Responsible Tourism

Responsible & Community Based Tourism

At Eclipse Travel, we envision a world where travel fosters greater understanding and respect for the planet’s diverse ecosystems and communities. We believe that travel should not only be an enriching experience for our travellers but also a force for good. Responsible tourism is at the heart of everything we do. We are committed to minimising our environmental impact, supporting local communities, and preserving the unique cultures and wildlife of the destinations we visit. Join us on a journey that respects and sustains our planet.

Part of our responsibility involves thoroughly vetting the ground operators and suppliers that we work with using sustainability criteria. Where possible, we choose to support locally-owned businesses that have a proven commitment to eco-practices and provide direct economic support to local communities. In this way, our clients can be confident that their holiday bookings are directly supporting environmental and wildlife preservation efforts as well as empowering local economies.

Our Initiatives

Eco-Friendly Practices
We strive to reduce our carbon footprint and promote sustainable travel. Our eco-friendly practices include:

• Encouraging low-impact travel options such as:
  • Respect your hosts – Take the time to understand the local culture and customs so you can respect them.
  • Buy local – Try to support the local communities you visit by buying locally produced goods and souvenirs.
  • Go gently – Ensure you leave no physical impact behind on your surroundings.
  • Waste & recycling – Be conscious of how much waste you create and recycle wherever possible. Be sure to bring a reusable water bottle.
  • Water usage – Limit your water usage with short showers and only do laundry when necessary.
  • Power usage – Many areas we travel to have restrictions on power supply, so try to turn off any electricity when not needed.
• Partnering with eco-conscious ground operators and accommodations
• Promoting the use of reusable and recyclable materials

Community Support Projects
We believe in giving back to the communities that welcome us. We only work with ground operators that provide direct local support, including:

• Empowering local economies by hiring local guides and staff and providing them with continual training and career development opportunities
• Contributing to local community development projects, such as schools and healthcare facilities
• Fostering cultural exchange and understanding

Wildlife Conservation Efforts
Protecting wildlife and their natural habitats is a top priority for us. Our conservation efforts focus on:

• Partnering with ground operators and organisations dedicated to wildlife preservation
• Supporting anti-poaching initiatives
• Educating travellers about respectful wildlife interactions

Charity Support

Eclipse Travel actively supports a variety of projects around the world. Our guiding principles are that we participate and contribute to two main causes which we feel that as a tour operator we have an obligation to be actively involved in:

• Poverty – We are an organisation that is passionate about alleviating poverty and suffering around the world. We heavily believe in investment in education as a way to reduce poverty along with reduction of food wastage.
• Conservation – Amongst other things we want to support charities who contribute to the preservation, restoration and protection of our spectacular planet and the amazing wildlife within it. We believe in such things as eliminating plastic pollution and finding a way to clear our oceans, reducing the destruction of natural environments and wildlife conservation.

Some of the charities we are currently investing in can be found below. We encourage you to read about their stellar work and contribute wherever you can.

 

	One Heart Foundation One Heart empowers the lives of orphaned and abandoned children living in Kenya by providing an education, a family home and most importantly, love.
	OzHarvest OzHarvest is Australia’s leading food rescue charity. They collect quality surplus food, distribute it to people in need and divert food waste from landfill.
	The Ocean Cleanup The Ocean Cleanup develops advanced technologies to rid the world’s oceans of plastic. A full-scale deployment of our systems is estimated to clean up 50 % of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch every 5 years.
	Fill2Pure We have partnered with Fill2Pure an innovator in the fast-growing water filtration industry. We encourage our clients to use their top-quality portable water filtration products in order to get safe and clean water anywhere they go in the world without using single use plastic bottles. See our blog reviewing their bottles here.
	The Torres del Paine Legacy Fund For every client we send to Patagonia we commit a $25 donation to the Torres del Paine Legacy Fund. The Torres del Paine Legacy Fund work to increase awareness of destination priorities at Torres del Paine and provide additional access to capital to support projects that enhance the destination.
	Save the Rhino Save the Rhino International works to conserve all five rhino species, by supporting rhino conservation programmes across Africa and Asia.
	World Wildlife Fund The WWF is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961, working in the field of the wilderness preservation, and the reduction of human impact on the environment.
	International Galapagos Tour Operators Association (IGTOA) Eclipse Travel are proud members of the  International Galapagos Tour Operators Association (IGTOA) and in addition to our yearly membership fee we make a per booking contribution to this organisation. IGTOA and its members are actively working to preserve and protect the Galapagos by promoting responsible, well-regulated, low impact Galapagos Islands travel and by supporting critical conservation initiatives and scientific research there. When you embark upon a Galapagos Islands tour with Eclipse Travel, you can rest assured that you will have a great experience and that you will be doing your part to support the lasting preservation of this priceless world treasure.