Asian DMC Khiri Travel is on its way to becoming fully carbon-neutral. As part of its approach to take responsibility for its impact on the environment, Khiri Travel has partnered with climate and sustainable development experts ClimateCare. The result will be the complete offsetting of carbon emissions for Khiri guests’ holidays and Khiri’s own operations, starting in January 2021. This includes carbon dioxide emissions generated by all of Khiri’s offices in seven Asian destinations, staff commuting, and all business travel by Khiri employees.
Once travelers arrive in Southeast Asia, Khiri Travel will offset carbon emissions for guest trips by charging $1.50 per person per day. The aim is to offset entire itineraries, including accommodation, activities and transport. Funds will go to ClimateCare’s “best-in-class” carbon reduction projects in the Asian region.
Herman Hoven the CEO of Khiri Travel said that the DMC had calculated the average carbon footprint of its itineraries. As a result, a carbon offset rate of $1.50 per person per day will be automatically added to each travel proposal to partners. Hoven said that partners would have the possibility to opt out if they had their own carbon offsetting program in place.
To further reduce CO2 emissions, Khiri Travel has introduced a new product line: “Rediscovering The Art of Slow Travel.” In these trips there, will be no regional flights; all transport will be by train, car or boat. Itineraries will typically be a minimum of 15 days, accommodation will be vetted against Khiri’s social, cultural and environmental criteria, and excursions will benefit the host communities, mostly in lesser developed regions.
On climate action, Khiri’s position is to follow current advice from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which recommends cutting global carbon emissions to 55 percent of 2017 levels by 2030 in order to limit global warming.
Other sustainable practices by Khiri include reducing emissions in its offices by using energy-saving equipment and having strict policies in place to reduce the use of energy and water. The goal is to reduce the use of resources by 10 percent annually. In addition, all offices are moving to be paperless with a goal of reducing paper use by 10 percent annually. By 2030, all Khiri offices will be 100 percent plastic free; it adds that in many destinations in which it operates, it continues to struggle with the use of plastic and the amount of waste.
For more information, visit www.khiri.com.
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