Malaysia tour, Coast to Coast

Planet

Environment: Our intention is to provide genuinely low-key, low-impact, small-sized group tours including both the lesser-known as well as more famous, sites.

Group sizes: By limiting groups to a maximum of 12 persons we aim to reduce the impact on both local communities and the environment whilst allowing for greater genuine interaction with said communities. It also results in a higher guide/customer ratio with greater facility for supervision and individual assistance and allows us to use smaller hotels and restaurants and employ the services of more genuinely ‘local’ operators, perhaps not otherwise equipped for larger groups.

All our guides and ground staff are employed locally and are fully trained in responsible travel ethics. They will also explain the cultural dos and don’ts as well as some local language.

We try where possible to reduce single use plastics, (a huge issue in Malaysia), and we advise guests to bring a reusable bottle. (Our guides will help locate refill points.)

People

Destinations: When visiting the more popular destinations we endeavour to include the more off-the-beaten-track areas – back streets, outlying villages etc - as well as the street-life, local markets and everyday scenes. We hope this diverts some of the tourist revenue and interaction with responsible tourism into areas not usually benefiting as well as providing a more authentic view of the region visited for our guests.

On our Malaysia World Heritage tour, we include a 2-night stay and street-art tour in Ipoh, a town usually well off the popular tourist routes.

Where necessary, local guides at each destination are additionally employed to optimise on the ground knowledge, local contacts and stimulate local employment.

Our emphasis is also on the genuine local restaurants and street food rather than the standard tourist fare while our guests are also encouraged to buy and use local products and services as much as possible in order to support and stimulate the economy.

We also collaborate with local organizations such as the Penang Heritage Trust. By our continued patronage of the service we contribute to the upkeep of the organization, which helps preserve the country's culture and educates its visitors to understand the genuine Penang.

Accommodation: Criteria for selecting our preferred accommodation choices include as much as possible locally-owned, independent establishments displaying genuine sustainable credentials.

Information: The intention is to provide suitable, relevant information for our guests in respect to specific local sustainable tourism issues at each point as well as a wider understanding of a style of tourism that focuses on learning, genuine interaction with the local communities, reciprocity and cultural exchange processes. This increases awareness of the potential impact of tourism on the local society, culture and environment as well as advising how to behave and dress appropriately with a respect and appreciation for local customs, mores and traditions and a respect for the ecology of areas visited. Our guides and leaders thus facilitate communication of our values to both travellers and local communities, educating them in sustainable tourism practices.

By explaining our methods and the reasons behind them local agents, guides and hotels are also encouraged by us to adopt further responsible tourism practices themselves and guides and drivers are provided with additional training in this respect.