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“India is India. Bold, bright and unapologetic. But see it through the looking glass of responsible tourism, and it appears brighter still — a heady mix of tradition and natural beauty, of culture and community.” This week Outlook Traveller, India's premier travel magazine, is launching a new website — www.responsibletourismindia.com — to celebrate and support the country’s growing ethical travel initiatives. The Indian Responsible Tourism Awards, the latest regional Awards programme in the World Responsible Tourism Award family are open – time to apply! Link
India’s Outlook Traveller are enthusiastic about Responsible Tourism and the new Awards: “With a largely disorganised, yet passionate fraternity, India has the potential to reverse the tide of mass tourism, and to quickly become the poster child of responsible tourism. Until then, Outlook Traveller, along with Responsible Travel, UK, will continue to spread the good word in this vast and beautiful nation."
2. Orphanage tourism features in The Global Slavery Index published by the Walk Free Foundation.
“1n 2011, UNICEF reported a 75 percent increase in the number of orphanages established in Cambodia between 2005 and 2010.[29]Funding from foreign donors coupled with increasing numbers of tourists attempting to add value to their vacations by volunteering at orphanages has driven the increase in residential care facilities. Poverty, particularly the inability of some parents to provide adequate living conditions or education for their children, and in some sinister cases, the opportunity to profit from the sale of their children into care, supplies this trend. When in care, some children are forced to perform dances for tourists, distribute flyers or perform farm work to raise sufficient funds for their maintenance.In 2016, NGOs continue to report a high number of residential care facilities being used as tourist attractions. More (page 100)
3. Is Climate Change Currently a Benefit to Some Countries and Businesses?
Is climate change all bad news? This big black cloud has a silver lining for a few. Back in 2014 Iceland’s Prime Minister said that climate change would be good for Iceland, melted ice caps would, he said, increase food production and export opportunities for his arctic island. In August this year tourists aboard a traditional cruise ship will in 32 days twice traverse the Northwest Passage from Anchorage to New York and back. Meanwhile global warming gathers momentum Global record warm for 13th consecutive month. More
4. Join in World Responsible Tourism Day
At WTM this year much more activity is planned for the Responsible Tourism Stand on the show floor and we want to carry photos and videos of people around the world engaging in World Responsible Tourism Day – we have a lot of material but if you have images, video or stories about your activities for World Responsible Tourism Day please contact Aaraminta.sugden@reedexpo.co.uk Take a look at what our supporters did for World Responsible Tourism Day in 2016 link
5. Responsible Tourism Speed Marketing at WTM
Last year’s Responsible Tourism Speed Marketing event was a huge success and this year there are many more tables for buyers. The Speed Networking format enables Responsible Tourism buyers and exhibitors to meet for 6 minute mini-meetings to discover whether they have similar business interests that they would like to pursue during WTM. On the show floor the sellers take the booths and the buyers visit. In the speed networking the buyers have the tables and the sellers visit them – and there is no charge for the tables. If you would like to take a table this year email harold@haroldgoodwin.info
6. Child Rights Impacts in Travel and Tourism
Children have Human Rights too. A concerted effort by companies is needed to understand how children living in tourist destinations are affected – positively and negatively – by their business operations and supply chains. Wage levels, opportunities for young workers, working conditions for mothers, provision of child care and after school activities, child labour, voluntourism and sexual exploitation are all issues. More and here.
7. #StopOrphanTrips campaign
Engaging 35 different bloggers and writers has begun to make more in the industry pay attention. .Tthe initial analyticsreported that the various posts had received 123,419 views and 26,668 likes or shares on social media. 2201 tweets were sent with the hashtag #StopOrphanTrips. A single article on the Guardian’s Sustainable Development Professionals (GDPN) website received 15,000 page views and 9,484 social, shares, nearly 10 times more engagement than most pieces published on GDPN. In addition to the coverage in the Guardian, the Telegraph picked up on the campaign and interviewed Anna Mckeon and the LSE’s David Coles about it. And David was also interviewed on the BBC’s flagship Today news programme, which routinely gets 7.18 million listeners per week. more
8. Changes in the International Centre for Responsible Tourism
Dr Xavier Font is moving on from Leeds Beckett to the University of Surrey as Professor of Sustainability Marketing from 1st September, his work on Responsible Tourism Communications will continue. Professor Harold Goodwin is retiring to spend more time writing, developing the Responsible Tourism programme at the World Travel Markets in London, Cape Town, Sao Paulo and Dubai and undertaking some consultancy. He has also been elected chair of the Faversham Society and of the Sea Cadets.
The ICRT continues to grow and Xavier and Harold will remain active in it. We are anticipating that there will be two or three International Conferences on Responsible Tourism in Destinations in 2017.
9. SANParks concerned about the use of mobile apps
South African National Parks has expressed concern about the introduction of mobile applications designed to share information on interesting animal sightings in national parks, particularly in the iconic Kruger National Park, The rise in the use of these applications has resulted in an increased rate of lawlessness in the Parks including speeding, congestion at sightings as well as road kills caused by guests rushing to and congregating around these sightings. more
10. Fair Trade Tourism has new criteria
The new Fair Trade Tourism criteria do not allow for any physical interaction by tourists or volunteers with a range of captive animals, including all large and medium sized carnivores, big cats, elephants, rhinos, large apes, hippos, ostrich, crocodiles and venomous snakes.They also do not allow for tourists or volunteers to interact with any child or vulnerable person unless this takes place under continuous, qualified adult supervision. “Given the growing body of evidence from orphanages that interaction with casual visitors can be deeply psychologically damaging to these children, Fair Trade Tourism will not certify any volunteer experience based on full-time work inside orphanages,” adds Naidoo. Volunteer organisations and wildlife sanctuaries who strive for best-practice in their operations are invited to apply for certification from June 1 2016. www.fairtrade.travel
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Employment Opportunities
Travel Industry Operations Manager: Opportunity for an amazing people and travel oriented manager who enjoys finding the best in their colleagues and creating life changing travel experiences for customers with one of the industry's leading social enterprises and National Geographic's Holy Land operator, MEJDI Tours. More and to apply
Sustainability Specialist to contribute to the delivery of both Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Holidays sustainability programmes. Primary areas of focus will be environment – especially carbon reductions, metrics and reporting – and supply chains. More and to apply
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Responsible Tourism News is a newsletter of record carrying the 10 most important Responsible Tourism stories of the month. Please forward to those you think may be interested – you can subscribe here. If you wish to contribute a story email harold@haroldgoodwin.info or post it on our RTNews Facebook page.
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