Sustainability and Community Support Around the Globe

When guests embark on an adventure with Xanterra Travel Collection^®, they’re not just exploring far-flung locales — they’re becoming part of something greater. These journeys are about more than discovering new destinations; they’re also about giving back to the environment and local communities in meaningful, lasting ways.

Xanterra’s cruise and tour companies dedicate time and funding to reducing pollution, conserving water, transitioning to renewable energy, addressing climate change, and preserving local cultures through community initiatives. By choosing to travel with us, our guests join us on a shared mission to deliver Legendary Hospitality with a Softer Footprint^® and help fund a wide range of meaningful, lasting projects.

Here are just a few of our initiatives that guests can help support through the simple act of choosing to travel with us.

United States: On the Trail

Sustainability starts close to home for Country Walkers, with support for the Green Mountain Club — stewards of Vermont’s iconic 272-mile Long Trail, America’s oldest long-distance hiking path. For more than a century, the trail has offered space for connection, adventure, and a lasting bond with the land.

By choosing to travel with Country Walkers, guests contribute to the maintenance and preservation of this cherished landscape. Donations to the Green Mountain Club enable professional trail crews to conduct highly skilled projects and maintain 70 backcountry overnight sites and facilities, including managing the composting process at 75 backcountry privies, ensuring hiker comfort, and protecting the local ecosystem.

Nepal: From Endless Treks to a Healthier Future

Water is the essence of life. Yet an estimated 700 million people around the world lack access to the clean water they need for drinking, cooking, bathing, and growing food. That’s why Country Walkers and VBT Bicycling Vacations are proud partners of the nonprofit organization Wine to Water.

Since 2004, Wine to Water has delivered sustainable water solutions to regions in dire need. With support from Country Walkers, the organization helped drill wells and connect eight remote communities in Nepal to clean water sources. The impact has been transformative: long treks across mountainous terrain are no longer necessary, children can spend more time in school, women are taking on greater roles in their communities, and waterborne illnesses have decreased. Every journey with Country Walkers and VBT Bicycling Vacations helps continue this life-changing work, bringing essential support to communities in need.

French Polynesia: Reef Restoration

Coral reefs are among the most diverse ecosystems on Earth, yet conservationists estimate that about half have already been lost. Beginning in 2022, Windstar Cruises partnered with Mo’orea-based Coral Gardeners —a group that revives reef ecosystems by growing and planting resilient corals — to support the restoration of coral reefs in French Polynesia.

Thanks to the support of travelers sailing with Windstar Cruises, over 4,000 corals have been adopted through the Adopt a Coral program. In 2024, Windstar also established a rope nursery off the coast of Mo’orea, housing 360 coral fragments from eight species across three genera to promote genetic and species biodiversity. These corals are scheduled to be out-planted onto a reef in 2026.

United Kingdom: Stewardship in Cornwall

Country Walkers proudly supports the Cornwall Wildlife Trust by making a donation on behalf of each guest on this tour. This region’s Atlantic coastline is rich in marine biodiversity, but it also faces growing threats — from habitat loss and invasive species to entanglement in fishing gear and increasing incidents of dolphin strandings.

The Cornwall Wildlife Trust works year-round to protect these fragile ecosystems through its Living Seas Program. Their efforts include conducting diving surveys to monitor seabeds, collecting wildlife sightings through the Seaquest Southwest project, and mapping intertidal habitats along the coast. It’s practical, hands-on conservation that helps ensure Cornwall’s coastal environment remains healthy and resilient.

Cambodia: Laptops for Locals

Local guides are vital to once-in-a-lifetime guest experiences — and their efforts beyond tourism are often deeply inspiring. Take Cambodia-based tour guide Sengchonn Ul (known as June), a teacher by profession. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, June began offering free private classes to villagers who had lost their jobs — personally covering the cost of all learning materials.

When VBT Bicycling Vacations learned that June wanted to launch an IT program but lacked the equipment, the company provided two rounds of funding. The result? June purchased a dozen laptops, and today his students are gaining essential computer and English skills to help them qualify for jobs in the hospitality sector.

Italy: Mountain Rescue

Safety initiatives make tourism in rugged terrain possible. That’s why Country Walkers donates on behalf of its travelers to Soccorso Alpino e Speleologico della Campania, a mountain rescue team on Italy’s Amalfi Coast.

These donations are vital. The trails and ridges of the Sorrento Peninsula above the coast are vast and sparsely populated, and it’s primarily local volunteers — with intimate knowledge of the terrain — who carry out rescues. Our guests help ensure that these life-saving services remain available, offering a safer experience for all adventurers.

South Africa: Protecting the Bees

Unlike many countries where most honeybees are hived, roughly 90% of South Africa’s honeybees still live in the wild — a vital factor in preserving biodiversity and one reason the Cape region hosts the most diverse floral kingdom in the world.

Recognizing that such natural wonders inspire travelers, VBT Bicycling Vacations proudly supports Ujubee, an organization that has built a network of conservation projects and global collaborative initiatives to protect bees.

Thanks to the collective support of our community of travelers, Ujubee’s work is already yielding results. One example: the City of Cape Town has adopted new landscape cultivation techniques that improve pollination for wildflowers, helping ensure future generations of honeybees can thrive.

Tahiti: Sourcing in Paradise

For the past 37 years, Windstar has introduced travelers to the magic of Tahiti. As they explore its stunning landscapes, Windstar ensures their presence benefits the region at the same time.

Over nearly four decades, guests and employees have helped make a lasting impact on strengthening Tahiti’s culture and economy. A key part of this commitment is sourcing locally. All of Windstar’s sailings in Tahiti contribute approximately $1.9 million USD annually to the local economy. Additionally, nearly 40% of the supplies for Windstar’s ships come from local producers. In 2024 alone, this included 42 tons of vegetables and fruits, 40 kilograms of vanilla, three tons of fish, and 630 cases of local beverages.

For more travel experiences available from Xanterra Travel Collection^® and its affiliated properties, visit xanterra.com/stories/.

Written by: Robin Brunet