Blatas Lda – Blandy Travel, is a travel agency based on the island of Madeira, with offices in mainland Portugal (Lisbon and Faro). We provide travel agency services (outgoing) to individuals and groups, DMC services as well as Shorex services (shore excursions for cruise ship passengers) for the Madeira archipelago and in mainland Portugal.

Our vision is to be recognised as an experienced, highly qualified and trustworthy service provider in Portugal.

Our mission statement: We are Portugal’s go-to agency for all of your travel and shipping requirements. With over 150 years of experience in shipping and 60 years in travel, our team of dedicated professionals is there to ensure a great value-for-money experience. The company takes advantage of the digital ecosystem to reach and better serve its customers, wherever they are, whenever they need. The company is dedicated through continued innovation to improving quality, efficiency and profitability, whilst respecting the environment and supporting the local community. Through our business and our actions, we work towards making a positive global impact on the society and the environment.

• Respect

• Loyalty

• Consistency

• Efficiency

• Innovation

• Sustainability

Responsible tourism requires that all parties involved in the promotion, sale and execution of travel products make a commitment to more sustainable travel practices. From government to airlines, tour operators, hoteliers, tour leaders and individual tourists, all of us have a responsibility to respect and protect our environment and traditions through education, planning and affirmative action. Sustainability in tourism is an on-going process, requiring constant monitoring and adjustment of policies as the industry develops.

At Blatas Lda – Blandy travel we are committed to sustainability management and have implemented the following:

• An appointed employee has the responsibility as our sustainability coordinator and can be reached by email sustainability@blandytravel.com ;

• An accessible and written sustainability policy that aims to promote the positive social, cultural, economic and environmental impact within the business, including employee related health and safety aspects;

• A baseline assessment of the company’s performance on sustainable practices;

• A sustainability action plan with clear targets, actions, measures, responsibilities and time frame;

• To ensure that all staff are fully aware of our Sustainability Policy and are committed to implementing and improving it.

We commit to complying with all national legislation, regulations and codes of conduct.

At Blatas Lda – Blandy travel, we recognize that our employees are our biggest asset for delivering meaningful travel experiences to our customers. Therefore, we commit to sustainable internal management by having clear written and well-communicated social policies that include the following principles:

• Specific HR programs for our staff at the company, that include programs on health and wellness and health risk assessment, life skills training for staff and their families, sponsored programs for continued educational credentials and external professional development opportunities.

• An employee handbook that includes the code of conduct, a whistle-blower policy and employee rights;

• To have a policy on health and safety for employees which complies to national legal standards;

• To have first aid kits and trained staff available at all of our key locations;

• To provide periodic guidance and training for employees on roles, rights and responsibilities regarding health and safety issues. This includes fire and relevant natural disasters;

• To prohibit discriminations in regard to recruitment, conditions of employment, access to training and senior positions, or promotion in terms of gender, race, age, disability, ethnicity, religion/beliefs or sexual orientation;

• Financial support to those members of staff whose children attend University. Members of the company also work on individual social projects in the less favoured communities around the island.

• Through the Blandy Group, we have also developed the Blandy Academic Scholarships that are accessible to those students at the University of Madeira (UMa) who have financial difficulties and high academic performance.

• Every year the group donates to a list of charitable associations, that can be found https://www.blandy.com/en/

At Blatas Lda – Blandy travel we commit to keeping the direct footprint of our business operation as low as possible and actively practice environmentally-sound principles [circularity/the 5Rs (refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose, recycle) and enhance community relations by ensuring the enforcement of following practices:

• Measure, monitor, and evaluate use of water and energy.

• Actively reduce the use of disposable and consumer goods, such as reducing the amount of (non-refillable) plastic bottles in the office

• Print only when absolutely necessary, and when printing, always print double-sided on grayscale. Paper must always be FSC or equivalent certified, with preference for the highest percentage post-consumer materials.

• Implement measurements to reduce brochure wastage and develop an ‘internet only’ policy;

• Energy saving measures are in place in all common areas

• Water saving measures are in place in all common areas and restrooms.

• Waste is separated into the following categories: plastic, organic, paper products, metal, hazardous, glass and is disposed of properly by the municipality services

• Choose low energy equipment when buying new items, including considerations of cost and quality;

• Implement waste reducing methods when using ink and toner cartridges for printing and copying, whenever feasible;

• Reduce transport-related impacts by tele-work, tele/video meetings, work-at-home policies or other means;

• Provide periodic guidance, training and/or information to all staff members, about their roles and responsibilities with respect to internal environmental practices;

• Contribute to the protection and preservation of local historical, cultural, and natural sites in the location where we have a presence.

Suppliers are a key component in packaged tours and as Travel Agents we believe that the supply chain is both where the customer value is created and where tourism operations arguably have the largest environmental and social impact. Supplies include but are not limited to: Partner agencies, Transport, Accommodation, Guides & Tour Leaders.

It’s therefore essential for Blatas Lda – Blandy Travel to consider the supply chain and its management as an integral part of the company’s sustainability policy with the following principles:

• Preferentially work with partners that share the company’s commitment towards sustainability. This means that we prefer partners that have a written sustainability statement as an integral part of their business policy and/or a clear sustainability policy in place.

• Preferentially work with suppliers that are locally owned or managed, use local and seasonal products and services and benefit the local community by hiring locally and equitably and by providing fair working conditions.

• Whenever possible, Blatas Lda - Blandy travel prefers to select partner companies that comply with tourism-specific, internationally recognized (GSTC-accredited) certifications, ISO Standard certifications or other sustainability certifications like B Corp or Green Key.

• Blatas Lda - Blandy travel, expects its suppliers to adhere to a Code of Conduct, that includes the following responsible business practices:

o Comply with all local, regional, national and international regulations

o Respect all human rights including labour rights, children’s rights, and women’s rights

o Commit to fair employment conditions

o Follow anti-corruption, anti-bribery, anti-extortion, and anti-discrimination policies

o Protect children from exploitation in any format

o Protect the environment and natural resources

o Act in the best interest of local communities

o Protect the interests of Blatas Lda - Blandy Travel and its clients.

Customer’s welfare and information are very important to us. At Blatas Lda – Blandy Travel we ensure clear and constant communication and high protection to our travellers.

Prior to booking, we commit to this by:

• Ensure that customer privacy is not compromised;

• Comply with relevant GDPR standards

• Make product and price information clear, complete and accurate, with regard to the company and its products and services, including sustainability claims;

• Clearly inform (potential) direct customers, about sustainability commitments and actions;

After booking and during holidays, we commit to this by:

• Provide Information to consumers about the natural surroundings, local culture and cultural heritage in the local holiday destination;

• Inform consumers about key sustainability aspects and issues in the local destination and receive recommendations on how to make a positive contribution;

• Keep a contact person and a telephone number permanently available for emergency situations;

• Train personnel and keep guidelines available, on how to deal with emergency situations;

• Provide customers with information about commercial, sexual or any other form of exploitation and harassment, particularly of children and adolescents;

• Inform travellers about applicable legislation concerning the purchasing, sales, import and export of historic or religious artefacts and articles containing materials of threatened flora and/or fauna in the local destination;

• Motivate travellers to use local restaurants and shops (where appropriate);

• Encourage travellers to donate to local charity and sustainable initiatives;

After holidays, we commit to this by:

• Measure systematically traveller satisfaction and consider the results to improve our services and products;

• Include sustainability as an integral part of the research into traveller satisfaction.

This Sustainability Policy is approved by the Blatas Lda Board of Directors and valid as from July 4th 2023.

(Document subject to changes if required)