At Platinum Travel we are great at curating magical experiences for our clients. However, what we are not experts at is carbon off-setting.
While we realise, that as a travel company we will always be contributing to a certain amount of carbon emissions, be it by planes, trains, buses, or boats, we have the resourcefulness to cut back in many other ways.
Our Policy is based on PlatinumGreen@Home&Away and is a work in progress!
PlatinumGreen@Home
We believe sustainability starts at home and as a company we aim to be resourceful by doing what we can to cut back on waste in all aspects of our daily life. We want to work smarter to do what we can to help the environment.
We have introduced energy saving solutions within our home offices, including the installation of smart meters, and appliances etc being set to eco mode where possible. In the last number of years we have become more conscious of being green and switched our energy providers to those that offer a higher percentage of renewable energy.
We have a waste policy in our offices which includes a commitment to measure and reduce our water and energy consumption and waste production and promote the use of this at home too. We limit our paper usage and use recycled paper where possible. This is built into our company ethos, included in our staff handbook and included in all inductions for new staff.
In addition to the above, we have commenced looking at utilising the latest technology to produce a positive online experience when booking and utilising technology more which will take care of all the customers’ needs and cut down on paper usage, computing requirements and communications requirements. We expect delivery of this by end 2024.
This is an ongoing process which we are dedicated to continuously improving.
PlatinumGreen@Away
While we realise, that as a travel company we will always be contributing to carbon emissions, we have the resourcefulness to cut back in many other ways.
Platinum Travel believe in tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social, and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities, as per the UNWTO.
We endeavour to be memorable in our customer journey from a customer making a booking to visiting their destination and experiencing a new culture all the way through to post booking feedback where we can make improvements for the betterment of everyone involved.
We want our customers to have a positive experience when you travel with us, but just as important for us is for the local inhabitants to have a positive experience from our customers and for there to be a benefit to their community. Great memories will be shared with friends and loved ones and an understanding of new cultures and different ways of living will be passed on, leading to a more understanding and accepting way of life..
We want travel to always be a part of peoples’ lives and to enrich those who are a part of that journey. We are committed to making continuous improvements to everything we do.
While we realise, that as a travel company we will always be contributing to carbon emissions, we have the resourcefulness to cut back in many other ways.
We want to create a MORE sustainable, responsible travel experience, focusing on protecting the natural environment, preserving local customs and communities and together we will help to ensure a better world for everyone. As well as working hard to craft the best possible tailormade itineraries for you to enjoy, more importantly in 2024 and onwards we will be working on some inspirational initiatives to ensure that we have a positive impact on the world around us.
Travel is a joy and a privilege. It brings enormous benefits to each of us as travellers as well as to the destinations we visit, fostering mutual understanding and improving the quality of life especially in emerging destinations. We recognise that alongside all those benefits, travel also has an impact on the planet, and we are committed to playing our part to mitigate that as much as we can.
We want travel to always be a part of peoples’ lives and to enrich those who are a part of that journey. We are committed to making continuous improvements to everything we do.
Our sustainability policies are a work in progress and we aim to back this up by working towards gaining Sustainable Travel Ireland accreditation in 2024
Platinum Travel are committed to a future of sustainable travel.
Travel is about being responsible and choosing to respect and enjoy local cultures, nature, wildlife, and their environment. Platinum Travel as a company recognise that animals and their environment need to be respected and treated well and that this can be part of the travel experience, in a responsible, and ethical way.
When we tailormake a tour, we take into consideration that we can’t control everything. There are a lot of animal interactions around the world which do not sit well with us in the countries we visit; exotic species posing for photos, animals forced to put on a show for our entertainment, being treated cruelly or ending up on the local menu.
What we at Platinum Travel can focus on is choosing the most ethical and responsible partners, discourage our Platinum Travel customers from partaking in any activities that exploit wild or domestic animals. We as a company believe wild animals should be viewed and admired from a distance without any interaction or disruption.
Wild Animals Guidelines
We work hand and hand with our agents on the ground to design an experience where our customers can enjoy the environment safely, while respecting the welfare of animals and for that reason, we created the following guidelines:
• A photo doesn’t justify putting yourself at risk or the animal being exploited. If the animal is not free and wild or if they don’t have a choice, don’t take that photo! We encourage you to appreciate wildlife as they are, free and take photos from a distance. Don’t be charmed by the snake charmer!
• While animals look cute and cuddly, they can often get sick with human illnesses. We persuade you not to touch them or pick them up.
• Animals have very specific diets; we recommend you don’t feed them, or you could make them sick.
• We discourage the purchasing of wild animal products such as ivory, furs, snake skins or tortoise shells.
• We do not encourage visiting captive wild animals for commercial gain.
• We also advise you not to taste dishes that come from exotic endangered animals, such as shark fin, whale meat and turtle meat etc
Platinum Travel is committed to:
• Respecting all animals and their environment
• Enjoying wild animals in the wild, with no interaction
• Domestic animals must have a good life, they should be provided with an environment and conditions that prevent suffering and enables positive experiences.
• Work only with partners who align with our principles.
You can make a difference by acting responsible and doing your part. Put animal welfare first and avoid photo opportunities, animal handling interactions, riding animals, and buying animal products.
We can make the difference; we can be the last generation to use animal suffering as an entertainment.
