Responsible Travel
It's very important to us that by hosting visitors in Morocco and in the Sahara desert in particular, that we are all mindful of the environment, the traditions and local etiquette. We want your visit to leave a lasting impression upon your spirit, but not upon the landscape.
Some will say that in order not to have a negative impact on local ecology, climate and environment, then the tourist should never go travelling! The domestic economy of Morocco is very much dependent on foreign tourism and targets have been set within Morocco to increase the influx of visitors hugely over the coming decade.
Our ethos:
At SheherazadVentures we want to strike the balance between the need for economic prosperity and the preservation of local traditions, livelihoods, communities and delicate eco-systems.
We also feel that Responsible Travel works both ways - it's the duty of the local team to give enough information to the visitor to help them understand what they see and help them to be both respected and respectful. To this end our clients will receive a welcome pack including tips on responsible tourism and cultural etiquette issues - these are also available on the Practical Info page of our website. For larger groups there is a cultural briefing session on arrival.
SheherazadVentures is committed to responsible tourism through our work practices, our community volunteering tours and our local affiliations.
Our volunteering tours, special-interest and desert expeditions are designed to make a positive contribution to the quality of life for local people. We are working in collaboration with a community association, in the vilage of M'Hamid el Ghizlane, to design and deliver a unique year-round programme of specialist activity holidays and community volunteering tours which bring the traveller and the local community into close contact for cultural, recreational and meaningful exchange.
We use only indigenous guides, support staff and local approved transport providers to ensure that maximum economic benefits are enjoyed by our host communities.
Where possible we use Moroccan-owned accommodation and restaurants that provide good working conditions and employment for local people.
We ensure that certified official guides are engaged in major cities and at historic sights so as not to undermine the role of Morocco’s Official Tour Guides.
In order to promote the distribution of tourism wealth, on our travels we encourage clients to purchase supplies and souvenirs from smaller shops, individual artisans and co-operatives out of the main tourist centres.
We ask clients to purchase drinking water in large containers for decanting to individual small bottles, to avoid creating excessive plastic waste. Plastic containers will be kept for recycling arts projects or disposed of in municipal amenities of larger towns.
Clients are asked to use eco-friendly organic products where no water treatment or filtration is available, and will be advised on acceptable toilet hygiene practices.
On our 4x4 Off-Road Desert Expeditions, experienced local drivers will ensure that only established pistes are followed to ensure minimum disturbance and erosion of surrounding desert dunes and eco-systems.
Through our work practices, community projects and affiliations we wholeheartedly pursue a responsible tourism ethic.
This social and cultural element is the whole driving ethos of our company and that which makes us different from any other tour organiser in Morocco - we call it 'socio-ethico-mmercial' tourism!.
Our long term aims:
We hope, as the company develops, to provide in-service practical English Language training for our ground staff, guides and drivers to enable them to better deliver hospitality and tourist service to the expanding English-speaking market and to improve their employment prospects. We are currently exploring funding or sponsorship for development and delivery of this training.
We aim to create a job for a community-based Moroccan co-ordinator in the village of M'Hmaid el Ghizlane to manage the development, promotion and direction of our recreational community volunteering projects.
If your group has a community arts, sports and/or environmental project that you can deliver within our one-day Volunteering trips or a weekend, then please get in touch.
