Walkers Tours pioneers carbon neutral fleet in Asia

For the first time in Asia, a carbon neutral fleet was launched by Walkers Tours, Sri Lanka’s premier destination management company. Walkers Tours, winner of the ‘Best Inbound Tour Operator’ for the second consecutive year at the Sri Lanka Tourism Awards 2011, handles a diverse mix of clients from all parts of the globe.

Walkers Tours takes pride in being the undisputed leader in the leisure industry and this initiative is a testament to this fact. The ‘Walkers Green’ initiative aims to promote sustainable tourism in line with the John Keells Leisure Group’s pledge, ‘I Will Be Green.’

In its commitment to environmental sustainability, the company will ensure that carbon emissions of its entire fleet, comprising of over 600 vehicles, are offset utilising carbon credits from the CarbonNeutral Company in the United Kingdom. This includes the fleets of 70 cars from Cinnamon Grand and Cinnamon Lakeside hotels as well.

Carbon credits obtained through the carbon exchange are an equivalent measure of the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. The carbon footprint of the entire Walkers Tours fleet has been measured using actual mileage and this has been verified by the third party, Econometrica (UK), ensuring accuracy.

These credits are then used in numerous international sustainability projects. In this way, the amount of carbon dioxide that reaches the atmosphere is offset.

In collaboration with CarbonNeutral Company, Walkers Tours announced the launch of their ‘Green Tours.’ These tours will be operated using a specialised hybrid fleet of vehicles. Clients will exclusively visit green properties which operate using similar green best practices and participate in a number of community-based volunteer programmes.

“We are extremely pleased to be recognised as the first DMC in the Asian region to have a carbon neutral fleet. Sustainability of the environment we live in is equally important as achieving our economic goals and we will make every effort to achieve this. We have already started working on a new range of tours using eco and environmentally friendly hotels which will add a new product line,” stated Vasantha Leelananda, EVP, JKH, Head of the Destination Management Sector

The need for sustainable practices in the tourism industry is vital. Helping local communities by enhancing their quality of life has become an integral part of business today. As the industry moves forward, Walkers Tours strives to train and employ people from the community in tour programs, with the aim improving sustainable practises.