Saudi Arabia Highlights vacation

Planet

We must always keep the environment at the forefront of our minds and we are always careful to take all litter with us, disposing of it responsibly in big cities and towns. We mustn’t leave cigarette butts either. We encourage our travelers to avoid excess packaging if purchasing any snacks, and to bring a reusable water bottle which can be refilled throughout the tour.

We visit ancient ruins, old desert forts and remote natural areas on this tour, encouraging our travelers to stick to the trails so as to protect these areas and leave them for others to enjoy. The entrance fees that we include play an important part in the conservation of these sites.

Where possible, we choose low impact forms of accommodation, and a good example of this is the tented camp we stay at on this tour during our time in Al Ula. We strongly believe in preserving ancient sites such as this and strive to ensure that we leave these areas as we find them. Our team have been trained in strict no litter policies, meaning that we take all refuse to either be recycled or properly disposed of back in the city.

Up until now, Saudi Arabia has seen very little in the way of tourism, which is set to change with the introduction of the tourist visa. We believe it is incredibly important that at this early stage of tourism development we work with local service providers to set and implement best practice when it comes to environmental matters, so that this becomes the norm as tourist numbers increase. This includes basic things like not replacing towels each day, as well as saving electricity and turning lights off – small things but Saudi Arabia is not as used to tourism as countries in western Europe. We also help to educate local guides and drivers about how not to negatively impact upon the areas visited.

People

Saudi Arabia is a deeply traditional and religious country with certain codes of behaviour, and the people here are not always that accustomed to outsiders. We ensure that our travelers are appropriately briefed in order so as not to offend local sensibilities.

Using local guides also ensures money stays within local economies and means we will be treated to such valuable, in-depth and honest knowledge which you perhaps wouldn’t get from a western guide. It also means we are keeping carbon emissions down.

Where possible we encourage our travelers to spend their money with local businesses; for this reason we do not include meals where it is feasible to eat outside of the hotels. On this particular tour we only include breakfast, in order that local restaurants are able to benefit from the presence of tourism, rather than the income being channelled just to the hotel.

We visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Madain Saleh on this tour. The entrance fees that we include play an important part in its restoration and conservation, helping to maintain the heritage of this ancient country for future generations – not just western travelers but more importantly to local people to whom they have far more cultural and historical significance.