Asian Trails has made sustainability an essential part of our company culture. This is a mission which involves clear internal processes and close collaboration with external partners on sustainability issues.
Every employee has specific responsibilities that contribute to the progress of the company’s sustainability agenda. In addition, specific employees – including one Group Sustainability Manager and eight Country Sustainability Coordinators – are assigned greater responsibilities to lead and direct the process by providing information and inspiration to the rest of the team.
Our Responsible Travel Team
Group Sustainability Manager
Based in Bangkok, Thailand, Emi Weir is our Group Sustainability Manager. Her role is to develop and implement our companywide sustainability strategy, in close collaboration with team members, and to quantifiably measure progress.
Country Sustainability Coordinators
Our Country Sustainability Coordinators are our destinationspecific sustainability experts.
They are actively involved in the development of the company’s sustainability plan and responsible for ensuring it is implemented successfully, in line with local conditions. They come from a wide range of departments, bringing a breadth and depth of knowledge to the company’s sustainability management team. The coordinators are:
Diego Santacroce Product Manager
CAMBODIA Saw Win Operations Manager
Surapon Vutivakinsakul Product Manager
Vinh Hoang Product Manager
Bounthavy Hansaya Senior Product Officer
MYANMAR
Justin Culkin Business Development Manager
CHINA & HONG KONG
Mattia Lorusso Business Development Manager
INDONESIA
Amandine Lutmann Product Manager
MALAYSIA & SINGAPORE
THAILAND
VIETNAM LAOS
Environmental Impact
Asian Trails recognises that the activities we organise can impact the environment negatively. Therefore, we must take every step to minimise these effects. Regarding single-use plastic waste, we are committed to minimising our contribution by replacing single-use plastic water bottles with refillable bottles wherever this is feasible. In 2020, we made a commitment to a donation of USD$1 for each refillable water bottle used in a traveller’s itinerary to a local plastic reduction, recycling or clean water project. The following provides an overview of the amounts donated since this initiative was first launched, as well as the positive social impacts that have been achieved.
POSITIVE IMPACT FROM WATER BOTTLE INITIATIVE
CAMBODIA
Water for Cambodia
USD$4,050
Forty biosand water filters were installed in Kouk Srok village near Siem Reap. This costeffective filtration system provides a source of clean drinking water for the entire community.
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Sungai Watch
USD$3,719
A new motorbike was provided to support clean-up efforts at rivers, mangrove forests and landfills in Indonesia. The vehicle was used to transport waste from collection points in Sidoarjo Regency.
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LAOS
TerraClear
USD$1,200
A ceramic water purifier was donated to a temple in Vientiane. This device provides better quality drinking water for residents.
THAILAND
#tide
USD$430
The donation helped to support the collection of plastic in the coastal area of Ranong and recycle waste material into everyday objects, such as watches, furniture and clothing.
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Keep Vietnam Clean
USD$1,189
The contributions helped to support clean-up activities, thereby empowering local communities to manage waste in their neighbourhoods and raise awareness of environmental protection issues.
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INDONESIA
OTHER DONATIONS
Zee O Village
USD$86 (monthly)
For 10 years, Asian Trails has been involved in supplying potable water and medical supplies to a rural village near Bagan.
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MALAYSIA
Ramadan Food Bank
USD$2,500
Rice, flour, sugar, tea, biscuits, coffee, canned food and other essential supplies were donated to seven shelter homes in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.
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MYANMAR
Carbon Calculations
We are actively measuring and assessing our carbon emissions in accordance with recognised greenhouse gas (GHG) emission guidelines.
This includes tracking emissions from key sources, such as each respective office’s energy consumption and our business travel.
By quantifying our carbon footprint, we aim to identify reduction opportunities and lower our environmental impact.
We have the capability, using the Carmacal carbon calculator platform, to assess the carbon emissions of the trips we offer and invite our clients to use this information to monitor the environmental impact of their travel programmes.
By offering transparent emissions data, we can empower clients to explore ways to reduce their emissions.
Asian Trails has partnered with Hotel Resilient to confidently promote sustainable hotel partners. Hotel Resilient is a centralised platform that unites key players in the tourism industry to promote and recognise sustainability. The goals of the initiative are to equip hotels with tools and strategies to tackle environmental challenges, optimise resources and boost operational efficiency.
Participating hotels are guided in reaching recognisable sustainability benchmarks.
Their sustainability actions are visible on the platform, allowing promotion.
We are committed to promoting sustainable tourism by fostering partnerships with hotels that share our values and ambitions for a better future.
Looking Ahead in 2025
Our focus in 2025 will be to continue making sustainable travel more mainstream and building the capacity of our team members to facilitate this. We will be introducing the following new initiatives to help meet these objectives:
Continue to promote sustainable travel, particularly lower carbonemitting rail journeys and communitybased experiences, while also promoting lesser-known destinations alongside our most popular to assist in the dispersion of tourism.
Through our partnership with Hotel Resilient, promote and provide more choices in sustainable accommodation.
Engage customers in minimising the impact on the environment and provide carbon emission calculations on trips.
Develop an online tool for guide training.
Implement a business travel report for ongoing calculation of carbon emissions.
Continue staff engagement in CSR activities with organisations that have an impact on our communities and the environment.
LEARN MORE ABOUT RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL AT ASIAN TRAILS
