Tauck Impact
For over five decades, we have been committed to making a positive impact – environmentally, socially and economically – in the places we travel to. Tauck has invested in more than 80 national parks, monuments and destinations the world over to better protect our planet – and preserve natural, historical and cultural destinations for generations to come. Destination grants include Mesa Verde, Grand Teton National Park Foundation, Civil War Trust, National Civil Rights Museum, Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, Jasper National Park, and Friends of Notre Dame Cathedral.
Our itineraries are woven into the very fabric of places where we travel, and we partner with many family-owned businesses and businesses of all kinds, from very small to large, creating jobs and improving the economic health and vitality of destinations. Traveling with a light "footprint" is enabled by smaller groups and lower guest-to-guide ratios, and we are mindful about how we travel to ensure we make a positive impact.
People, Places and Planet – the focus of our commitment to create a thriving world.
People
We are committed to providing authentic local experiences that enable educational opportunities for our guests to connect more deeply in the destinations they're visiting, as well as providing an economic benefit to the communities we visit, worldwide.
Just a Drop
Country: Cambodia
Project: Sponsorship of Trapeang Svay Village
Cambodia's Trapeang Svay Village is geographically close to Siem Reap, the gateway to the antiquities of Angkor Wat – but it doesn't benefit from tourism dollars. The rural village is in an area with high rainfall; the water is contaminated, and it is not safe to drink. Combined with a lack of sanitation and hygiene resources – and facilities – preventable illnesses are rampant in the village. Tauck sponsorship helps to construct latrines for better sanitation and hygiene; provide Biosand filters to clean water, remove pathogens, and make it safe to drink; and conduct community WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) trainings.
Save the Rain
Country: Tanzania
Project: Women's Water Initiative
The installation of 40 residential rainwater harvesting systems in villages with inadequate services in Tanzania is our current project with Save the Rain – and has provided more than 1,000 individuals with clean, safe water. Strategically placed systems help extended family and neighbors as well direct recipients; in East Africa, naturally occurring fluoride in groundwater can be harmfully high, with devastating effects on children's development. When a family has no water, education is not a priority; 80% of children were walking for water instead of going to school. With safe, clean rainwater at home, 95% of children have attained perfect school attendance.
Before the installation of rainwater harvesting systems, the majority of the women in these communities walked 3 to 6 hours per day for water searching for enough water to meet their family's needs. Their walk was dangerous – and so was the water, if they found any. With unclean water, illness seeps into the home; poor health erodes resources, productivity, and educational opportunities. The installation of these rainwater harvesting systems had a positive impact and made a difference.
Abriendo Mentes
Country: Costa Rica
Project: Innovative educational and community development programs in the Province of Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Tauck is supporting programs created and run by Abriendo Mentes, a Costa Rica organization that was established in 2009 to create thriving and economically stable communities. Their focus is on "empowering individuals from rural/underserved communities in Guanacaste, Costa Rica to develop the skills they need to seize educational and economic opportunities for themselves and their families." Programs are designed to "use the power of education to create brighter futures" – "Educate, Enhance and Empower" is Abriendo Mentes' catalyst for sustainable impact on the lives of local community members. Innovative educational and community development programs include computer classes, English classes and many different types of programs within the communities.
Places
We are committed to the cultural and historical preservation of the destinations we visit, to help to ensure the past is present for the future – and to help to foster understanding in an interconnected world
Lobkowicz Collections
Country: Czech Republic
Project: Restoration of the Antonín Dvořák Birth House
A Tauck grant supports the restoration of the Baroque birth house of celebrated Czech composer Antonín Dvořák; adjacent to Nelahozeves Castle, it is a very significant destination for music lovers worldwide. This national landmark will be developed into a center for education, inspiring and nurturing young musical talent with dedicated practice and performance spaces, courses, and workshops – and diverse outreach programs will offer new ways to appreciate and engage with Dvořák's life and music.
Grand Teton National Park Foundation
Country: US
Project: Reimagining Mormon Row project at Grand Teton National ParkTauck has provided multiple grants over several decades to ensure the protection and preservation of the history and stories of Mormon Row – a "line village" (formerly called the Community of Grovont) that was one of the earliest communities settled by Mormons from the Salt Lake region; it was acquired to expand Grand Teton National Park, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. A longstanding supporter of the revitalization, Tauck actively participates in volunteerism including Hammer Corps, a program in which Tauck employees helped restore and preserve this iconic treasure.
Planet
By traveling responsibly, and in partnership with our global suppliers, we continually search for – and identify – opportunities to reduce our environmental impact worldwide, such as our small group experiences.
Ponant & Sustainability at Sea
Ponant, our longstanding cruise partner, is a leader in sustainable tourism. They've launched a "Zero Single-Use Plastic" policy; reduced CO2 emissions as part of their zero emissions ambition; and upgraded their ships to include new equipment for waste management. Ponant earned Green Globe certification meeting 44 criteria – and their support for scientific research includes welcoming more than 100 scientists aboard Le Commandant Charcot last year with a focus on protecting marine ecosystems.
San Blas Islands
Country: Panama
Project: Beach cleanup
Led by our Tauck Directors, Tauck guests make a difference in Panama when they have an opportunity to participate in a beach clean-up on the San Blas Islands. A significant amount of trash washes up on the islands daily – in particular plastics, which have a negative effect on the islands. With the assistance of our Ponant crew, the trash is transported for safe disposal.
Galápagos Conservancy
Country: Ecuador
Project: Rewilding expedition in the Galápagos Islands
In partnership with the Galápagos Conservancy, and as part of our commitment to protecting and preserving our planet and fragile ecosystems, Tauck is the first company to underwrite a research and rewilding expedition in the Galápagos Islands to help restore the populations of native tortoises. Driven to extinction on some islands, and on the brink of extinction on others, today only 10% of the original population remains. They are critical to the fragile ecosystems in the Galápagos, and Tauck is committed to helping restore the populations of these once thriving animals.
Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust
Country: Zimbabwe
Project: Rescue and Rehabilitation Program
The Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust is dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of wildlife that have been injured or orphaned due to human interference (a large percentage of rescue cases are wildlife that have been trapped in wire snares by poachers). Their mission is to actively advance and promote environmental conservation and the sustainable use of indigenous resources in Southern Africa. Their vision: local and international communities across Southern Africa working together through effective management, to ensure natural ecosystems are sustained to the benefit of all.
Rescue and rehabilitation of wildlife has been at the core of the the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust since it was established: "... we are called in on cases where wildlife have been injured or orphaned due to human interference and we will assist in looking after that animal. Where wildlife need veterinary or high-care beyond what we can provide in the field, we will bring it into our wildlife High Care Rehabilitation Facility until it is recovered and can be released safely into the wild."
Routeburn Dart Wildlife Trust
Country: New Zealand
Project: Supporting the conservation and protection of endangered native bird species along the Dart River
Tauck is supporting the conservation and protection efforts of Routeburn Dart Wildlife Trust who trap introduced predators to stop them from killing New Zealand's native wildlife in the Glenorchy area. They also monitor species in this region by carrying out annual bird surveys and regular five minute bird counts. Throughout New Zealand, many of the native bird species are at risk of extinction due to non-native predators, which threaten local ecosystems.
Volunteerism, a Tauck Tradition
Going hand-in-hand with destination grants is our commitment to encourage and actively participate in volunteerism. Our commitment to destination preservation can be traced back to Arthur Tauck Jr's quiet donation to preserve the bell tower of the old North Church in Boston – a landmark visited by Tauck's very first guests in 1925 and countless thousands hence.
These efforts include Tauck's on-tour national park guest volunteer program that won a
"Preserve America" presidential award. Additionally, hundreds of Tauck employees
have participated in annual volunteer days in places like Valley Forge, Harper's Ferry,
The Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Ellis island, Gettysburg National Military Park and more.