in accordance with customers’ requirements
-
supply factual, honest information and interpretation - any opinions
we offer will be in good faith
- work
as a staff team in accordance with the highest professional standards
-
conduct all aspects of our activities openly, ethically and responsibly
-
apply a standard retail profit margin that does not exceed 20%
of costs
-
deal with complaints fairly, and will compensate if we are in
error, and
- make
this policy available to our visitors, staff members, destination
suppliers and sub-contractors, affiliates, and the Vietnam National
Authority for Tourism
Environmental Commitments:
We will:
- travel
only in very small groups accompanied by experienced licensed
local guides, and only enter environmentally sensitive areas with
the permission of the local conservation authority
-
provide a code of conduct relating to environmental issues to
all visitors prior to travelling and reinforce it upon arrival
with detailed guidelines about environmentally conscious behaviour
-
work closely with relevant environmental agencies and organisations
to promote good tourism practice as a means of poverty alleviation
-
provide support to worthwhile, but poorly funded, conservation
initiatives
-
work closely with destination suppliers to encourage their development
of policies relating to environmental protection, particularly
regarding recycling, energy use, waste and effluent, and water
conservation
-
refuse to take visitors to shops, restaurants, zoos or attractions
that deal in wildlife products or abuse wildlife
-
identify good examples of destinations and local initiatives that
are beneficial to the environment and include them in itineraries
by default wherever appropriate, and
-
require all guides, and permanent and temporary members of staff,
to be role models of correct environmental behaviour and to report
any instance of bad practice among sub-contractors
Examples of contribution to
environmental conservation
We are working closely with a small
project in Vietnam trying save a critically endangered species of
large primate, now reduced to less than sixty individuals world-wide.
The project is described on our web site seeking financial assistance
to supplement the meagre resources currently available to the project
director while we help her to develop her own site. We are also
collaborating with an international Non-governmental Organisation
in setting up an ecology based village homestay in the same area
to widen awareness of the urgency of the situation amongst visitors.
We have also been heavily involved
in a large project to establish an ecomuseum in a natural World
Heritage Area in Vietnam. This is now being developed.
Social Commitments:
We will:
-
respect the culture and lifestyle of the communities we visit,
and expect visitors to follow our example
-
employ guides from ethnic minority communities where appropriate
-
make visitors aware of the risk of acculturation in little visited
communities
-
help visitors to understand the issues associated with begging
and suggests appropriate alternatives to giving money to people
in need
-
notify visitors about regulations and risks associated with prostitution
and drugs, refuse to book tours for anyone indicating an intention
to involve themselves in these and any similar illegal activities,
and terminate the tour of any client indulging in such practices.
- request
restaurants to provide authentic local food and to explain it
to visitors
-
avoid artificial activities created to attract visitors in favour
of opportunities for visitors to meet local communities and visit
out-of-the-way authentic destinations
-
discourage the purchase of old artefacts or articles that may
have heritage value, and
- encourage
visitors accept to fair prices in bartering, but not to overpay
and thus contribute to distorting the local economy
Examples of our commitment
to cultural conservation and social welfare
We provide a comprehensive database
of information about the culture and traditions of Vietnam and the
rest of Indochina
We have built strong links with local
communities, craftspeople, artists, singers and musicians who are
maintaining threatened traditions, and offer visitors the opportunity
to meet them, thereby valuing the activities and thus helping towards
their survival.
We use local freelance guides with
wide experience and knowledge of cultural traditions and an ability
to interpret the cultural heritage of the people in the places visited.
They are chosen carefully by recommendation and an extended interview,
followed by a trial period and feedback from visitors.
Economic Commitments:
We will:
-
employ indigenous people wherever possible
-
encourage visitors to buy locally produced products and souvenirs
-
discourage purchases of goods and souvenirs produced in poor areas
but sold in city shops
-
encourage visitors to use small local hotels and homestays in
poor areas
-
work only with local private and state companies wherever possible
-
support projects attempting to develop income-generating capacity
in indigent local communities
Examples of our commitment
to poverty alleviation and equitable wealth distribution
Haivenu is a wholly Vietnamese company.
Apart from one foreign consultant employed on a part-time basis,
all our staff members and guides are local people. We pay a good
basic salary and operate a top-up profit-sharing scheme
We are directly involved in a large
project aiming at building the capacity of poor farmers in remote
areas in fourteen provinces in Vietnam
Wherever possible, we contract local
indigenous suppliers and assist them to improve the quality of their
services.
All our staff members are trained
holistically according to international good practice so that they
can manage the entire tour design and operating process from designing
the itinerary to a follow-up feedback request after the customer
has returned home. In addition to the sophisticated skills necessary
to work effectively with discerning clients from upper income markets,
they are equipped with a wide knowledge of business management and
advanced Information Technology skills adequate to equip them to
manage their own enterprise in the future.
We are currently introducing an opportunity
for young entrepreneurs with relevant specialist skills to assist
us on a contract basis whilst participating in our training scheme.
When they are ready, we will help them to register and set up their
business, and work with them as an independent partner company.
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