Responsible travel at Kuoni

Vistas so vast. Wildlife so magnificent. Nature so raw. Sometimes all you can do is stand and stare in wonder at the magnificence of our planet. It’s this overwhelming natural beauty that attracts travellers to faraway lands. But the ecosystems we marvel at are both precious and precarious. And it’s our responsibility to protect them. To that end we support projects around the world that preserve the planet for the next generation of travellers, as well the communities that call these places home.

In Sri Lanka we support Wildlife & Ocean Resource Conservation in the task of restoring, protecting and preserving mangrove forests in the Koggala Lagoon. Mangroves are an extremely valuable ecosystem that protects coasts and shores, prevents erosion, filters pollutants and maintains water quality. They are also one of the world’s most effective carbon removers. The project aims to plant 6,000 trees and offset 6,000 tonnes of CO2, so it’s not only contributing to nature conservation but also to the reduction of CO2 emissions.

Slow down. Stay longer. Get to know the locals. It all adds up to a better trip, and it’s better for the planet too. It’s time we all face up to the realities of our carbon footprint, not just as individuals but as a business too. To that end we have measured our carbon footprint. It’s the first, and most important step on our journey to being net zero. This is our commitment. 

Each year, we will make changes to how we work and who we work with in order to lower our emissions in line with global targets. But we are not perfect. We acknowledge that there will be challenges and changes along the way. We don’t believe that carbon offsetting is the best-long term solution, but while we work on others, we give you the opportunity to offset flights through Gold Standard, so you can ensure your holiday has a social benefit as well as an environmental one.

This is a magnificent world. One where lizards walk on water, frogs can be strawberry red and rainbow coloured flocks of birds soar through the sky. Mighty wildebeest migrate according to ancient rhythms and vast elephants drink at floodlit watering holes. And it’s one that must be protected. To this end we’ll only engage with animal and wildlife experiences if they meet our strict welfare standards, developed in partnership with animal welfare experts ANIMONDIAL. 

This has meant phasing out a number of experiences that didn’t meet our animal welfare standards and introducing ethical alternatives. And where possible, animal encounters that we offer will have a positive effect, either on the individual animals you’re seeing or on the species as a whole. We work in partnership with the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation to rear and protect baby Aldabra tortoises until they are strong enough to make their way in the wild independently. This species of giant tortoise has a crucial role in restoring the ecological balance of the island reserve – a necessary part of Mauritius’ bid to achieve Green Destination status by 2030.

We are people who care, and we make sure our people care too. We encourage everyone we work with to take active responsibility for the places they visit and put our environmental and sustainable policies into action. From our Personal Travel Experts, who can guide you to gentler holidays – suggesting a leisurely rail journey rather than a flight or swapping an oversubscribed destination for a lesser known one – to the communities in the places you visit, we are genuinely connected to the places we go and the people you’ll meet along the way.

Our partnership with The DER Touristik Foundation means we actively invest in local communities. In Thailand we train disadvantaged young people to work in the hotel industry. We support similar vocational projects in Tanzania, Cambodia and Indonesia supporting gender empowerment, human rights advocacy and all areas of education. And we work with our hotel and ground agent suppliers closely, encouraging them to sign up to the Kuoni Code of Conduct – ensuring that wages meet or exceed minimum wage in the countries we operate in, there is no discrimination and our partners meet certain environmental standards. 

Our Human Rights Commitment

Child Safeguarding Policy

Group Policy Statement

Code Of Conduct

Animal Welfare Policy

Kuoni Impact Report 2021/2022

Kuoni Impact Report 2023