Our Responsibility

Travel that gives back
to the places it visits

We believe a great journey should leave the destination better than it found it. Since our founding, responsible travel has been built into how we plan, partner, and operate — not as a policy, but as a conviction.

"The people who bring your journey to life — the guide, the hotel owner, the restaurant family — are Türkiye's greatest asset. Supporting them is not charity. It is good business."
Erkan Karakose, Co-founder · Experta Tours & Events

Responsible travel is not a feature. It is how we work.

At Experta, responsible tourism was never a marketing decision. It grew naturally from our roots as a locally-owned, locally-operated company. Our suppliers are not contracted vendors — many are long-term partners whose success is intertwined with ours.

We deliberately choose local, independent businesses over international chains wherever possible. We invest in the communities we take our guests through. We believe this makes our programs not only more ethical, but genuinely more memorable.

Our Approach

Three commitments we keep every day.

Local economy
first.

We prioritise independent, family-owned hotels, restaurants, and shops over international chains. Every booking we make keeps money circulating within the local community — not flowing out to a global head office.

Community
investment.

We partner with local foundations and support schools in the regions we operate. We believe the children growing up in the places our guests visit today are the custodians of those places tomorrow.

Responsible
program design.

We design itineraries that distribute visitor impact thoughtfully — balancing iconic sites with lesser-known destinations, and avoiding practices that put heritage sites, natural environments, or local communities under pressure.

Local Economy

Independent over international.

A traveller who stays in a family-run hotel, eats at a neighbourhood restaurant, and shops at a local artisan's workshop contributes far more to the destination's economy than one who stays in an international chain. We design every program with this in mind.

Accommodation

Independent & boutique hotels

We partner with carefully selected independent properties — from restored Ottoman mansions in Istanbul to family-run cave hotels in Cappadocia.

  • Locally owned and managed
  • Authentic design, rooted in local culture
  • Long-term supplier relationships
  • Revenue stays in the destination
Dining

Family kitchens & local chefs

Our restaurant selections tell the story of Turkish culinary tradition — from a grandmother's home kitchen in Gaziantep to a meyhane beloved by locals in Istanbul's backstreets.

  • No international chain restaurants
  • Menus that reflect local ingredients
  • Direct relationships with owners
  • Culinary heritage as a travel highlight
Shopping & Crafts

Artisans & independent traders

We introduce our guests to workshops where carpets are still hand-knotted, ceramics hand-painted, and copper hand-hammered — not tourist shops selling factory imports.

  • Certified artisan workshops
  • Fair and transparent pricing
  • Cultural context included in visits
  • No commission-driven referrals
Community

Investing in the places
we call home.

Türkiye is not just where we work. It is where our team lives, where our children go to school, and where we have roots going back generations. That is why community investment is personal for us.

We work alongside local foundations and contribute to educational initiatives in regions we operate — because we believe access to education and opportunity is the foundation of a community that can welcome the world with confidence and pride.

We also work directly with local guides, drivers, and coordinators on a fair-pay basis, ensuring that the people closest to the guest experience are compensated in a way that reflects the value they create.

12+
Years of community-rooted operations in Istanbul and across Türkiye
Local
All guides, drivers, and coordinators are Turkish nationals hired directly — no subcontracting
Fair
Above-market rates for our local supplier network, paid reliably and on time
How We Design Programs

Principles that guide every itinerary.

01
Distribute visitor impact thoughtfully
We avoid routing every group through the same three attractions. Our programs blend iconic highlights with lesser-known sites, spreading tourism's economic benefits more widely — and giving guests a richer experience in return.
02
Respect heritage sites and natural environments
We brief every group on site-specific behaviour before visits to sensitive locations. We work with guides who understand the conservation context, and we never choose a dramatic photograph opportunity over the long-term wellbeing of a site.
03
Transparent supplier relationships
We do not accept referral commissions from hotels, restaurants, or shops. Our recommendations are genuine. Our guests trust us to act in their interest, and we protect that trust — even when it costs us short-term revenue.
04
Honest about what we do not know
Responsible tourism is not a destination — it is a continuous process. We do not claim to have solved every challenge. We share what we are working on, what we have improved, and where we are still learning.

Travel with a company
that cares where it takes you.

Ask us about our sustainability practices — we are happy to share details with partners who share our values.

Get in Touch