“Success Story” under The USAID Future Growth Initiative. “Orient Voyage” tour operator became a "Travelife partner"
Host tour operator “Orient Voyage” has become a “Travelife partner”: recognized for its commitment to social and environmental standards of sustainable development
"Orient Voyage", one of the leading inbound tour operators in Uzbekistan, has recently been certified by "Travelife", thus confirming its commitment to sustainable development. The company meets more than 100 criteria related to sustainability management, office operations, supplier relations and client communication.
Founded in December 1992, the company, headquartered in Samarkand, has been providing high quality travel services for over thirty years and now aims to minimize its negative impact on the environment.
Steps towards sustainability
The company's sales manager, Oksana Vladimirovna Pokatayeva, said that the decision to pursue "Travelife" certification was motivated by the company's desire to contribute to the sustainable development of Uzbekistan's tourism sector. “Travelife certification helps to train and promote the principles of sustainable development, as well as actively work to reduce its negative impact on the natural and social environment,” - she emphasized.
Among the steps taken to meet certification requirements, the company has reorganized office work, added information on how to travel responsibly to its travelers' memo, and changed the instruction for tour guides. “We gave up disposable plastic bottles and switched to reusable ones for our clients, revised the contracts with partners, including there sections on social policy”, - stated Oksana Vladimirovna.
Challenges on the way to certification
The certification process was not without challenges. According to Oksana Vladimirovna, this process helped the company to identify deficiencies in existing contracts and to revise office processes in terms of environmental management. “Passing the certification was an opportunity for us to better understand how to interact with our partners and suppliers, as well as how to conduct regular monitoring of the effectiveness of sustainability practices,” - she said.
The future of sustainable tourism at "Orient Voyage"
The company is just beginning its journey to develop and implement new sustainable tourism initiatives, and, according to Oksana Vladimirovna, it is better to return to the question of the success of these initiatives in a year, when there will be more achievements. However, it is already clear that the certification has borne fruit. “Our clients are beginning to appreciate more our attention to sustainable tourism issues, which increases their trust in our company,” - she added.
Going forward, "Orient Voyage" plans to continue to incorporate sustainability into its operations, develop new sustainable tourism-oriented itineraries and work more actively with local communities. “We will continue to pursue an active policy in this direction, involving our employees and tourists in our mission to create a more sustainable future,” - emphasized Oksana Vladimirovna.
Summarizing the results, the manager noted that "Travelife" certification was an important step not only to improve the company's competitiveness, but also to create a more sustainable tourism sector in Uzbekistan. “Travelife certification will help educate, guide actions towards sustainability, which will improve the reputation of your business, as well as in the long run will benefit our community as a whole by improving environmental policy and social environment,” - advised Oksana Vladimirovna to her industry colleagues.