Our Responsible Tourism Policy

All the activities we organize have the objective to respectfully CONNECT our guests with Nature, Culture and People.

It is therefore no wonder that since the inception of our travel agency, we have reflected on preserving these 3 gems.

Here are our commitments towards them:

We actively promote:

1. Slow Tourism and lesser known locations
2. Off-season and shoulder season travel
3. The optimization of itineraries
4. Eco-friendly activities (guided trekking, bicycle rides)
5. Guided trekking in biodiverse places raising awareness of travellers
6. Regenerative experiences (beach cleaning, recycling, permaculture)
7. Accommodation in homestays, ecolodges, guesthouses
8. Eco-friendly building methods with recycled materials
9. Locally grown and organic food as much as possible
10. The reduction of waste, proper disposal, composting, recycling

We discourage and avoid as much as possible:

1. The use of single use plastic
2. Environmentally harmful activities (jetski, helicopter…)
3. Animal exploitation (elephant rides, close interaction with wildlife)
4. The visit of overcrowded touristic sites
5. Over consumption and food waste

In order to preserve the local cultures:

1. We send a pre-arrival information package to our travellers
2. We brief them on cultural sensitivities and local etiquette
3. We kindly request that our guests respect the local dress codes
4. We gently explain adapted behaviours and do and don’t
5. We do not promote foreign activities or food

To facilitate cross-cultural interactions:

1. We help our guests to discover the different faiths
2. We organize discussions with the imam at a village mosque
3. We gently educate both guests and hosts about cultural differences
4. We value and promote time spent together around a cup of tea
5. We encourage guided participation of our guests in local festivals (Hindu temple)

Since there is often a need of cultural and language interpretation:

1. A conversation handout in English/Tamil is available in our homestays
2. We are available anytime in case of issue or misunderstanding
3. We consider our company as a bridge between cultures
4. Our commitment is reflected in our name “East N’ West on Board”
5. We aim to humbly contribute through our work to a better understanding and peace between people from different backgrounds

Our aim of creating additional income for the communities translates into:

1. Organizing people friendly experiences and supporting homestays in Batticaloa
2. Sharing our work with local vendors
3. Buying local / Making local / Recycling
4. Connecting our guests with local handicraft makers
5. Preferring locally owned businesses in our all-island tours
6. Hiring local guides island-wide to increase the availability of work in villages
7. Avoiding income leakage out of Sri Lanka

Our commitment towards people is reflected in our human resources management for staff members and partners alike:

1. We practice an inclusive recruitment (irrespective of age, gender, religion, social status, life challenges…)
2. Our employees are multi-taskers, to ensure them year round work (season/off-season work)
3. We value fair wages for all participants in our activities (we therefore might not be the cheapest option)
4. We are attentive to the wellbeing and welfare of our staff and partners
5. By offering flexible working hours, we make sure women can also be on board

We collect a 1% Social Contribution from our guests which we spend, for example, on:

1. Educating our host families’ children
2. Fulfilling basic needs of underprivileged villagers
3. Supporting events or activities of partner groups
4. Organizing some beach cleaning events
5. Equipping the homestays
6. Providing relief or food items in case of disaster