NGOs and intermediary organisations To many NGOs it is
clear that unless we choose for a more responsible development of tourism, the
outlook for a sustainable growth of tourism is not very positive. Socio-economic developmentFor many destinations in developing countries the main issue within sustainable development is socio-economic development. Because of the lack of opportunities for their inhabitants, most of them do not know tourism as westerners do: from being a tourist, but only as an employee or an outsider. Therefore most people in those destinations see tourism mainly as a source of income contributing either to their own income or to the social and economic standards of their society. Over the past years some large NGOs promoting the socio-economic empowerment of local groups in developing countries in general have been developing policies and projects to assist them in getting their share from tourism development, notably SNV (the Netherlands) and GTZ (Germany). Government related bodies have been cooperating with NGOs to achieve tourism development methods suited for international cooperation notably ILO and DFID, with its Pro-Poor Tourism project. In the Netherlands the Sustainable Development Agreement has worked on products and processes to develop sustainable tourism in an equal, participatory and reciprocal way between four partner countries. The Retour Foundation has developed and tested a method to assist in the empowerment of local groups in tourism development.Some NGOs are interested in certain aspects of tourism e.g., to assist in capacity building and promoting the interests of small scale enterprises within sustainable development. We have collected relevant information on our web pages dedicated to small scale entrepreneurs. This often offers concrete and practical actions which enhance the sustainable quality of companies, without threatening its economic continuity. There we offer a collection of methods and tools which will help in creating responsible entrepreneurship. To show that it actually is possible to apply these methods and tools into concrete and feasible projects and businesses, we have added a list of best practices and Codes of Conduct. We also offer a special section for entrepreneurs. Environmental issuesProtection of the environment has always been an issue on the agenda of tourism developers. The idea that nature is an important ingredient to draw tourists always guaranteed at least the verbal support of all stakeholders in tourism development for conservation of those natural resources which make a destination an attraction. And through the concept of ecotourism this support got a marketable shape. And it is undisputable that some forms of ecotourism have led to the conservation of some nature parks world wide. But since Rio-92 the concept of protection of the environment has grown wider than just saving some trees by paying a small contribution for a visit. It is recognized that one of the main problems for tourism development is the need for transportation which, unless done by foot, horse or bicycle, will create considerable pollution. Especially the issue of air transport has drawn attention in this respect. But also the cruise industry has been criticized for its environmental behaviour. But other issues are important also: equal sharing of resources such as water and energy, specific forms of environmental degradation like vanishing coral reefs, pollution related to tourism like local pollution of water resources and through garbage, energy production and consumption, local water consumption. A lot of information has been gathered and is available through the sites of NGOs involved in environmental issues like IUCN and The International Eco-tourism Society. Planeta.com offers a lot of link on these themes. But it is important to notice that since Rio-92 and the UN Commission on Sustainable Development many think it is more important to help people in taking care of their own environment than to donate money for nature conservation. In this respect socio-economic assistance is necessary for ecological conservation. Many organizations claim to support this strategy but a critical approach to these claims is always in place!
Human rightsHardly any tourist will be confronted with the overt violation of human rights in the countries they visit. Nevertheless, Amnesty International lists a lot of our popular holiday destinations as human rights violators. Obviously, respect for human rights is a precondition for sustainable development in general and sustainable tourism should contribute to more respect for these rights. A glimpse on Amnesty Internationals website would show that for most tourists it would not even be possible to spend a holiday in their own country, since hardly any tourist sending country has a clean record. The case of Birma has led to interesting discussions in this respect, but where one would draw the line to distinguish between a sustainable and a irresponsible destination is an issue which remains unsolved. Organizations that have contributed to the discussion on Human Rights and tourism are AkTE, Third World Network, Tourism Concern, Tourism Watch, ECTWT nd Birma Working Group.Best Practices, Criteria, Certification, Fair Trade and Codes of Conduct.Best practices can be motivating and offer support to those people interested in sustainable tourism. Over the past ten years lots of energy and money has been invested in making collections of best practices. To distinguish the best from the less good and the worst, criteria and indicators have been developed in a large variety. This discussion has hardly come to its end. But already many initiatives towards labeling, certification and accreditation for sustainable tourism have been undertaken. Although all of these are valuable exercises, hardly any has succeeded in offering the authority and clarity needed for a unique and universal label for sustainable tourism. The best we have got until now seems to be the discussion on Fair Trade and (voluntary) Codes of Conduct resulting from it. Nevertheless it seems that developing criteria and certification is the most appealing activity for many stakeholders to turn to. To assist you in getting a view of what has happened we have made an inventory of Best Practises, Criteria, Certification, Fair Trade and Responsible entrepreneurship and Codes of Conduct.Critical PositionsThe discussion on sustainable tourism dates back to the eighties, when people in South-east Asia started questioning the effects of tourism development in their countries. The issues of women being exploited and indigenous peoples being trampled, were main concerns back then. In the mean time much has happened. For a long time it seemed that alternative forms of tourism (such as eco-tourism, or social tourism) would offer an answer to the critics, but they never succeeded in being a real alternative and only reached a few percent of market-share. Despite the moves of governments, industry and some NGOs made towards a more sustainable development of tourism, many of the critical issues still exist, and many of the players who have been involved in this discussion since the beginning still find food for their critical approach towards tourism development. For anyone involved in sustainable development of tourism it is wise to get known with the positions of these critical, longstanding experts on tourism and development. Recommended reading can be found on the sites of AkTE, Tourism Watch, Tourism Concern, TIM team, Equations, ECTWT, TEN.An issue of great concern to many of these NGOs is the fact that discussions on sustainable tourism often seem to be held in a vacuum, relying on a situation of status quo, not taking account of the fact that there are important worldwide developments, which are changing the realities for many people: liberalization through the GATS agreement, the role of UN-bodies, the aftermath of 9/11 etc, the growing gap between rich and poor, etc. At the World Social Forum in India, NGOs want to put these issues on the agenda. The Retour Foundation has a webpage with critical articles on tourism. You can find these in our download center.
And then there is
of course the consumer side of tourism. In the end it are the choices the
consumers makes, that decide how tourism will affect sustainable development.
Lots of sites have been developed to assist tourists in making the right
choices. Retour has created the Holiday Mirror in which
tourists can see the effects of their behaviour, and where we help them in
making choices for responsible consumption. Other valuable sites are developed
by IUCN-NL, Nature Friends International
and Respect. Another
important issue in this respect is consumer protection. For more information you
should contact your local or national associations of
consumers.
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