The company’s new responsible travel rating system has been designed to affect positive change, through travel, and help combat climate change and mass tourism by providing agents with a way for them to assess, view, filter and select tours and experiences when creating holidays and tour itineraries by way of five icons displayed on the listings pages.

Make a difference

Those that were found to be responsible in one or more of these five categories have been given a special denotation to indicate which category they excel at.

The categories are:

• Carbon Friendly – Involves transportation that avoids carbon emissions or compensates carbon emissions through EXO’s voluntary carbon-offset strategy.
• Cultural Knowledge – Emphasis on authentic and respectful exchange of cultural knowledge with local people.
• Social Impact – Supports the purchases of local products and services that directly benefits social businesses
• Make a Difference– Includes direct financial donations benefitting non-profit organisations that aid disadvantaged members of society, promote local arts and culture or protect the environment.
• Local Benefits– No less than 30% of the cost of the tour is given directly back to local people  

EXO Travel currently operates in ten destinations in Asia: Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Indonesia, China, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore.