OUR MISSION
To transform the way Spain is explored by revealing destinations and cultures through a deep and responsible lens, inspiring travel that leaves a positive footprint on the environment and people.
Authentic. Deep. Sustainable
OUR VISION
To achieve a future where responsible, positive-impact tourism is the standard for exploring Spain, establishing a lasting legacy where the country’s cultural richness and biodiversity are valued and protected through the conscious choices of every traveler.»
OUR COMMITMENT WITH Sustainable and Responsible Tourism
1. Environmental and Biodiversity Commitment
Clause 1.1: Minimum Environmental Impact.
SpainInsights.travel promotes the active reduction of the carbon footprint of our trips. We encourage our users to choose, whenever possible, collective, ground, or low-emission transport, to minimize waste generation, and to responsibly use natural resources (water and energy) in accommodations.
Clause 1.2: Respect for Biodiversity.
We encourage the enjoyment of natural spaces under the premise of leaving no trace. It is strictly prohibited to interfere with, feed, or harm local flora and fauna. Our itineraries are designed to avoid sensitive or protected areas that require special conservation measures.
2. Socio-Cultural and Economic Commitment
Clause 2.1: Support for the Local and Fair Economy.
We prioritize contracting services (accommodations, guides, restaurants, and suppliers) that are locally owned and demonstrate fair labor practices. We urge travelers to support the economy of the visited communities by consuming locally sourced artisanal and gastronomic products.
Clause 2.2: Cultural and Heritage Respect.
The traveler agrees to show maximum respect for the traditions, religion, and lifestyle of local communities. Permission must be requested before taking photographs of people, and dressing or behavior guidelines in places of worship and historical sites must be strictly followed, contributing to their preservation.
3. Responsible Traveler Code of Conduct
Clause 3.1: Behavior and Personal Responsibility.
The user of SpainInsights.travel agrees to be a Responsible Traveler. This implies acting with humility, curiosity, and respect. In case of activities that require physical effort or contact with sensitive environments, the traveler agrees to evaluate their own capacity and strictly follow the instructions of certified guides at all times.
Clause 3.2: Waste Management.
The traveler commits to depositing waste in designated places or, failing that, to keeping it with them until a suitable management point is found (the Leave No Trace principle). We actively encourage the reduction of single-use plastics.
4. Transparency and Continuous Improvement Clause (For SpainInsights.travel)
Clause 4.1: Transparency and Sustainable Rating.
SpainInsights.travel commits to providing clear and transparent information about the social and environmental impact of the products and services recommended or booked through our platform. We constantly seek suppliers who comply with certified sustainability criteria.
Clause 4.2: Feedback and Improvement.
We appreciate and value the feedback from our travelers regarding the sustainability performance of providers during their trips. We use this information for the continuous improvement of our services and to ensure that our partners adhere to the standards of responsibility we promote.
5. Ethics and Human Rights
Clause 5.1: Zero Tolerance Policy Against Exploitation.
Our company recognizes that sexual exploitation in tourism (TSE) and human trafficking are serious global issues. SpainInsights.travel maintains a strict zero-tolerance policy against all forms of exploitation, abuse, and violence against any individual, especially women and minors. We apply the same ethical and legal requirements to all our accommodation and activity providers. Non-compliance with this policy will result in the immediate termination of the contractual relationship.
Sustainability Policy:
As an Inbound Travel Agency that engages with various tourism stakeholders—namely consumers, tour guides, hotels, transport companies, restaurants, and attractions—we at Spain Insights understand our key role and influence in the sustainable development of tourism. Therefore, we are committed to promoting sustainability. Our objective is to follow, implement, and promote best practices in sustainability to maximize the positive impacts and minimize the negative impacts of our tourism operations, while influencing our clients and providers to do the same.
Our sustainability policy is divided into 9 themes. Each theme consists of a set of principles and related practical actions.
1. Sustainability Management and Legal Compliance
We are committed to sustainability management, practiced through the following actions:
We commit to complying with all national legislation, regulations, and codes of practice.
We have a designated employee to handle the duties of Sustainability Coordinator.
Maintain a sustainability mission statement that is communicated to customers, partners, and suppliers.
Maintain an accessible, written sustainability policy aimed at reducing negative social, cultural, economic, and environmental impacts of the company’s activities, including health and safety aspects related to employees.
Actively collaborate and participate in external forums and working groups that support tourism sustainability.
Conduct a baseline assessment of the company’s performance regarding sustainable practices.
Establish sustainability guidelines and an evaluation system to identify the sustainability performance of key suppliers/partners.
Develop a Sustainability Action Plan with clear objectives, actions, measures, responsibilities, and timeframes.
Develop documented procedures to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the sustainability policy, objectives, and goals.
Ensure company transparency regarding sustainability through public reporting and communication.
Ensure all staff are fully aware of our sustainability policy and are committed to its implementation and improvement.
2. Internal Management: Social Policy and Human Rights
We are committed to sustainable internal management through a clear, written, and well-communicated social policy, including the following principles:
Grant employees freedom of employment and contract termination with notice (as stated in their employment contract, between 15 days and 1 month) and without penalty.
Include working conditions according to national labor law and a job description in the employment contract.
State the salary in the contract, which must be equal to or higher than the national legal minimum wage.
Determine and compensate overtime work based on the collective agreement.
Provide medical and liability insurance in accordance with national legislation.
Grant employees paid annual leave and sick leave, as well as an allowance for unpaid annual leave.
Maintain a health and safety policy for employees that complies with national legal standards.
Provide first aid kits and trained personnel at all relevant locations.
Comply with national regulations regarding the minimum age for employment.
Maintain effective and documented procedures for employees to voice grievances and expectations.
Establish a clear disciplinary procedure that is effectively communicated to employees.
Maintain a system for measuring employee satisfaction on a regular basis.
Provide regular guidance and training to employees on their roles, rights, and responsibilities regarding health and safety. This includes fire safety and relevant natural disasters.
Create opportunities for students to participate in internships/apprenticeships.
Encourage employment opportunities for people with special needs.
We commit to upholding human rights by ensuring compliance with the following practices:
Do not hinder union membership, collective labor negotiations, or the representation of members by unions.
Prohibit discrimination regarding hiring, employment conditions, access to training and senior positions, or promotion based on gender, race, age, disability, ethnicity, religion/beliefs, or sexual orientation.
Ensure all employees have equal opportunities and access to resources and personal development through regular training and education.
3. Internal Management: Environment and Community Relations
We are committed to practicing environmental protection and improving community relations by ensuring compliance with the following:
Actively reduce the use of disposable and consumer goods.
Favor the purchase of sustainable goods and services, office and catering supplies, gifts, and merchandise.
Purchase products in bulk to reduce packaging materials.
Set copying and printing machines to double-sided printing or other paper-saving modes by default.
Use non-hazardous, non-eutrophic, and biodegradable cleaning materials certified with an eco-label, if available locally.
Print brochures on environmentally friendly paper with a printing company that operates under a certified environmental management system, if locally available at a reasonable cost.
Implement measures to reduce brochure waste or adopt an «internet-only» policy.
Maintain an active commitment to measuring, monitoring, and reducing energy consumption.
Calculate and offset CO2 emissions and compare different periods.
Purchase green energy and efficient lighting for all areas, where available.
Turn off lights and equipment when not in use; use automatic on/off systems with timers or motion sensors, and set equipment to energy-saving mode by default whenever possible.
Prefer energy-efficient equipment when purchasing new items, considering cost and quality.
Maintain an active water consumption reduction policy, implemented and monitored monthly or annually for benchmarking purposes.
Use sustainable water sources that do not adversely affect environmental flows.
Install water-saving equipment in toilets, reuse wastewater, and/or collect rainwater.
Comply with national legislation regarding waste disposal.
Develop and implement a solid waste reduction and recycling policy with quantitative targets.
Take measures to reduce packaging materials and avoid providing non-recyclable or non-biodegradable packaging.
Reduce the use of (non-refillable) plastic water bottles in the office.
Separate all recyclable materials and organize proper collection and disposal.
Apply waste reduction methods when using ink and toner cartridges for printing and copying.
Recycle or correctly dispose of batteries.
Comply with national wastewater treatment legislation (wastewater must be reused or discharged safely).
Minimize and replace the use of harmful substances; properly manage the storage, handling, and disposal of chemicals.
Use lead-free and water-based paints, both indoors and outdoors, when locally available.
Implement practices to minimize pollution at facilities (to the extent controlled by the company).
Measure and reduce staff-related travel and use more sustainable transport modes. Calculate emissions with the goal of reducing and offsetting them through a reliable local program.
Provide financial incentives for employees to use public or sustainable transportation.
Reduce transport-related impacts through teleworking, teleconferencing, or work-from-home policies.
Properly maintain and review company motor vehicles to reduce emissions and energy consumption, ensuring they meet legal emission standards.
Provide regular guidance, training, and information to all staff members regarding their roles and responsibilities in internal environmental practices.
Comply with laws and regulations on land use, zoning, and protected or heritage areas when planning, designing, constructing, renovating, operating, or demolishing company buildings and infrastructure.
Base the planning and construction of new buildings or renovations on sustainable, locally appropriate, and viable practices and materials.
Contribute to the protection and preservation of local historical, archaeological, cultural, and spiritual sites, and do not impede access for local residents.
4. Transportation
We aim to ensure that vehicles used on excursions do not cause above-average pollution. We believe transportation is a vital aspect of sustainable tourism and do our best to lower average pollution levels.
We commit to this by:
Selecting the most sustainable options considering price and comfort when choosing transport to the destination and within rural areas (based on availability).
Including sustainable (public) transport to the point of departure for international/long-distance travel.
Giving preference to the most sustainable alternatives for transfers and excursions at the destination, considering price, comfort, and practicalities.
Integrating and/or promoting one or more sustainable holiday products/packages based on recognized methodology, including sustainable transport, accommodation, and activities.
5. Accommodations
We strive for a fully sustainable tourism supply chain. Partner accommodations play a major role in this and are encouraged and motivated to adopt sustainable practices.
We commit to this through PERSONALIZED MAILING to our main accommodations to:
Select accommodations that meet sustainability and quality standards.
Motivate and encourage partner accommodations to obtain sustainability certification.
Prefer and select locally owned and managed accommodations, and family stays in rural areas.
Select accommodations that employ local communities.
Encourage accommodations to follow best practices/training in responsible tourism.
Encourage accommodations to complete sustainability questionnaires to understand their practices.
Clearly and actively communicate our sustainability goals and requirements regarding contracted and relevant accommodations.
Give clear preference to accommodations working with internationally recognized certifications (e.g., GSTC-recognized), Travelife, or SoyEcoturista.com.
Include standard sustainability clauses in all communications with accommodation providers focusing on child labor, anti-corruption/bribery, waste management, and biodiversity protection.
Ensure children’s rights are respected and safeguarded throughout our accommodation supply chain:
Include a clause in all value chain contracts establishing a common policy of zero tolerance for the sexual exploitation of children.
Include a dedicated contract clause allowing the travel company to terminate the agreement prematurely if the provider fails to take adequate measures to prevent such exploitation.
Train employees on children’s rights, prevention of sexual exploitation, and how to report suspicious cases.
Support and collaborate with stakeholders to prevent child exploitation.
Work with accommodations and restaurants that incorporate local art, architecture, or cultural heritage, respecting the intellectual property rights of local communities.
Terminate cooperation with accommodations if there is clear evidence that they jeopardize the provision of basic integrity services (food, water, energy, healthcare, or land) to neighboring businesses.
6. Excursions and Activities
We highly value animal welfare and community well-being. Our goal is for excursions to leave only a small footprint. We safeguard the authenticity of communities and the natural environment and strongly oppose harming wildlife or polluting the environment.
We commit to this by:
Maintaining an inventory of environmentally or culturally sensitive excursions offered at each destination.
Advising guests on codes of conduct during excursions and activities, focusing on respect for local culture, nature, and the environment.
Communicating sustainability goals to contracted and relevant excursion providers through codes of conduct, representative agents, social media, email, and meetings.
Refusing to offer excursions that harm people, animals, plants, or natural resources (water/energy), or that are socially and culturally unacceptable.
Refusing excursions involving wildlife in captivity, except for regulated activities in compliance with local, national, and international law.
Not engaging with companies that harvest, consume, display, sell, or trade wildlife species unless part of a regulated, sustainable activity compliant with legislation.
Employing qualified and/or certified guides for sensitive cultural sites, heritage sites, or ecologically sensitive destinations.
Promoting excursions that directly involve and support local communities (purchasing local goods/services, traditional crafts, local food production, or visiting social projects).
Promoting excursions that support the local environment and biodiversity, such as visiting protected areas or environmental protection projects.
7. Tour Leaders, Local Representatives, and Guides
We aim to involve as many local residents as possible by employing them in the tourism business. We advocate for a fair and safe working environment that supports and respects local communities.
We commit to this by:
Ensuring all employees have a written employment contract, including working conditions and job descriptions.
Preferring local Tour Leaders, guides, drivers, cooks, and other local staff (given equal capacity) and providing training as needed.
Ensuring local partners comply with all applicable international, national, and local laws, minimum industry standards, and other legal requirements.
Paying guides, Tour Leaders, and local staff at least a living wage that is equal to or higher than the legal minimum or industry standard.
Ensuring guides, hosts, and other contracted employees are qualified and receive regular training.
Informing local employees about relevant aspects of our sustainability policy via newsletters, contract supplements, emails, or training sessions.
Offering a special Sustainable Travel module in the training program for local guides and hosts.
Requiring Tour Leaders and guides to inform clients about relevant sustainability matters at the destination (flora/fauna protection, cultural heritage, resource use), social norms (tipping, dress code, photography), and human rights.
Training guides and representatives to prevent the sexual exploitation of children and how to check requirements regarding the exclusion of child abuse.
8. Destination
Our goal is to maximize positive impacts and minimize negative ones at the destination to ensure sustainable development.
We commit to this by:
Considering sustainability aspects in the selection of new destinations and offering alternative «off-the-beaten-path» destinations.
Avoiding destinations where tourism causes structural negative local effects (unless company participation produces clear countervailing effects).
Considering new destinations reachable by more sustainable transport.
Complying with legally based land-use planning, protected areas, and heritage regulations, as well as local/regional destination management strategies.
Supporting initiatives that improve relations between accommodations and local producers.
Influencing and supporting local government (where possible, alongside other travel companies) regarding sustainability, destination planning, resource use, and socio-cultural issues.
Supporting biodiversity conservation, including high-biodiversity and protected areas, through financial contributions, political support, and product integration.
Refusing to promote souvenirs containing threatened flora and fauna species (per CITES treaty and IUCN Red List) or historical/archaeological artifacts (unless permitted by law).
9. Communication and Customer Protection
Customer well-being and information are paramount. At Spain Insights, we guarantee constant, clear communication and high protection for our clients.
Before booking, we commit to:
Making company guidelines available for customer consultation.
Ensuring customer privacy is not compromised.
Complying with relevant standards and voluntary codes of conduct in marketing and advertising; not promising more than we deliver.
Providing clear, complete, and accurate product and price information, including sustainability claims.
Providing factually correct, balanced, and complete information about the destination and sustainability aspects.
Informing clients about the environmental impact of different transport options to reach the destination and offering sustainable alternatives when available.
Promoting (certified) sustainable accommodations, excursions, and packages using logos or specific messaging.
Clearly informing potential direct clients about sustainability commitments and actions.
After booking and during the holiday, we commit to:
Providing information on the natural environment, local culture, and cultural heritage.
Informing consumers about key sustainability issues at the destination and providing recommendations on how to make a positive contribution.
Informing clients about health and safety risks and precautions.
Maintaining a 24/7 emergency contact person and phone number.
Training staff on how to act in emergency situations.
Providing documented guidelines or codes of conduct for sensitive excursions to minimize negative impacts.
Informing clients about commercial/sexual exploitation or any other form of harassment, especially regarding children and adolescents.
Informing clients about legislation regarding the purchase/export of historical objects or items containing threatened flora/fauna.
Motivating clients to use local restaurants and shops.
Informing clients about sustainable transport options at the destination.
Encouraging clients to donate to local NGOs and sustainable initiatives.
After the holiday, we commit to:
Systematically measuring customer satisfaction and using results to improve services and products.
Including sustainability as an integral part of customer satisfaction research.
Maintaining clear procedures for handling customer complaints.
We’d be happy to answer any questions or concerns you may have about our sustainability policy. Write to us at hello@spaininsights.travel