Sustainability in Tourism: Working within real systems

Sustainability is often communicated in simple terms. Reality is not simple.

Tourism operates within interconnected systems (environmental, social, economic) and its impact is distributed across all of them. Some aspects are within our control, while others are not.

For example, long-haul travel represents a significant portion of tourism’s footprint. It sits outside the direct control of local operators. This matters because it means sustainability cannot be reduced to a single action, or offset through isolated initiatives.

We support initiatives such as ecosystem restoration in the Sacred Valley, including high-altitude forests, alongside Valle Sagrado Verde. And we also offset our Carbon footprint with Regenare, that support the reinforestation of the forests of Machu Picchu. We try hard to ; but we are aware that these efforts don’t “cancel out” impact.

What matters is how the system is approached as a whole.

For us, that means:

  • Reducing impact where we have direct influence

  • Designing journeys more thoughtfully

  • Supporting local ecosystems and communities

  • Being transparent about limitations

We try to move away from perfect narratives. And toward honest ones.

B Corp supports this by making our actions measurable and externally verified.

But frameworks don’t replace responsibility. They make it visible.

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Designing journeys through territory