Sustainable Tourism

AITO Sustainable Tourism Award

Pure Crete has been awarded the outstanding 4 Star Status for Sustainable Tourism. This reflects our commitment to sustainability, responsible tourism and ecotourism. Pure Crete has restored stone-built Cretan houses and villas and has helped to protect endangered species in Crete. This means that our clients can enjoy the rural tranquillity of traditional houses safe in the knowledge that their holidays help to conserve Crete’s natural and physical environment.

Houses are owned by local families so that the economic benefits go to local communities who engage in restoration and environmental work. We encourage recycling and the local production of organic foods. Pure Crete assist in subsidising the installation of solar energy in the houses we rent.

In the UK we use recycled paper and encourage staff to bring forward initiatives to promote sustainability. In Crete we help to finance the installation of solar panels in the houses we rent. We have run wildflower and walking holidays in Crete for 20 years. Our customer loyalty is linked to our environmental approach as well as the enjoyment of a holiday in Crete.

Pure Crete offers properties in Aptera, Stilos, Provarma, along the North coast at Kalami, further inland including Armeni, Maza and Vrisses. On the south coast we have houses at Frangokastello Beach. We provide these in combination with flights from the UK and Car Hire.

In all these locations we encourage the restoration of disused Cretan houses and the use of traditional building methods. We are not involved in modern building or ownership but instead work in friendship with local communities to protect and enhance the environment. We promote local recycling and make are customers aware whilst in holiday on what they can do to help locally.

All our team in Crete live there permanently so enabling us to sponsor the use of solar energy. As conservation of the local culture and environment is central to Pure Crete we are pleased to have been a founder member of Green Flag International - now Green Globe - an organisation set up to promote environmentally responsible tourism within the travel industry.

Carbon Offset your holiday

In 2007 we introduced a carbon offset scheme. We add a £3.50 carbon offset charge per passenger, per return flight on each invoice that clients can pay or opt out of.

Since then, Pure Crete clients have raised over £3000. This has been donated to the Tourism Industry Carbon Offset Service (TICOS).

TICOS uses offset funds to develop projects that make both carbon savings and have wider sustainable development benefits. The offset income is generated by voluntary contributions from customers of its service users. These are travel and tourism companies committed to offsetting and improving both the quality of the environment and the quality of life for local communities at tourism destinations.

Pure Crete's contributions have gone towards the "Sun Fire Solar Solutions Solar Stoves Project" in South Africa. The main objectice of the project is to help reduce poverty and alleviate the difficult energy situation that South Africa is currently experiencing. The project provides subsidised solar and fuel-efficient stoves to poor communities, allowing families to move away from open-fire cooking which requires enormous amounts of wood fuel and often leads to smoke-related illnesses. The project provides immediate environmental, economic, health and social benefits and is based on a business model that engages local communities and encourages grass-roots entrepreneurship.

The project focuses on communities that are currently struggling to meet their energy needs and have limited economic opportunities. Additional sustainable developments include, reduced smoke-related health problems, reduced incident of cooking related burn injuries and reduced deforestation and habitat degradation in the surrounding area. This will help safeguard regional biodiversity and reduce soil erosion and associated silting of rivers and water courses.

**2013 update**

Please note that TICOS in now managed by "Beyond Carbon"

Further details and updates of the Sun Fire Stove Project to follow shortly

We hope that you will support our carbon offset charge, our ambition of carbon neutral holidays and other environmental initiatives.

Telephone 0845 070 1571 or 01444 881402

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Pure Crete,
Bolney Place,
Cowfold Road,
Haywards Heath,
West Sussex
RH17 5QT

Tel: ++44 (0)1444 881 402

Fax: ++44 (0)1444 880 405