Highway Tours
Responsible Tourism Policy

Company description
Highway Tours is a small tour and travel company providing the ultimate holiday service to Ethiopia's historic, cultural, nature, and wildlife destinations.

It is comprised of experienced operators and technical staff who provide a quality service and travel assistance.

Our services are characterized by courtesy, care, and above all an utmost enjoyment of our esteemed customers.

We have the commitment and combined knowledge of Ethiopia's diverse attractions that make us an ideal choice to turn any travelers dream vacation into a reality.

Our purpose is to provide high quality tour and reservation management with superior customer service at an affordable price.

Policy Aims
As we do business, we mainly focus on the communities and their respective environment. We believe that our sustenance and the tourism industry itself is quiet attached with the well being of the community and the environment.

Through our policies we strive to put in place practices that will enable and support the poor to improve their lives and assist them to overcome poverty and to preserve their environment for future generations.

We act responsibly and strive for excellence. We believe in character, competence, commitment and creativity. We work hard. We are happy, committed and caring.

Economic Responsibility
We will also work towards supporting the local communities to be direct beneficiaries of the tourism industry.

To ensure this we hire mainly local guides. Unless unavailable, we purchase products such as food, water, soft papers, etc from local shops. We also advise travellers to do the same if they shop by themselves.

In addition we contribute and participate in local initiatives and community works aiming to improve their livelihoods which would have an impact on the individual, family, or at a community level.

From our bookings we make contributions to the charity works and projects of mainly three faith based aid projects. They are charities/humanitarian projects implemented in different parts of Ethiopia aiming to support and rehabilitate the poor and to give care for children.

One is True Light Humanitarian and Children Care Program. This is a registered organization to which we have contributed teaching aids, exercise books and learning materials for the children in their care.

Another project is Siloam Pool Apostolic Mission Centre. Also a registered organization that works to improve the lives of the poor as well as on prevention of HIV/Aids in Addis and rural communities. We support and providing financial and in-kind contributions for their projects.

We advise travellers to support local business, and encourage skills by shopping at local markets and buying authentic crafts.

They could also support the communities in different ways like in sponsoring child/children, providing voluntary services on teaching skills, sharing useful ideas, exchanging culture, adoptions, child support, in providing them some useful gifts like books and learning materials.

For visitors who would like to support children, we will create the conditions necessary for them and their support to reach those in-need.

We will suggest a number of projects that are undertaken by different NGOs - non government organizations), CBOs - community based organizations, and FBOs - faith based organizations. We will make this on our itineraries and personal or group consultations.

Visitors could experience their dream of supporting children as there are thousands of Ethiopian children that are in-need of different support.

Visitors could make this possible in participating in different programs of existing projects. They could also start their own initiatives if they also have the readiness and the capacity. The door is open for every volunteer individual and organizations who would like to sponsor children in-need and in the difficult circumstances in Ethiopia.

In doing so we try to ensure that supporter contributions are used to help the community who need it the most.

When visitors purchase products from the local communities, their small or big amount of money goes a long way in helping to support families and to change or improve their life in Ethiopia where need is the greatest.

Also donations, grants, gifts, and project funding allows those in-need or those project workers who are directly involved to address the needs of the poor and to realize their desired goal. Any kind of support is something special whatever it is, small or big, made in-kind or in cash, whether in group or individually.

We do our best to make sure that families are served through any of the support that we or travellers are involved in. We also do this through promoting our cause and identifying the right projects or businesses that are ready for it and benefited the most.

Please also see our travellers' code of conduct.

Environmental Responsibility
We are committed to see an environment in the particular destinations free from toxic and harmful substances.

We also cooperate with any effort that would lead to the reduction of environmental pollution, land degradation, deforestation, water contamination, and other positive impacts.

We have been part of different campaigns such as "2 TREES FOR 2000" a campaign to address Ethiopia's environmental hazard caused by deforestation mainly sponsored by the Millennium Secretariat.

The project offers a chance for every Ethiopian to plant two trees through out the whole Ethiopian second millennium.

We sponsored people for 'Clean Campaigns' in Addis Ababa and three towns. The campaigns have helped the community to realize the importance of clean and green environment.

The campaigns will continue as part of the millennium celebrations which will continue throughout the whole millennium.

We also advise travellers to pay high attention towards the reduction of negative impacts on the environment and preservation of natural resources.

We advise travellers to try not to waste water in hotels by letting taps and showers run unnecessarily. Also to be sensitive to wildlife like on campfires, off-road driving; and to try to avoid detergents, toothpaste, silver foil, and anything which can have a poisoning effect on the people and wildlife.

To also be aware of the danger of plastic bags to the environment and proper placement of such stuffs to where they could be recycled or completely destroyed.

Please also see our travellers' code of conduct.

Social Responsibility
Towards discharging our social responsibility we help and encourage local communities for the protection of biodiversity and cultural values; promote and support indigenous knowledge which support the environment.

We also promote useful traditions and campaign against harmful traditional practices; encourage and help youngsters and mothers who beg on the street to join the work force.

We respect the local community and recognition of their indigenous knowledge; identify natural and cultural sacred sites and support the community for further preservation.

We make available visitors, staff and suppliers the guidelines on our travellers’ code of conduct. It helps the visitor as well as service suppliers and our guides on how to interact with the local communities.

We also promote the good social and cultural practices in different ways like in supporting the youth and local efforts to preserve their cultural, social and religious heritages.

One is to include such places and activities on our itineraries and to invite visitors. For instance we send tourists to "Tiruneh and Friends" a group who obtained a license to exhibit ancient household materials and an old aged fire-proof roofed house in one of the ancient monastery "Ura Kidane Mihiret" at Lake Tana.

Another project and local initiative that we support at Lake Tana is "Entons Eyesus Monastery". We support the monks' activities in providing gifts and financial contributions to their initiatives towards preserving the ancient monasteries.

We at Highway Tours also support local based initiatives one of which is a project named the True Light Humanitarian Project. The project is implemented in Addis and rural areas and focuses on Children, HIV/Aids, environmental protection, and other humanitarian activities.

It is managed by one of our staffs and it is possible to contact the project office using our address.

We also advise travellers to value and respect the societal, cultural, and religious values in the destinations. See our travellers' code of conduct.

Eskinder Hailu

Manager, Highway Tours