Sustainability Policy — EmotionTravel DMC Ltd.
"Love Nature, Love People, Love Myanmar… travel with EmotionTravel"
At EmotionTravel we believe that the way a company operates has an enormous impact on society, the economy and the environment. Tourism can bring economic growth, social well-being and job opportunities to an entire country.
But disorderly growth in tourism can also cause serious social and environmental harm. This page summarises our sustainability policy: implementing and improving social and environmental impact towards a sustainable future, so that what we do today does not compromise the well-being of future generations.
The policy involves everyone: management, operations staff, freelance guides, local agents, suppliers and partners. Only through collective effort can sustainability goals be achieved.
To integrate sustainability into every aspect of the products and services we offer. We promote responsible tourism by raising awareness and encouraging sustainable practices among all stakeholders — clients, partners, employees and local communities.
We work to maximise positive environmental, social and economic impacts and to minimise negative ones, putting local engagement, cultural respect and environmental protection first: meaningful travel experiences, for the well-being of people and places, today and for future generations.
We respect Myanmar labour laws and are committed to ensuring every employee is valued, paid fairly, respected and treated with dignity. Every team member receives a written contract clearly setting out working hours, employment conditions, rights and responsibilities.
We guarantee a safe, comfortable and supportive working environment: in case of injury we cover necessary medical expenses and first-aid kits are always available in the office. We apply equal opportunities and do not tolerate discrimination based on race, gender, religion, age or other personal characteristics.
We follow an "open-door" policy: we encourage employees to report problems, share ideas and discuss anything concerning work and well-being. We support professional and personal development with on-the-job training, skills development and, where possible, financial contributions towards further education.
The same respect applies to our local guides: fair pay, decent accommodation, a daily meal allowance and reimbursement of travel expenses when they work on our tours.
We know that some travellers sincerely wish to visit schools or orphanages during their trip. However, we actively discourage these visits whenever possible and explain to clients the potential negative impacts of so-called "orphanage tourism" and of any unsupervised form of tourism involving minors.
Frequent visits contribute to the commercialisation of orphanages, disrupt children's daily lives and, in some cases, expose them to exploitation or mistreatment. That is why we do not include visits to orphanages or residential institutions in our standard programmes. For those who wish to make a positive contribution we instead offer more responsible forms of support, which help children and local communities without requiring direct contact with vulnerable minors.
"Rebuilding Hope in Inle Lake". After the devastating earthquake of 28 March 2025, many Intha families lost their homes and faced enormous hardship. Thanks to the generous support of partners, friends and colleagues in the tourism industry, we helped rebuild 12 houses for 12 families at Inle Lake.
These 12 houses are more than buildings: they are 12 new foundations on which to rebuild life, regain stability and look to the future with hope. It is our way of turning sustainability goals into tangible social and economic impact in the communities where we operate.
We are passionate about protecting the environment we live in. We believe that even the smallest step contributes to better trips for travellers and a better world for society. Our journey as an environmentally sustainable tour operator started in our own office.
In the office we apply a "switch-off" policy for lights, air conditioning and equipment; we have replaced all bulbs with energy-efficient bulbs and installed a smart switch, which avoids electrical hazards and quickly turns off unused appliances. We check pipes for leaks and never leave taps running. We reduce plastic bags in favour of locally made reusable bags, encourage the use of lunch containers, reduce paper printing (double-sided when needed) and serve locally grown coffee and tea.
The same rigour applies to operations: we do not work with companies that exploit animals or offer animal shows and we support only properly managed wildlife areas and elephant conservation projects.
We offer our guests recyclable and biodegradable water bottles and reusable bags to be "green" travellers, and we discourage giving money to children, to reduce plastic waste and negative social impacts.
We are committed to keeping the direct footprint of our activities to a minimum. Measures in place:
We promote community-based tourism (CBT): we invite travellers to visit programmes that benefit the local community, protect the environment, preserve culture and improve livelihoods. Our tours often include family-run workshops and social enterprises producing recycled and reusable items, to encourage guests to support them and make conscious consumer choices.
We organise lunches with local families instead of tourist restaurants, to go "beneath the surface". We don't recommend tourist workshops and souvenir shops in our programmes: we prefer small family workshops, so 100% of the economic benefit stays with residents.
We hire licensed local guides and drivers, not only to support the local economy but also to enrich our clients' experience. In our supply chain we choose local partners who share our values, to guarantee a sustainable and unique experience.
"Travel the Golden Land in a green way" is our first step towards nature: recycling, reusing and reducing harmful materials, starting from within, to preserve Myanmar's culture and heritage. Please support us in our socio-cultural projects too.