Responsible Tourism

As the possible negative impact of tourism becomes more apparent and publicised, travelling responsibly has become an important consideration for many travellers. Real Holidays is very aware of the need to address these issues and we wish to maximise the positive impact of tourism as much as possible as well as minimising the more damaging aspects of tourism.

We work with local agents whose approach to the tourism industry is ethical and fair. We always use local guides and drivers which directly contributes to local economies, as well as enabling travellers to gain a greater insight into local life by spending time with Indian and Sri Lankan guides. Drivers are often able to introduce you to their favourite local restaurant, which is another way of ensuring that your money is directly supporting local buisinesses, whilst at the same time giving you a more authentic taste of local life.

Using our indepth knowledge we endeavour to avoid large foreign owned corporate hotels. We can recommend many smaller, unique hotels, as well as homestays adn heritrage properties which are family owned. Properties such as Ahilya Fort and Shahpura Bagh have a stong focus on helping local communities by sponsoring local schools for example. Tiger Trails in Kerala is a great example of eco-tourism in motion. Operating 2-3 night camping expeditions this locally owned venture uses guides, porters and cooks who were once poachers, having educated them about the environmental impact of poaching  and retrained them, giving them a new way of making a living from the park.

Real Holidays sponsors Salaam Baalak which is a Delhi based organisation which is dedicated to protecting street children and ultimately trying to rehabilitate them. They have developed an exciting city walk through the streets of Paharganj and the New Delhi railways station area. No one knows the streets better than the young people who are under the care of the trust, and they have been fully trained as guides. A unique opportunity to see the living and built heritage of the area, as well as giving the children a chance to interact with people of all walks of life and improve their English.