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Thomson Safaris has a 30-year tradition of sustainability
and responsibility in Tanzania:
Our mission is to provide travel
experiences of quality and integrity, and to
deliver them with the highest level of service and value to
our guests. In so
doing, we will be socially responsible in the communities
and environments
where we operate, treading lightly on the land and giving
back
to the people who welcome us so graciously.
We have developed our core platform of sustainable, responsible
practices based on criteria from a number of different organizations
and recommendations: Sustainable Travel International,
Partnership for Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria, UN Millennium
Development Goals, Tanzanian government policies, and feedback
from our guests and Tanzanians themselves.
Here is a sample of our responsible and sustainable practices:
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UN
Millennium Development Goals |
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We proudly support the implementation of the United
Nations Millennium Development Goals, which include universal
primary education and gender equality. With its primary support
coming from Thomson Safaris and our guests, Focus on Tanzanian
Communities (FoTZC) is a non-profit organization that supports
projects in line with the UN Millennium Goals. |
• Education: We seek
to support education efforts that will help bring about
better learning environments so all children will be able
to finish primary school. So far, FoTZC has funded education
projects at more than 15 schools, benefiting more than 13,000
students annually.
• Women’s Empowerment: Through
employment, training, and FoTZC-supported responsible and
sustainable development projects, we seek to promote gender
equality and women’s empowerment in Tanzania. We have
trained and promoted Tanzanian women to the upper levels
of our management team and employ local women at our camps.
FoTZC has been supporting entrepreneurship and small businesses
for a group of 200 Maasai women.
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• Reduction of Poverty & Ending Hunger: Thomson
Safaris promotes poverty and hunger reduction efforts through
fair employment practices (see below), trying to always buy
local goods and services, and supporting development projects
that lead to more business opportunities for Tanzanians. We
have also assisted in hunger relief efforts during times of
need.
• Health: We support health plans for
our employees, including special programs, such as providing
mosquito nets for families. Through FoTZC, we now seek to
have a greater impact on improving maternal and child health
and educating communities about HIV/AIDs.
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| Best
Employment Practices |
• Hiring Locally:
It has always been a priority to hire locally, ever since
we were the first US-Based company to hire Tanzanian Head
Guides. Out of a staff of over 100 full time employees in
Tanzania, 99% are Tanzanian-born. We also train and employ
seasonal staff who live near our camps with the goal of
expanding their skills and responsibilities each season.
• Fair Wages: We promote
fair and equitable wages in Tanzania and provide tipping
guidelines to all travelers.
• Unparalleled Benefits Programs:
Full-time employees in Tanzania are eligible for benefits
programs, including health care, retirement fund, and loan
packages.
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• Training &
Capacity Building: We are committed to giving employees
opportunities for additional training, capacity building,
and advancement. Each year, guides and staff participate in
extensive training programs. Others are offered courses to
gain greater life skills, including learning more about health
issues.
• Cultural Exchange: Through an annual
company-wide lottery, four Tanzanian staff members are selected
to travel to the United States, all expenses paid, to experience
2 weeks of life in the US. Any employees, from cooks and mechanics
to head guides and reservations staff are eligible for the
cultural exchange program.
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| Environmental
Sustainability |
• Leave No Trace:
On Mount Kilimanjaro, we adhere to Leave
No Trace guidelines and expect official certification
to be confirmed soon.
• Eco-Friendly Camps:
In the wilderness, we leave as little impact as possible
by using custom-designed, eco-friendly camps. Camps are
mobile, changing seasonally to allow the ground to recover.
Tents do not have fixed platforms or fixed plumbing. Camps
utilize solar lighting and water-saving techniques that
reduce water usage to a mere fraction of that used at most
lodges.
• Eco-Friendly Offices:
Being eco-friendly starts at home. Thus, we installed an
array of 110 solar panels at our US headquarters, now providing
one-third of our power. In Tanzania, our trekking office
is also developing an organic garden that provides food
for employee lunches and Kilimanjaro guests, and utilizes
recycled yard waste and kitchen compost and organic materials,
such as chili powder and tobacco, instead of pesticides.
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• Recycling Programs:
We are actively researching policies and methods
for recycling all glass, plastic bottles and metals. There
are extremely limited recycling options in East Africa, but
we aim to have a program in place soon.
• Travelers Education: All travelers
receive three full-color educational booklets, including the
Travel Planning Checklist, Thomson’s
Travel Tips, and Safari Journal.
In addition to preparation information and travel tips, these
booklets contain entire sections devoted to environmentally
and culturally conscientious travel practices.
• Incentivize Green Programs for Staff:
Staff members are given incentives and training to make sustainable
choices. For example, porters and guides receive wilderness
preservation training and lead by example, protecting vegetation
on the mountain, leaving nothing at campsites, and picking
up trash on the trail. Thomson Safaris financially incentivizes
staff to remove waste and debris left by other outfitters,
including 200 pounds of trash in a recent year.
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| Wildlife
Conservation |
• Supporting Conservation Areas:
Thomson Safaris and its guests provide most of the funding
that fuels a private nature refuge in the eastern Serengeti.
Recent conservation efforts there have led to wildlife populations
more than doubling, including migratory and resident populations
and even endangered species, such as wild dog.
• Rules for Wildlife Viewing:
Guides are required to adhere to park and vehicle
regulations, including no off-roading in restricted areas,
no taunting or luring of wildlife and no interference in
the animals’ daily routines. We also instruct guests
not to disturb wildlife or its habitats in all our pre-trip
materials, and enforce these guidelines while on the safari.
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• Exploring New
Conservation Models: Thomson Safaris and its guests
are funding a private nature refuge whose goal is to combine
conservation of wildlife and protection of eco-systems with
responsible tourism so that nearby communities benefit. It
is an ambitious goal, but incredible progress has already
been made in educating the community about conservation, ending
poaching in the area, and providing tangible financial, educational
and cultural benefits to the local community.
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| Promoting
Sustainability |
• Promoting Volunteering &
Donations: We promote a significant number of volunteer
and donor groups in Tanzania each year and encourage every
single guest to contribute to responsible and sustainable
projects in Tanzania.
• Supporting Like-minded Organizations:
We support and promote a long list of prominent
international and local organizations, from the Jane Goodall
Institute to Maasai women’s groups. We also patronize
hotels and vendors who share our respect for the environment
and local communities.
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• Industry Memberships:
We are active members and supporters of Sustainable
Travel International, Adventure Travel Trade Association,
and International Mountain Explorers’ Connection, all
of whom share our belief in ethical, sustainable, responsible
practices, and who are leaders in promoting those practices.
• Industry Wide Leadership: Thomson
Safaris continues to serve as an industry wide leader in adventure
and responsible and sustainable travel and will seek to influence
and learn from all stakeholders.
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