Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
E GLOBAL INSIGHT E
Ethics
T The ''Responsible Tourist and Traveler'' is a short, practical
3. Help preserve natural environments.
Protect wildlife
and habitats and do not purchase products made from
endangered plants or animals.
guide to make trips an enriching experience. The advice is
based on the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism developed and
published by the United Nations World Tourism Organization
(UNWTO). This publication should be required reading for tourism
policy makers, and they should incorporate the ethical principles
into policy.
4. Respect cultural resources.
Activities should be
conducted with respect for the artistic, archaeological, and
cultural heritage.
5. Your trip can contribute to economic and social
development.
Purchase local handicrafts and products to
support the local economy using the principles of fair trade.
Bargaining for goods should reflect an understanding of a fair
wage.
Visit www.unwto.org/en and click on Global Code of Ethics, then
click on full text to review the entire code (eight pages).
The Responsible Tourist and Traveler
6.
Inform yourself about the destination's current
health situation and access to emergency and
consular services prior to departure and be assured
that your health and personal security will not be
compromised.
Travel and tourism should be planned and practiced as a
means of individual and collective fulfillment. When practiced
with an open mind, it is an irreplaceable factor of self-
education and mutual tolerance and for learning about the
legitimate differences between peoples and cultures and their
diversity.
Make sure that your specific requirements
(diet, accessibility, medical care) can be fulfilled before you
decide to travel this destination.
7. Learn as much as possible about your destination and
take time to understand the customs, norms, and
traditions.
Everyone has a role to play creating responsible travel and
tourism. Governments, business, and communities must do all
they can, but as a guest, you can support this in many ways to
make a difference:
Avoid behavior that could offend the local
population.
8. Familiarize yourself with the laws so that you do not
commit any act considered criminal by the law of the
country visited.
1. Open your mind to other cultures and traditions.
This
will transform your experience; you will earn respect and be
more readily welcomed by local people. Be tolerant and
respect diversity—observe social and cultural traditions and
practices.
Refrain from all trafficking in illicit drugs,
arms, antiques, protected species, and products or substances
that are dangerous or prohibited by national regulations.
2. Respect human rights.
Exploitation in any form conflicts
with the fundamental aims of tourism. The sexual
exploitation of children is a crime punishable in the
destination or at the offender's home country.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1.
How does a responsible tourist behave?
2.
Why is the UNWTO a leader in promoting tourism ethics?
activity has been oversimpli ed; in reality, a range of policy options would normally be developed in an
attempt to respond to alternative implications or alternative scenarios. Some judgment would then be
exercised as to which implications or scenarios are most likely to occur. Policy/program recommen-
dations most appropriate to the most likely scenario events would probably, although not necessarily,
be adopted.
Implementation Phase
Finally, for a destination tourism policy to truly succeed, it is essential to include an
implementation
strategy
. At a minimum, such a strategy must: (1) identify the individual groups or organizations
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