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Ireland’s greatest asset is its people, landscapes and sense of place – from rugged coastlines and ancient woodlands to vibrant towns and rural communities. Responsible tourism is about protecting all of that, while continuing to welcome visitors to experience Ireland in a meaningful, positive way.
Sustainable and eco-conscious travel encourages visitors to tread lightly, support local communities and respect the natural and cultural heritage that makes Ireland so special. It’s not about limiting experiences – it’s about enhancing them, ensuring that the Ireland we enjoy today is preserved for generations to come.
At Specialized Travel Services, we believe tourism has a vital role to play in caring for our island. By making thoughtful choices before and during travel, clients can actively reduce their environmental footprint while contributing positively to local economies and communities across Ireland.
Responsible tourism in Ireland means:
● Respecting landscapes, wildlife and heritage sites
● Supporting Irish-owned and local suppliers
● Reducing waste and energy use while travelling
● Embracing slower, more meaningful travel experiences
● Following the principles of Leave No Trace Ireland while exploring the outdoors
Before travelling, we encourage clients to familiarise themselves with eco-friendly practices, make informed travel choices, and understand how small actions can have a big impact. From reusable water bottles and mindful waste disposal to respecting local customs and environments, every guest plays a part.
This approach aligns with the global understanding of sustainable tourism as defined by UN Tourism, balancing environmental protection, social responsibility and economic benefit.
The following Sustainability and Green Policy outlines how Specialized Travel Services actively integrates these principles into our day-to-day operations and how we work alongside our clients, suppliers and communities to protect Ireland’s future as a world-class, responsible destination.
Specialized Travel Services is a Destination Management Company / Incoming Ground Handler for Ireland. We are committed to promoting sustainability considering the environment and encouraging a broader sustainability agenda within our organisation. We aim to follow and to promote good sustainability practice, to reduce the environmental impacts of all our activities and to help our clients to do the same by introducing our guests to Leave No Trace whilst on tour. Our passion is the natural beauty of Ireland and sharing it with visitors and we, in the tourism sector, must lead by example to preserve our Island. Our goal is to become an accredited corporation and carbon neutral in all aspects of our company operations which will benefit our communities and ultimately our planet for the enjoyment of the generation of our families to follow.
Our Sustainability Policy is based upon the following principles and understanding the basic definition of sustainable tourism .
“Tourism that takes full account of its current and future environmental, social and economic impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and communities” – UN Tourism Organisation (UNTO)
We understand that sustainability is an on-going path in our business and personal lives we are committed to the learnings as part of everyday living, increasing positive environmental and social impacts every step of the way
We are committed:
● To comply with, and exceed where practicable, all applicable legislation, regulations, and codes of practice.
● To integrate sustainability considerations into all our business decisions.
● To ensure that all staff are fully aware of our Sustainability Policy and are committed to getting involved in implementing, maintaining and improving our sustainability path.
● To minimise the impact on sustainability of all office and operation activities.
● To make clients and suppliers aware of our Sustainability Policy and encourage them to adopt sound sustainable practices.
To put these principles into practice we will:
Energy:
● Commit to measuring and monitoring our Energy consumption (electricity and oil) regularly, minimum every 3 months
● Turning off computers at night
● Embracing natural light by placing workstations near window
● Using an electricity supplier committed to renewable energy
● Installing LED and PIR low voltage lighting to reduce energy consumption on the premises
● Isolating individual work stations/offices to heat with electric heaters rather than use oil heating throughout.
● Reduce the energy consumption of office equipment by purchasing energy efficient equipment and good housekeeping practices.
● Seek to maximise the proportion from renewable energy sources, whilst also supporting investment in new renewable energy schemes.
Water:
● Currently, for reasons beyond our control, we cannot measure our water use, but we are committed to reducing our use, through the following measures:
● New toilet cisterns have been installed with smaller cisterns and half flush buttons
● A water butt collects rainwater for use in our garden
Waste:
● Commit to measuring and reducing waste production through strict waste management on the premises
● Our general waste and recyclables are weighed weekly and we will be introducing a compost waste bin which will also be weighed weekly
● Our office is almost paperless, we reduced our paper usage by using electronic documentation, eg invoicing, client documentation, payslips
● Minimise our use of other office consumables, for example by double-siding all paper used, using recycled paper where needed
● As far as possible arrange for the reuse or recycling of office waste in addition to paper, computer supplies and redundant equipment.
● Provision of hot drinks in mugs for all staff to eliminate the use of disposable cups
● Removing disposable cups from our water cooler to ensure that all staff use their own refillable water bottles
● Avoid physically travelling to meetings etc where alternatives are available and practical, such as using teleconferencing, video conferencing or web cams, and efficient timing of meetings to avoid multiple trips. These options are also often more time efficient, while not sacrificing the benefits of regular contact with clients and partners.
● Reduce the need for our staff to travel by supporting alternative working arrangements, including home working etc.
● Identify and implement opportunities to reduce waste.
● Purchase fair-trade and/or organic products.
● Use Irish and local suppliers for customer gifts as far as possible.
● Undertake voluntary work with the local community and / or environmental organisations and make donations. for example, to the local swimming club NAC in Blanchardstown.
● We have also participated in local litter pick action days.
● We have a garden and glasshouse and encourage our staff to make use of these. We have a section of grass given over to “No Mow” and grow pollinator friendly shrubs and plants. Ensure that any Subcontractors, Suppliers take account of sustainability issues.
● We pride ourselves in sustainable marketing which includes reduction in printed marketing material and ensuring all our information l is appropriate, informative and accurate. We are committed to honest and transparent communication as part of our ethos.
● All of the above measures demonstrate our commitment to carbon management and reducing our carbon footprint.
This policy will be reviewed annually as we continually strive to improve our sustainability performance.
Updated 15th January 2026
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