Martin Randall Travel is dedicated to the conservation and upkeep of all our man-made (and natural) heritage; we want future generations to be able to enjoy these irreplaceable landmarks as much as we do.
We recognise the effects of our business on the environment and follow various policies in our office and beyond.
Membership of AITO
As members of AITO, we adhere to the AITO charter which includes a commitment to raising the level of environmental awareness within the industry. We also agree to follow AITO's Guidelines which define Responsible Tourism (RT) as a way of tour operating that:
- protects the environment: flora, fauna and landscapes.
- respects local cultures: traditions, religions and built heritage.
- benefits local communities: both economically and socially.
- minimises pollution: through noise, waste disposal and congestion.
AITO Assessment System 
AITO has established a star system to help evaluate a company's RT involvement. 
It is a condition of being a member of AITO that we accept certain conditions. By doing so, a company is given one star status. The conditions are:
- Formal acceptance of AITO's current RT guidelines at membership renewal
- Undertaking in brochures to respect these, through adherence to AITO's Charter
- Undertaking to include basic RT advice in customer information
- Appointment of Company RT representative.
Two, three, four and five star status can be achieved by:
- undertaking an environmental review, establishing a comprehensive RT policy, and publishing a public policy statement.
- engaging in specific RT initiatives/projects.
Martin Randall Travel currently have two stars and are working hard towards achieving three.
Preserving cultural heritage
Within the areas of the world on which we concentrate – principally Europe and the Middle East – we offer an unsurpassed range of tours focusing on art, architecture, music, archaeology, history and gastronomy. Through the promotion of and education about these places we are helping to preserve the cultural heritage of the destinations we visit. We endeavour to inform our clients of the cultural sensitivities of their chosen destination.
Preserving local traditions
Local Guides. In many countries we use a local guide with the appropriate national qualification. This helps support the local population and the training systems set in place by the various ministries of culture.
Meals. We spend a lot of time selecting restaurants and menus. We aim for a high quality of food and ambience, and we seek an authentic experience with good local produce.
Low impact forms of transport
We travel by rail from London on a number of our European tours, particularly those to France and Belgium.
Limiting group sizes
We strictly limit the numbers on our small-group tours, which run with between 7 and 22 participants. The higher costs of smaller numbers are outweighed by the benefits of manoeuvrability, social cohesion, access to the lecturer and the reduced environmental impact on the destinations visited.
Cruising and Responsible Tourism
Hapag Lloyd, the company that operates the MS Columbus, the ship we use for our Mediterranean Cruises, is committed to making its ships as environmentally friendly as possible.
The ships are fitted with state-of-the-art environmental technology. The sewage is treated biologically and rubbish is disposed of in an environmentally-friendly way in the ship’s own incineration facilities. Hapag Lloyd’s catering company Seachefs is advised to deliver goods with as little packaging as possible to avoid unnecessary waste.
TICOS
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We subscribe to TICOS (Travel Industry Carbon Offset Service), the carbon offset scheme approved by AITO, to which our clients can choose to donate.
The Tourism Industry Carbon Offset Service (TICOS) is an industry-wide programme to stimulate collective action by all travel and tourism businesses selling holidays, holiday services and air travel. TICOS uses offset funds to develop projects that make both carbon savings and have wider sustainable development benefits. The offset income is generated by voluntary contributions from customers of its service users. These are travel and tourism companies committed to offsetting and improving both the quality of the environment and the quality of life for local communities at tourism destinations.
For full details of how the programme works visit the TICOS website www.ticos.co.uk Please do contact us if you would like to contribute to this service.
Sustainability in the office
Recycling – Every week ‘Paper Round’ collect scrap paper, cardboard, glass, tins and plastic. They also periodically collect other items such as old brochures, furniture, electronic equipment and picture frames.
Milk – We have a delivery of milk from Monday to Friday from a local milkman – and so our bottles are reused.
Getting to work – All staff in the office use either public transport or bicycles to get to work.
Printing – We print our publicity material on paper approved by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and many of our publications are certified as ‘Carbon Neutral’.
Staff training – Everyone in the company is encouraged to support the RT commitment, to make suggestions to the RT team and to join the RT Committee. Regular updates on activities are given in the monthly staff meetings.
Donations to charitable schemes
Martin Randall Travel supports a wide range of conservation projects in the countries we visit. Between September 2004 and November 2005 MRT donated a total of £10,477 to the World Monuments Fund, the foremost non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of endangered architectural and cultural sites around the world. The donation was split between the Chinese Palace in St Petersburg and the WMF’s projects in Britain.
A donation to the Venice in Peril Fund was included in all four of our music festivals in Venice – in 1999, 2000, 2003 and 2008. The donation in 2008 alone amounted to £18,200. Set up in 1966 but known as the Venice in Peril Fund since 1971, it has financed the restoration, always in collaboration with the Italian Heritage Superintendencies and UNESCO, of over 40 buildings and single works of art. MRT’s donation has been applied to the doorway of the church of San Rocco, the organ gallery in Santa Maria degli Scalzi and to a Madonna and Child by Palma Il Giovane in the Capella Sant’ Atanasio in the church of San Zaccaria.
After our Bach Journey in Germany in 2005 MRT donated €5,000 towards the reconstruction of the Anna Amalia Bibilothek in Weimar, a beautiful eighteenth-century library which tragically burnt down shortly after our festival.
The price of some of our tours include a donation to the society or charity for whose members the tour has been arranged. For example, as the exclusive tour provider to the Friends of the Royal Academy, we make an annual donation to the RA based on the bookings we receive on these tours. And in November 2005, a tour to St Petersburg for Friends of the Hermitage raised £1,800 for the institution.
It is company policy for us to leave a donation to provide for the renovation and continuing upkeep of the many churches we visit.
Review and targets
During the Summer of 2006, the MRT RT team undertook an evaluation of our current practices, looking at practices in the office, at destinations and the awareness of Responsible Tourism issues within the office. A review report was completed and submitted to AITO. We aim to update this report annually starting from the beginning of 2009. This should enable us to regularly identify new targets for Responsible Tourism policy.