Sustainably designed shore excursions do not just allow our guests to enjoy unforgettable experiences; they can also play an important part in economic development, protecting and promoting the environment, preserving cultural heritage, and helping maintain the livelihoods of local populations. We sent a clear signal for sustainable tourism when we signed the UN-WTO Code of Ethics for Tourism in 2012. When it comes to “sustainable shoreside excursions,” AIDA Cruises is one of the pioneers in the cruise industry and continuously expands its offer.
In 2013 we developed standardized criteria for sustainable shoreside excursions with the sustainability initiative Futouris e.V. and the State Chancellery Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania as well as the Leuphana University in Luneburg as part of a cooperative project. The goal was to create a transparent basis of comparison for the sustainability of the individual excursion offers and to base the evaluation on measurable and scientific criteria.
In early 2014, the Baltic Sea was assessed as being a model region based on the new catalog of criteria. By the end of 2014, the assessment model had been transferred to AIDA shore excursions in all destination regions.
All AIDA excursions that fulfill social, ecological and cultural criteria are specially marked with a tree symbol. As early as during the excursion booking on MyAIDA, our guests can therefore see which of the offers are particularly sustainable.
The four main criteria for the evaluation of the individual excursions include the transport performance, the contents or focus of the excursion (e.g. culture, nature, etc.), the food offers and the sustainability engagement of the local partner agency. There are also numerous secondary points that are integrated into the evaluation. With respect to the transport component, preventing CO2 emissions is the top priority. Biking excursions leaving directly from the ship are thus scored higher than using low-emission buses. If the commissioned local agency offsets the CO2 emissions produced by an excursion, then this also positively impacts the assessment. Nature excursions are also scored particularly high on sustainability if, for example, a trained ranger tells the visitors about wildlife conservation and special aspects. Dining options is another main topic. Sustainable excursions are focused on using regional products for local specialties. Complying with minimum standards for the staff of our agencies on site according to the core labor standards of the ILO (International Labour Organization), a specialized agency of the United Nations (UNO), also plays an important role in the catalog of criteria.
At the moment, 142 shoreside excursions as well as 230 bike and pedelec tours carry the sustainability seal. This also includes offers such as kayak tours or fun types of sports such as stand-up paddling.
On all AIDA shore excursions it is very important to us that any packaging we bring along or any other waste we generate is disposed of on site in an environmentally friendly way. If this is not possible, our participants take the garbage back to the ship where it is appropriately separated and recycled or disposed of.
