Gallery Donations
Social
From Charity to Strategy ...
SeavisTours takes her social and environmental responsibility serious. For us it is not only an moral obligation but now it becomes an integral part of our business strategy. For years already we sponsor and donate to several projects in the area, but we take it one step further. The support and donations will become an integral part of our core business strategy. Read below how... And we hope that we set an example so other small companies follow our initiative...
A new business strategy: from Charity to Strategy ....
In the past we spend between 10% and 15% of our income on advertising in order to get new bookings. In 2017 we have changed this: we have limited our advertising and we now offer each guest that did an excursion with us to Give Away a Discount Coupon to friends and acquaintances. You can share the discount coupon and when your friends book with us they get a 10% discount. At the same moment we donate on your behalf towards one of our social projects. Everybody wins!
We need your help....
We are passionate about this initiative because it totally fits our vision. We are committed to offer great tours each-and-every day and to give you the best experience ever...
We hope that you share your experience with your friends and that your friends book with us based on your recommendation.
And we hope that the number of bookings we receive in this way
equals or exceeds the number of bookings we get through advertising, so that we can spend our total advertising budget towards the social and ecological projects (without jeopardizing the
survival of our company).
Help us to proof that small companies like us can do this! We serve as an example for a lot of small companies and when we proof that
we can do this they will follow... with the result that the money that normally would end up at an advertising agency is now spend towards good local causes.
How does it work....
After you have joined one of our excursions you will receive an email with the offer to 'give away a discount coupon'. This email can be sent from another platform
like "YourTourPhotos.com" (if you have bought the photos) or "Tour-Coupon.com", so keep an eye on these emails. Don't worry we own these properties.
In the email we describe how you can share the discount with your friends and how we donate on your behalf towards the projects.
You also can become a "SeavisTours' Ambassador" if you want to take your involvement a step further .. it is explained in the email too.
If you have lost the email or you want to get involved now, than please email Ramon.
Our Social and Ecological Projects
Each of the projects we support is linked to a specific excursion. During this excursion we explain and show the project and donations for participants of that specific excursions go to the linke project. Below you can see what project is linked to which excursion:
| Excursion | Project |
|---|---|
| Saona Crusoe VIP |
Saona Sea Turtle Project |
| Saona Special |
Catuano Coral Restoration Project |
| Tanama River Day |
Rural Village Projects |
| Tanama Wonder of Nature |
Rural Village Projects |
| Rio Chavon Special |
Rural Village Projects |
Hover over the images on the right to read more about the different projects.
Facebook Galleries of our past Donation-Days in the Bateys and the Special Groups on Tanama.
As soon as we donate we will post this on our Facebook Page, check the albums above.
Our Social Projects:
Hover over the images to read more.
1. Saona Sea Turtle Project
Sea Turtle conservation project on the island of Saona:
Most of you know our Sea Turtle project on the island Saona. We donate a monthy sum to keep this project going since the foreign funding has dried up. From our donations and from the tips they receive the operational costs and the salary of Negro (the local hero) are paid. The university of Santo Domingo is responsible for the scientific research and management.
2. Coral Restoration Project
Coral Restoration Catuano:
Most of our staff are vivid scuba divers and in 2017 vented their concern about the degradation of the coral reefs along our coast. We have decided to start a Coral Restoration project. This project serves multiple purposes:
- Coral Reefs are the natural defense against the (raising) sea in tropical regions.
By restoring the reefs we contribute to protecting our beaches.
- Coral Reefs house 25% of the oceans fish population. By restoring the reefs we support the local food supply, local villagers are mainly fishermen.
- Coral Reefs are beautiful snorkel and dive spots. We create a major tourist attraction.
We are working with Fundemar, a local foundation with various ecological projects. In 2018 we will install 6 coral nurseries in front of our beach in Catuano, build a little info center and start with a huge semi-artificial reef that should protect the western coast of Saona Island. Our guests are invited to participate in the nursery activities and in the planting of the coral frags (seedlings). More about this project lateron...
3. Rural Village Projects
Village Project - Improvements
We ask the community leaders of surrounding rural villages for their specific needs. We try to donate for structural (lasting) improvements. As example:
- in 2015 we paid for the installation of the total electrical system in the school of Gato after the village was connected to the grid.
- In Mano Juan we have contributed to the 'internet center' of the school.
- We pay for the sport tenues in various villages and sponsor the transport of junior teams in their 'inter-village'
baseball competitions.
- We have renovated the children playing grounds in Padre Nuestro so the mothers can
follow the employment courses.
- We pay for the 'scraper' every 3 months to maintain the 5 kilometer long rural road that connects Gato, Padre Nuestro and various
communities to the tar road.
More to follow...
Village Project: Employment Project Benerito:
For participants of the Jungle Eco Tour: you have been at the jewelry project for the women of Benerito (Padre Nuestro).
In this center local women are trained to make gifts of natural materials. They can sell their gifts to the gift shops in tourist areas and in doing so earn an income.
We donate monthy to this project because it has quite a reach (women for other villages are trained here too). We want to support villages that do not directly
benefit from the stream of tourists.
Village Project - Donation-Days in Bateys:
A lot of guests to the Dominican Republic bring clothes, toys and school supplies to us for distribution in the remote villages (the 'Bateys').
Every two to three months we organize a 'Donation-Day' in a particular village to give away the collected items. We add necessary items (like glasses and medicines
for people who need this).
Before we have a Distribution Day we visit the community leaders (the teacher, pastor, etc.) in the village and discuss their needs and
the organization on the day. Without their help we will be overrun by eager children once they snuff out we have presents...
Special Groups Tanama:
Every month we invite a special group to visit our Tanama Ranch and to enjoy the tour. We did have groups from orphan houses, HIV children and school groups from the poorest areas. The goal is to give these children a nice day and to make them aware of the beautiful nature we have and the need to preserve this. This is not possible without your donations. For the groups everything is for free, including the transfers, the tour and the lunch. And they enjoy it!
