• Equal Opportunities – Caribbean Tours DR ensures fair hiring, training, and promotion for all employees regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion, disability, age, or sexual orientation.
• Capacity Building – We provide ongoing professional development, language training, and sustainability education for staff and guides.
• Safe & Inclusive Workplace – We foster a healthy work environment, implement an anti‑harassment policy, and guarantee employees’ freedom of association and collective bargaining rights.
• Living Wages – All staff, including seasonal and freelance guides, receive living wages that meet or exceed Dominican legal standards.

Caribbean Tours DR integrates environmental stewardship into daily operations:

• Resource Efficiency – Targets for reducing energy, water, and paper consumption by 10 % per annum over the next three years.
• Waste Hierarchy – Prioritise reduction, reuse, and recycling with a goal of sending zero waste to landfill by 2030.
• Single‑Use Plastics – Eliminate single‑use plastic bottles & straws in office and on tours; provide refill stations and reusable alternatives for guests.
• Pollution Prevention – Avoid toxic chemicals, reduce noise pollution, and minimise light pollution on night excursions to protect local wildlife.

Carbon management of office operations

• Measure – Establish a baseline carbon footprint for office energy and business travel by 2025.
• Reduce – Transition to 100 % renewable electricity and install efficient appliances by 2027.
• Travel – Encourage remote meetings, subsidise public transport and bike use for employees, and prefer ground transport for journeys under 600 km.
• Offset – Offset unavoidable emissions via verified carbon‑credit projects located in the Caribbean region (e.g., mangrove restoration).

Land use

Our Santo Domingo office respects local zoning laws and cultural heritage restrictions in the Zona Colonial. Future expansions favor sustainably designed buildings incorporating local materials, natural ventilation, and green roofs.

Caribbean Tours DR prefers locally owned suppliers that demonstrate responsible social and environmental practices, hold recognized certificates, and comply with our Supplier Code of Ethics. We offer training and incentives to help partners improve their sustainability performance and reserve the right to terminate relationships in cases of non‑compliance.

We collaborate exclusively with transport providers that adhere to our Code of Ethics. We select the most environmentally friendly transport available, avoid domestic flights where feasible, and measure/offset GHG emissions from all guest and business transport.

Our accommodation‑selection criteria prioritize properties with Travelife, EarthCheck, or similar certifications, or demonstrable sustainability initiatives (e.g., solar energy, water recycling, community employment). We encourage suppliers to adopt best practices and support capacity‑building initiatives.

Caribbean Tours DR does not offer excursions that compromise human welfare, wildlife, or ecosystems. We prioritize community‑based and conservation‑focused experiences such as sea‑turtle conservation at Playa Grande or mangrove kayaking in Los Haitises National Park. Clear visitor guidelines are communicated to guests and enforced by excursion providers.

We employ qualified Dominican guides, porters, and drivers, paying fair wages and providing safe working conditions. All guides receive annual training on sustainable tourism, first aid, cultural interpretation, and child‑protection protocols.

Sustainable destinations
Caribbean Tours DR seeks to disperse visitor flows by including lesser‑known regions such as Barahona, Pedernales, and the Dominican Alps in our itineraries, thereby alleviating pressure on saturated hot-spots and bringing economic benefits to rural areas.

Contribution to local communities & economic network
We source goods and services locally, promote traditional arts like Larimar and amber carving, and collaborate with community cooperatives and NGOs to reinvest tourism revenue in education, health, and infrastructure.

Environmental stewardship in destinations
We partner with local conservation organizations to support projects such as coral‑reef restoration in Bayahibe and reforestation in the Cordillera Central. Guests are educated on responsible behavior through pre‑departure materials and on‑tour briefings.

Privacy
Caribbean Tours DR maintains a transparent privacy policy in compliance with GDPR and Dominican data‑protection regulations to safeguard client data.

Marketing and communication
Our marketing is accurate, inclusive, and free from greenwashing. All sustainability claims are verifiable and up‑to‑date.

Sustainability communication
Pre‑trip materials highlight the social and environmental impact of guest choices, provide advice on responsible shopping (e.g., no coral or sea‑turtle shell souvenirs), and encourage carbon‑offset donations.

Customer experience
We ensure safe, high‑quality experiences by implementing strict health‑and‑safety protocols, emergency procedures, group‑size limits, and child‑protection guidelines.

Satisfaction & Complaints
Caribbean Tours DR maintains open communication channels (feedback forms, hotline, email) for guests to share their experiences. Complaints are investigated promptly, and corrective action is taken within 10 business days.

The Sustainability Coordinator oversees implementation of this policy and can be reached at:
philip.bresinsky@caribbeantours.com.

Version 1.0 – Created on 10 June 2025.

Next scheduled review – 30 June 2026.