Sri Lanka’s premier Destination Management Company (DMC) and a subsidiary of the country’s largest blue-chip conglomerate John Keells Holdings (JKH), Walkers Tours made history in the DMC Sector when they achieved carbon neutral status for their vehicle fleet back in 2012. Recently, Walkers Tours celebrated having successfully retained the title of Asia’s first and only CarbonNeutral® Fleet for the fifth consecutive year. Walkers Tours was also the recipient of the 2017 Chairman’s Award for Sustainability in the Office-Based Services Category at JKH, in recognition of their commitment to spearheading sustainability initiatives, systematic data recording and awareness creation amongst clients, tourists and employees covering 360° of their value chain.
Honoured to present the accolade was The Sustainable Future Group (SFG), regional partner of Natural Capital Partners of the UK – world’s leading provider of Carbon Offset Solutions. Over the past few years, Walkers Tours has continuously measured, monitored and mitigated its vehicle fleet’s Carbon Footprint through the expert advice and support of The Carbon Consulting Company (CCC) – an independent sustainability consultancy firm, achieving notable year-on-year reductions.
Vasantha Leelananda, Executive Vice President and Sector Head at JKH, commented on the company’s commitment to sustainability, “When we first commenced on our journey with CCC, we understood the need for sustainable practices in the tourism industry. Protection of our environment and people are part of our corporate DNA, and they are vital to the global economy and important in achieving our business goals. We are constantly looking for innovative technologies to introduce, including hybrid and electric vehicles for our fleet, and we hope initiatives such as these will inspire others to focus more on sustainability as well.”
“Walkers Tours years of commitment to sustainability is reputable and demonstrates that reduced environmental impact and business profits can coexist and flourish”remarked Sanith de S. Wijeyeratne, CEO of CCC. “They are an exemplary company that has instilled the values of conservation and mitigation from the top down and placed a long-term strategy that incorporates social and environmental targets. We congratulate Walkers Tours and their team of ‘green’ champions for their continued efforts in building a sustainable future for Sri Lanka and the world.”
As a company that dedicates itself to contributing towards the economic, ecological, and social development in their region, Walkers Tours’ sustainability efforts range from free medical clinics for their drivers/chauffeurs to new product development focusing on less-developed parts of the country. Equipped with ISO 9001 & 14001 certifications, Walkers Tours was also named the best performing ‘TourCert Check’ company, and is a member of the ‘Responsible Tourism Partnership Sri Lanka’ initiative.