Moscow Tours presents its Responsible Travel Policy. Responsible travel is about the attitude you exhibit and choices you make when traveling with respect to the benefit of the local population and its culture. All our tours are not only saturated and interesting but also provide benefits to the environment and the local communities. We strive to preserve the uniqueness of fragile remote places and small communities and to minimize the negative impact of tourism on local natural and cultural environments.
The aim of Moscow Tours is to give a chance to our tourists to explore and experience the Armenian ancient culture and breathtaking landscapes, not only in an exciting way but also in a safe and responsible way. We aim to create better travel experiences for our customers and believe that the local communities can take a lot of benefits from responsible tourism. We assist to the communities with whom we collaborate so that they can earn an income.
Environmental responsibility
Our tours are created by taking into account the following environmental principles: Avoid renting a car if it possible by using varied local transport, such as local buses, trains, and forms of public transport when appropriate, thereby maximizing the contact with local peopleInspect and conduct maintenance of our vehicles so they perform at full efficiency, thereby limiting the formation of carbon emissions while ensuring our clients’ safety and comfort.Reduce waste and pollution by minimizing the use of plastic bags, plates, bottles etc.Prefer small hotels and guest houses, which uses energy from renewable sources. Reduce the waste of water and electricity. Tourism can put pressure on local resources these services and supplies which can, in turn, reduce the supplies available to local people. We inform clients about local issues such as the availability of hot water, the scarcity of water in a particular area, about the style and limitations of local plumbing.Strict rules to minimize the effects of people’s presence to preserve and protect delicate ecosystems, wildlife and natural habitats (to dispose of all rubbish); many of our tours include opportunities to view local wildlife in national parks. Whilst these excursions can benefit both the animals and the local people who depend on them for a living, they need to adhere to strict animal welfare standards to ensure that the animals aren’t exploited.
Economic responsibility
Along with environmental responsibility, we also focus on economic responsibilities.We employ local citizens for managing our operations.We support local tourism in regions where it exists such as rural tourism or historical trip. We encourage our clients to buy locally made things. We also advise them to buy craft items and other gifts from local stores, which serve as great monuments. We ensure that local economies benefit from our business by using locally-owned accommodation, employing local people as specialist guides, working with local operators and suppliers, sourcing food from locally-owned stores and eating and drinking in local bars and restaurants. In doing so, we are not only investing in local communities but also offering our travelers a genuine insight into a country and its people.
Social responsibility
We deal with local guides . We pay a fair salary to staff and provide regular training to support their future development. By doing so all wages paid to the staff generated from our partnership remains in their own community and is spent by them as they see fit. We aim to produce authentic experiences on our trips so guests of the countries can learn about the communities and cultures they visit to the benefit of both locals and visitors. We encourage all visitors to respect local customs and religions: through positive interaction with local communities not only does this generate a mutual respect between cultures it helps produce a more enriching experience for visitors and locals alike.
Guidelines for visiting historic sites
Many of our tours offer opportunities to visit ancient places such as UNESCO World Heritage Sites where our entrance fees contribute to the maintenance and restoration of these unique places.Respect signageTake only photographs and leave no litter or graffiti behind, even if others have done soDo not attempt to bring home any rocks or stones or other souvenirs of the locationDon’t purchase such items from vendors as this can encourage the ongoing destruction of local areas of interest
We believe that
The true rewards of travel come from experiencing a different culture while also giving something back to the communities who make us welcome. As a tour operator, it is essential to respect the customs of the people we are visiting.We aim to avoid causing offense and to help clients to appreciate the local culture, enriching their experience and helping local people to enjoy their interactions too.We should ensure that local economies benefit from our business by using locally owned and managed accommodation, employing local people as expert guides, sourcing our food and equipment locally where possible and eating out in locally run restaurants.We must minimize our impact on the environment by reducing and offsetting our carbon emissions, reducing waste by recycling, repairing and reusing what we can, and being careful of delicate ecologies, wildlife, and their habitats.
We believe in promoting participation of all local communities that exist in areas where we operate.We treat all people respectfully and carefully observe traditions which they practice. We encourage all our clients to do the same and provide them with details about the national culture. We gave them complete knowledge regarding the traditions and advise them to learn the basics of the local language. When we use local guides who help our clients, it ensures that at least some of the local communities do gain benefit from our business.We lay an emphasis on providing our clients with information through local guides and request them to pass on their cultural knowledge to our tour groups. This gives them insight into their destinations in an enjoyable manner and benefits both the localities and the clients.
