Sustainable Tourism

Arabian Adventures, one of the UAE’s leading destination management companies (DMC), is the first company in the United Arab Emirates to have reached the Travelife Partner award. The award is a recognition for the long-term efforts and frontrunner position of Arabian Adventures in sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility. The Travelife three-stage certification process (Stage 1: Travelife Engaged; Stage 2: Travelife Partner; Stage 3: Travelife Certified) covers the ISO 26000 Corporate Social Responsibility themes, including environment, biodiversity, human rights and labour relations; and is formally recognised as in full compliance with the UN supported Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria.

Our work with Travelife confirms that sustainability is at the core of all that we do. We recognise that in order to sustain high quality products and services, it is vital to take responsibility for the conservation and protection of the environment in which we operate. Around the world, tourism companies, cruise lines, incentive houses and end customers demand for sustainable and responsible experiences and products is growing and Arabian Adventures, having always kept sustainability a top priority in all that we do, is ready to meet these requirements.

For questions and remarks related to our sustainability / CSR policies please contact aasustainability@dnata.com.

Initiatives

Some of our key achievements in sustainability so far are: 1) we are one of a very few companies operating in the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve (DDCR), where a portion of each safari fee supports conservation. 2) We have significantly reduced our plastic waste. 3) Garbage segregation and recycling at the DDCR carried out in line with the procedures of the conservation reserve. 4) As a team, the Arabian Adventures safari guides also contribute by conducting a quarterly desert clean-up. 5) We have dedicated staff in place including a Sustainability Manager, Environment Manager and a Green Team.

The Travelife Partner award is a recognition of our commitment towards social and environmental sustainability. We are complying to more than 100 criteria related to sustainability management, office operations, working with suppliers and customer communication. We are working towards further improvements aiming to eventually reach the Travelife Certified stage.

Our mission

Our aim is to contribute to a sustainable society and responsible tourism through our actions and activities, empowering travelers and local communities to leave a positive impact on the surrounding environments in which they visit or live. We will always strive to manage our resources so economic and social needs can be fulfilled while maintaining cultural integrity and bio-diversity, preserving the elements that make our destinations such desirable places to visit. We aim to lead sustainability initiatives by example and motivate suppliers and stakeholders towards more sustainable travel behaviour.

 

Sustainability policy

We strive to operate our business along ethical lines, embracing the three pillars of sustainability: economic, social and environmental. This policy details our commitment to deliver our services in a responsible manner, whilst providing an innovative and varied product offering to our valued clients. Learn more about our sustainability policy here

 

Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve

Arabian Adventures operates desert safaris in the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve. We are proud to receive the DDCR approval for a number of our safaris. These safaris adhere to certain criteria, namely: the safari focuses on nature and/or culture; the guide has been certified by the DDCR to provide more information on the fauna, flora, geology and cultural aspects of the reserve; sustainable tourism is considered on all aspects of the tour, including environmental impact and waste management and on safari, you can be a ‘citizen scientist’ by recording wildlife observations and reporting them back to the reserve. Our desert drives adhere to set paths set by the DDCR to ensure that the wildlife is not adversely affected. Learn more here.

 
 

Animal welfare

Animals are an important part of the team and their welfare is one of our top priorities. Our animals have access to the five freedoms outlined in the Global Welfare Guidance for Animals in Tourism, which are: access to food and water; a suitable living environment; good health; an opportunity to exhibit natural behaviours and protection from fear and distress.

 

Local Emirati cultural heritage

Our desert safaris introduce guests to the Bedouin way of life and traditions. At our desert camps, Emirati culture is shared with a traditional welcome of coffee and dates, while in the camp artisans share their love of crafts. On our city tours our adventure experts share the rich traditions and culture with interesting and entertaining facts.

 
 

Supporting Al Noor

In co-operation with Al Noor Training Centre for Persons with Disabilities continuous training opportunities have been provided since 2010, involving them in light office duties every week. The experience has been instrumental in developing their work skills, work habits and attitudes. It has also helped to equip them with social skills required for employment.

 

Supporting education

Our desert safaris are led by safari guides with extensive knowledge of the local wildlife, flora and fauna. Most have achieve the higher level certification required on our DDCR-approved safaris. Arabian Adventures designed the new safari guide training curriculum in conjunction with Dubai Tourism (DTCM) and Dubai Training College, which has been rolled out as a standard requirement for all guides in Dubai.

 
 

Destination UAE

The federation of seven emirates was established in 1971 and holds massive oil and natural gas reserves, and the leadership spent much of the revenue from these ventures on improving infrastructure and offerings for visitors. As a result, the United Arab Emirates is one of the easiest and most pleasant places to travel around and there are flights to UAE from all over the world. Find out more here.

 

Desert clean ups and recycling

Our desert safari team arrange and participate in desert clean ups on a quarterly basis. The public can participate on these desert clean ups as team-building events or can simply join our quarterly initiative as volunteers from all walks of life. Desert clean ups are held in the unprotected areas outside the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve where sadly areas can become littered.

We follow segregated recycling methods at all of our office locations, at our desert camps, on city tour and transport fleet.

 
 

Local employment

We employ local nationals in line with the guidelines and initiatives of the Emirates Group. Our overall policy is to give equal opportunities for employment, development and promotion. The company will act with care and consistency in dealing with individual employees at all times.

 

Forbidden souvenirs

Be aware of the current list of forbidden souvenirs according to UAE law. Read more here.