Responsible travel policy

Tourism is one of the largest industries worldwide, employing directly and indirectly millions of people, benefiting economically and socially all the hosting communities. In Greece, in particular, tourism is the backbone of the economy, thus one of the most important industries of our country. While tourism can largely benefit a large proportion of the population, it can also have widely negative effects both in the societies and the environment, if no measures are taken for responsible and sustainable tourism development. In Trails Beyond, responsible travel is central to our ethos and our mission is to work towards more sustainable forms of tourism in Greece.

Sustainability Mission & Vision

Our aspiration and aim is to offer quality, life-enriching holidays to travelers, while at the same time protect the environment and places we visit, educate ourselves, our guests and our suppliers alike on ways to achieve that, support the local communities and economy, extend Greece’s tourism season and distribute the benefits of tourism to less-visited Greek tourist destinations.

Our vision is to continue offering world class travel experiences to our guests and keep working hard to improve that and we want to do that in a responsible and sustainable way towards the environment, the local society, our guests, partners and employees. Trails Beyond ambition is to have a positive impact on everything/everyone that is affected by our activity and even beyond that and incorporate sustainable practices in all our business activities.

Economic Responsibility

We are committed to:

  • Using locally owned, and environmentally and socially responsible, accommodation wherever possible.
  • Support the local communities by choosing locally owned partners in our destinations, using local guides and drivers, family-run hotels and restaurants.
  • Ensuring that people who work for Trails Beyond are treated fairly and paid a fair wage
  • Developing long-term relationships with our local partners so that the economic benefit is ongoing.

Environmental Responsibility

We are committed to:

  • Wild and domestic animal protection alongside broader good environmental practice.
  • Being environmentally friendly also in our own offices such as encouraging cycling to work, car sharing, recycling, lowering energy use and using planet-friendly cleaning products.
  • Minimizing our environmental footprint while on a tour, by traveling in small groups, avoiding the use of plastic bottles, recycling our cans, paper and plastics
  • The implementation of practices that help in the environmental conservation of the areas we visit.

Social Responsibility

We are committed to:

  • Ongoing training of our staff and local partners in the principles and practices of responsible travel
  • Ensuring that our type and scale of tourism is appropriate to local conditions and does not overload local infrastructure.
  • Encouraging positive cultural exchanges between our travelers and the hosting communities, offering a deep understanding of the hosting culture and preserving the local traditions and customs.
  • Encouraging our clients, through our literature, staff and leaders, to act in a socially responsible way.
  • Attempt to integrate the ethos of responsible travel throughout our organization.