Responsible Tourism & Sustainability Policy

Responsible Tourism & Sustainability

Our Mission to Sustainability

NaviAsia Singapore aims to contribute to a sustainable society and to sustainable tourism. Our objectives are mainly focuses to ensure that any activities that we are undertaking focuses on empowering the local communities as well as to minimize or eliminate the potential impact on the environmental perspective. We strive to manages our resources, partners and stakeholders in shaping a more sustainable tourism while maintaining the cultural & heritage as well as the biological diversity.

1. SUSTAINABILITY MANAGEMENT

An appointed team member to coordinate and manages the sustainability initiative and to be fully accountable with the company’s overall initiative towards sustainable tourism and will have a direct communication and reporting to with the Senior Management. The appointed team member will be focusing of the actual planning, monitoring and evaluation by ensuring the sustainability policy is up to date and monthly meeting to discuss the overall progress of sustainability management in all areas from products creations, suppliers contracting, compliance, staff engagement and drives continuous improvement.

2. MAXIMIZING SOCIAL & ECONOMIC BENEFITS

NaviAsia Singapore aims to commit to maximizing the social and economic benefits to the local community and minimize negative impact by ensuring the enforcement of following practices:

Local Employment – We will focuses on providing employment opportunities for the local residents for local offices as we believe that local employees and to ensure on providing sufficient training to ensure on future employment opportunities.

Local Entrepreneurs – NaviAsia work closely with local restaurantier in creating products (dining / food / cultural experiences) based on the area’s nature, history and culture. At present, we supported our clients with multiple dining experiences that focuses on locally sourced items and providing a broader understanding on the food culture in the destinations.

3. MAXIMIZE BENEFITS CULTURAL HERITAGE & MINIMIZE NEGATIVE IMPACTS

NaviAsia values and incorporates authentic elements of traditional and comtemporary local culture in our products creations, dining experiences, operations while respecting the local communities and its intellectual property rights. We will ensure that the sites visited and experiences offered provide and authentic experience of local culture and heritage. In terms of living cultural heritage, we will ensure in designing and creating an experience that will maintain its authenticity and minimizing the potential negative perspective by working with the local community with the presentation of their cultural heritage. We have more than 5 actual products that are currently on sale and continue to work on creating more.

4. MAXIMIZE BENEFITS TO ENVIRONMENT & MINIMIZE NEGATIVE IMPACTS

Paper Consumption Reduction – As part of the company’s initiative for the employee to work from home, printing material such as printers / papers etc are not extended to the employees at home. Computers are set to print double sided, and we will reuse old “non- confidential” documents to print on (if really needed) on the remaining blank side. All arrival and departure pick up signage has been digitalize hence no printing will be done for this particular services provided. We will only be printing signage based on the request of the clients in which we will be providing alternatives whenever possible for their marketing purposes. Please see attached:

Energy Reduction Policy – Saving energy from air conditioning as at present, the communal air conditioning will be turned on from 0900hrs – 1800hrs by the building management. Unless it is necessary, an office meeting will be held between 2-4 times a month for the employee to report to the office and with this initiative, it will minimize the usage of certain electricity in the office. Staff will be provided with the “Sustainable in the Workplace – Employee’s Copy” agreement to sign upon joining the company.

Efficient Purchasing – We manages the purchasing of consumable and disposable goods mainly locally. We always aim to purchase in bulk and buy sustainable products whenever we can such as PEFC certified papers, local coffee / tea for our employees.

5. STAFF TRAVEL & SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT POLICY

We aim to minimize on the potential risk in causing more than average pollution. Some of our best practices that are currently in place and will continue to focus more improvement in this area:-

Services Offered to our clients – Focuses on promoting tour elements that does not require more than average travels within the destination.

Employees – Encouraging employees to use public transportation whenever possible

Suppliers – Will prioritize in working with transport suppliers which are committed to providing sustainable local transport alternatives

Management – Working with our partner to plan and launch a fleet of Electric Vehicles (EV) as transport options for transfers and excursions in our operating destinations;

Overall – Looking into a preferred carbon offset program for employees’ business travel which we also aim to offer this option to our services for our clients in the future.

6. PARTNERS

NaviAsia Singapore commits to communicating its sustainability goals and objectives to key partners in order to motivate them to greater sustainability. We will also factor in their sustainability performances when we are selecting our new partners. The sustainability policy section will be added onto the contract upon confirming on the services and to ensure that our suppliers are in compliance with our standard process and procedure.

7. SUSTAINABLE ACCOMODATION POLICY

NaviAsia Singapore is committed to ensuing our accomodation suppliers are made aware of our key sustainability goals and objectives. standard sustainability clauses are being integrated into contracts with accommodation suppliers and signed accordingly. We will include accomodation options including local home stays where possible to provide a deeper cultural experience whilst benefiting to local communities. Our suppliers must agree on NO forced labour of child labour among the conditions and we will request the property to focus on local community involvement and development initiative. Accomodations providers with International Sustainability certification are given priority and for those who does not have, a different sets of evaluating processes will take place before signing a contract agreement.

8. SUSTAINABLE EXCURIONS POLICY

NaviAsia Singapore ensures that all preferred excursion suppliers are aware of our sustainability objectives and encourage them to adopt a responsible approach. Each suppliers is made aware of our sustainability policy and we are developing relevant code of conducts for sensitive excursions. All our excursion suppliers must commit to respect basic human rights and fight against child exploitation. We are committed to ensuring our suppliers understand the importance of taking sustainability issue seriously. Evaluation to be conducted across to ensure on the ethical practices in place as well as protecting the biodiversity and wildlife.

9. MARKETING MESSAGES AND PRODUCT INFORMATION

NaviAsia Singapore will ensures clear and constant communication and high protection to our clients and will never promise more than what we or the destination can deliver or provide a false impression of the destination in which it works. We monitor and ensure active compliance with the spirit of law ethical standards and international values. We will communicate relevant sustainability issues to our clients in the destinations they visit and provide options for those who wish to donate or give back. We also provide our customers with full support during their journey with NaviAsia and ensuring the clients satisfaction by gathering feedback and having a clear sets of procedures in place in the case of emergency situations.