TRENDS
We ask a lot of tourism these days ... that it be eco, that
it be sustainable and that it be responsible. Global tourism
has changed in the past decade. A growing number of travelers
want their journeys to be less invasive and more beneficial
to the local community. They want to better understand the culture
of the places they visit.
Travelers and locals are seeking ways of building constituencies
with the shared goal of making tourism more responsible.
Says noted author and activist Deborah McLaren: "An umbrella
term that encompasses this new mindset and mode of travel is
'responsible tourism' which is based on ethics and human rights.
It also means support for community-based travelers' programs
-- homestays, guest cottages, ethno-museums, and educational
programs that bring tourist dollars directly into communities."
BACKGROUND
Responsible tourism asks visitors to make choices about their
vacations so that negative impacts are minimized. It is popularized
by Transitions
Abroad and defined in the 2002 Capetown
Declaration:
• minimizes negative economic, environmental, and social
impacts;
• generates greater economic benefits for local people
and enhances the well-being of host communities, improves working
conditions and access to the industry;
• involves local people in decisions that affect their
lives and life chances;
• makes positive contributions to the conservation of
natural and cultural heritage, to the maintenance of the world's
diversity;
• provides more enjoyable experiences for tourists through
more meaningful connections with local people, and a greater
understanding of local cultural, social and environmental issues;
• provides access for physically challenged people; and
• is culturally sensitive, engenders respect between tourists
and hosts, and builds local pride and confidence.
The declaration
concludes with a commitment 'to work with others to take responsibility
for achieving the economic, social and environmental components
of responsible and sustainable tourism.'
CONCLUSION
The work ahead lies in connecting top-down and grassroots efforts.
Responsible travel means extending solidarity over time. Efforts
that lack continuity, even if developed with good intentions,
can make situations worse.
For a recommended overview, download the Responsible
Tourism Handbook (PDF) published by Transitions
Abroad.
What is the opposite of responsible tourism? How about irresponsible
tourism?! There is even a web forum
that discusses the troubling aspects in travel such as wildlife
exploitation and irresponsible tour operators.
FEATURES
Responsible
Travel Photography
Choosing
where to go and what to do once you get there
Definitions
Ethical
Travel
How to be a responsible traveler
PLANETA FORUM
Responsible
Tourism
Kerala
Conference
Ethical
Travel Dialogue
GUIDELINES
OTHER FORUMS
Irresponsible
Tourism
Responsible
Travel - Afrikatourism
Responsible
Travel - Lonely Planet
RECOMMENDED
FORUMS
FLICKR
A
Place to Sit
What
is the value of attention?
ONLINE
FLICKR
WIKI
Toward Effective Communication in Responsible Travel and Ecotourism
ONLINE
WIKI
BLOGS
Harold
Goodwin
BLOGS
VIDEO
Message
for Responsible Tourism Conference
VIDEO
ELSEWHERE ON THE WEB
Ethics
and Sustainable Tourism - David Fennell (slidecast)
Responsible
Travel on Facebook - Afrikatourism
Responsible
Travel - Transitions Abroad
Turismo
Responsable - Buen Viaje
EVENT
International
Conference Focuses on Responsible Tourism (Kerala,
India)
International
Conference on Responsible Tourism
QUOTABLE
Irresponsible travel to me is where the focus is entirely
on the visitor, to the neglect and detriment of the host and
their community.
- Jane Crouch, Ecoclub
Interview
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