Travel responsibly: Be an eco-traveler

The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) defines ecotourism as “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people.”
DoMore National Tourism, LLC, one of the first professional destination management organizations in the Kingdom, aims at creating sustainable tourism and enhancing Saudi Arabia’s tourism industry. Among its goals is to become a leader in national tourism by allowing locals and the international community to experience Saudi Arabia’s natural beauty and cultural heritage like they never had before.
The company started in 2009 when five passionate individuals, who shared love for nature and enjoyed the outdoors, came together. United by the common goal to establish a company that leverages their passion and love of the environment, they started a venture through which they could share their passion with others.
Their core values of integrity, trust, motivation, and most importantly, respect to the environment guide their day-to-day decision-making and ensure their brand values remain a key element of their positive corporate culture. “We believe that sustainable tourism in Saudi Arabia will form an everlasting, effective integration with the natural, cultural, and human environment, while minimizing impact on our natural resources, biodiversity, and heritage,” said Rakan Asaad, chairman and co-founder of DoMore.
DoMore is a business member of TIES. “It is the world’s oldest and largest international ecotourism association; TIES seeks to be the global source of knowledge and advocacy uniting communities, conservation, and sustainable travel,” said Asaad.
DoMore promotes national tourism with care and consideration for the environment. “DoMore is not only a company envisioning sustainable national tourism, it encompasses a mission to change perceptions about Saudi Arabia’s natural beauty and culture. It is an encouragement for outdoor lovers to do more outdoor activities in comfort, joy and in peace with nature,” added Asaad.
DoMore National Tourism offers a wide variety of excursions, from one day excursions to overnight excursions. “Our main excursion themes include sea, historical and land excursions. In all excursions, the goal is the same: To give you the opportunity to experience Saudi Arabia’s natural beauty and cultural heritage in comfort and joy.”
Their vision is to improve the environmental and communal sustainability of tourism in the Kingdom by delivering innovative products and services. Assad said: “At DoMore, this is possible by following and mastering the principles of ecotourism, which include:
1. Minimize impact: We always develop ourselves to minimize impact on the destinations we visit in terms of the activities we offer and the way we manage waste as an example.
2. Build environmental and cultural awareness and respect: We sometimes accompany local ecologists during our excursions, which they play a big role in building environmental and cultural awareness and respect for our guests.
3. Provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts: We at DoMore love what we do and are passionate about it. We truly care about our guests and make sure their requests are taken care of and on some occasions, we offer complementary eco-friendly gift items, which leverage the company values and make our guests aware of the positive impact they leave.
4. Provide financial benefits and empowerment for local people: In the destinations we visit, we make sure some of the major supplies we require for our excursions are purchased and acquired from the local markets of the destination or the nearby city or village to provide financial benefits to their local people. In fact, we are in the process of developing a program to allocate a certain financial percentage benefit from each excursion we do to the local municipality of the destination.”
For more information, visit: www.domore-nt.com