community concession program

… be the difference

Mission

1. Reward the selfless work volunteers, NGO’s and NFP’s undertake in the community.  Whether it be advocating / working towards environmental conservation goals or improving social or cultural situations. 

2. To mobilise the tourism industry towards actively advocating for sustainable and equitable environmental and social management initiatives.

what is the community concession reward program

The ‘Community Concession Reward Program’ (CCRP) is a free program whereby members of the public who work or volunteer in community welfare / environmental conservation actions receive concessional rates from select tour / accommodation providers. 

These providers will have a demonstrated genuine commitment to environmental conservation /social actions and display the ‘ethical adventures’ logo to identify them.

benefits of the ccrp

The CCRP rewards both supplier and receiver for their commitment whilst also strengthening bonds between like minded individuals, organisations and businesses.

It also has the advantage of financially supporting community and environmental organisations.

Join the community

8 + 14 =

goal number one - reward the selfless ...

Each environmental or community group registered with ethical adventures receives a ‘Community Concession Reward Program‘ code which can be entered into affiliated ‘ethical’ operator booking systems.

When the CCRP code is entered it triggers a concessional rate for the guest at the point of making the booking.  At the same time a corresponding amount is earmarked for diversion to an NGO, NFP or like fundraising account chosen by the operator as their favoured cause to support (for us it is ‘Protect Country Alliance’ ).

Valid for direct bookings ONLY.  There is NO EXTRA COST to purchasers to cover either the donation or discount and yet they can travel and holiday knowing that they are supporting a business inline with their own beliefs and a cause to match.

Each code is specific / confidential to the individual environmental or community group and will over time be reissued and updated to avoid non-affiliated individuals using the code.

The code is ONLY valid for direct bookings with operators displaying the ethical adventures logo.

A list of ethical operators and options who are on board with this program is available to all participating environmental and community groups so that members can best use their reward code when they choose to travel.

Goal number two - mobilise the tourism industry

In addition to the fun, laughter, photos, great food, new friends … that come with a quality tour experience, you will on an ‘ethical adventures’ experience discuss some of the issues or stresses which are or may affect the regions environment and societies that are visited on the day.  These discussions are balanced.  The objective is to inform, not convert or enrage so at the end of each experience the guest has enjoyed their day, have increased their empathy for the environment and now know first-hand what is happening and why for example biodiversity is important, ground water is important, climate change … etc etc.

It is then up to them to decide what they will do after.

Essentially an ethical adventures is an open and honest environment where guests can make their own mind up on how this information affects them or matters.

These style of experiences have been offered in Darwin since 2014 and have definitely resonated with travellers.  Given that more and more people are looking for operators who have a genuine commitment to environmental and social causes there is real momentum coming to bear on other less committed tour providers.

Essentially if enough people started demanding an ethical adventure then the tourism industry would need to respond and meet the criteria that the general population demands.

At that point we will have a tourism industry which finally will be working towards conserving environment and culture rather than just using.

An ACTIVE industry body can provide a counter balance to other coordinated interest groups such as the Oil & Gas industry.

At this point it is also fair to say that the tourism industry is also responsible for allowing some tourism activities to excess. 

Avoiding this in the future is also a priority of this program.

what constitutes 'demonstrated genuine commitment' ?

Important note: For this program to be successful there needs to be rigid criteria for providers to maintain such that the authenticity of the program is never in doubt and the faith of those in the community choosing these operators justified.

Criteria for being an ‘ethical adventure’ provider:

Criteria 1         Providers must act in a responsible manner in all aspects of their operation. Environmental, social, financial and cultural.   

Operation to be audited physically and by desktop and discussion with ethical adventures representative.

Criteria 2         Providers must demonstrate active participation in local relevant issues, debates and forums.   These may include but not limited to:

  • Public rallies for relevant causes
  • Writing letters to the editor on issues
  • Public presentations of points of interest to address issues
  • Undertake hands on environmental or social -actions in their community

Evidence of at least 4 instances of participation throughout the year must be given to ethical adventures by Nov 30th of each year.

Criteria 3         Must act in ‘Good Faith’ in all dealings with suppliers, customers, workers, contractors and societies.

Adherence reflected here in review sites such as Google and Trip Advisor and through an ethical adventures contact form.  Poor feedback will be discussed with ethical adventures and appropriate actions followed.

Criteria 4         Must present at least ONE major issue facing the region / area where the activity is being undertaken.

This will be confirmed through the use of secret shoppers which undertake the experiences.  Assistance in preparing relevant material and presentation can be sourced from ethical adventures.