A Chart for sustainable travel

Since tourism in the 21st century:

• is the world’s primary economic activity;
• moves more than 5 billion people every year (of which almost 600 million abroad);
• employs millions of workers (1 out of every 15 people in the world);
• is destined to grow exponentially in the next decades due to the development of transportation and communication infrastructure;

But considering also that mass and luxury tourism have often had negative effects on the environment, cultures, societies and economies in destination countries, especially in the global south, proper tourism development requires that precise parameters be drawn alongside appropriate conditions of implementation.
To this end, we refer also to influential documents produced in the last few years by different authorities. These texts illustrate well the guidelines and general values that we want to transmit. Among these are:

• Charter for Sustainable Tourism, Lanzarote, 27/28 April 1995
• UN’s Agenda 21, 14/6/1992
• The German NGO code and movement for 'Tourism with Insight'
• Tourism Bill of Rights and Tourist Code (WTO, 1985)
• Manila Declaration on the Social Impact of Tourism (WTO, May 1997)
• Montreal Declaration, 1997

It is therefore necessary that:

• We become more aware of the interaction between tourists, the tourism industry and host communities so as to encourage true respect for cultural diversities and a willingness to adapt to different habits and lifestyles from one’s own.
• Consumers become aware of their own active role in “buying” tour-products; as active consumers, the quality of their trip depends on them as does the destiny of millions of individuals in the destination country.
• We minimize the socio-cultural and environmental impacts produced by tourist flows.
• We respect and encourage the rights of local communities to decide what type of tourism should occur in their area and to create long-term relationships for international development and cooperation.

1. Express interest (or not) in meeting tourists, depending on tourist flows
2. If interested, local communities will respond to the tourism demand with appropriate receiving facilities.
3. Consider the different impacts tourism has on:
   • environment and scenery
   • road, building and land development so that infrastructure is improved with proper environmental impact evaluations

1. Questions his/her real expectations and motivations for his/her trip (i.e. rest and fun, in respect of the environment and the other, or knowledge, in the sense of culture and meeting the other to satisfy his/her desire for awareness and authenticity).
2. Asks to be properly informed by organizers and media on the socio-cultural context of the destination and not just the logistics of the trip, and takes steps to gain additional knowledge (through texts, guide books, websites, audiovisual media).
3. Is interested in creating (in person or through the organizers) contacts with members of the local host communities before departure, and/or is interested in meeting with members of civil society
4. Is interested and available to have pre-trip encounters with travel companions and/or tour guide.
5. Asks tour organizers to guarantee the ethical qualities of the trip so as to understand its environmental, economic and social characteristics.
6. Asks for price transparency so as to know which percentage of the tour price remains in the host communities.
7. Privileges trips that are flexible in terms of schedule and activities.

• Realistic catalogs, in which the destination is not presented in a misleading way, falsely, biased, ambiguously (this refers especially to sexual tourism) or exploitatively (i.e. by exploiting local traditional cultures)
• Documents that include: a geographic and environmental description of the destination; socio-economic and political information as well as information on current events; international development projects existing in the area; suggested norms and behavior for traveling in the host country.
• A selected bibliography for the destination country.

• The group assists in deciding, when possible, itinerary and schedule
• Any questions or doubts can be addressed
• Local contacts of the host community are provided for anybody interested

• Favoring lodging, restaurants, structures and transportation that are environmentally friendly (based on purifiers, proper waste management, energy saving).

• Asking state authorities of the destination countries to guarantee sustainable tourism development;
• Favoring services (transportation, lodging, restaurants) that conform to the local culture (i.e. not demanding foods foreign to the local culture);
• Selecting local partners that respect the minimum labor laws as established in the ILO’s country regulations (such as reasonable working hours, no under-age workers, fair pay and minimum wages in the country);
• Maintaining small tour groups so as to allow easier contact with local realities (especially if these realities are fragile) and avoiding that single communities are repeatedly and continuously exposed to unilaterally-decided upon mass tourism
• Organizing itineraries with flexible schedules and few sites to visit so as to allow for unrushed travel;
• Engaging properly trained leaders who can also act as intercultural facilitators;
• Avoiding an excess of organization that might keep the visitor from fully understanding the local reality;
• Not encouraging sexual encounters in tourism, and adamantly discouraging prostitution and child pornography;
• Organizing the participation of visitors in local and traditional events, shows and festivities that are open to foreigners and respect local traditions.

• Favoring services (transportation, lodging, restaurants) that are owned and run by families or small businesses;
• Choosing local services (transportation, lodging, restaurants) so as to lessen the divide between services for visitors and services for locals.
• Ensuring (through traceability and/or certification) that part of the funds spent by the visitors is distributed on site in a fair manner (from lodging to purchasing authentic handicrafts), and providing documentation with transparent prices and, in the case of multi-nationals, verifying that there is a true and consistent positive return to the local economy.

1. Considers sharing various aspects of local daily life a positive thing and does not demand privileges or practices that can cause a negative impact.
2. Does not flaunt riches or luxury that could be in stark contrast to the local style of life.
3. Ensures consent from people before photographing or filming them
4. Does not behave offensively or against local norms and culture.
5. Seeks out products and events that are expressions of local culture (i.e. handcrafts, gastronomy, arts, etc) while safeguarding their identities.
6. Respects the environment and the historic and cultural heritage.

1. Distributes an evaluation of the experience
2. Provides a local guide for better cultural interactions.

After travel

1. Checks if s/he was able to establish a satisfactory relationship with the people and the country visited
2. Evaluates how to maintain those relationships.
3. If s/he traveled in a group, answer the evaluation provided by the organizer and, if desired, participate in further meetings with the group participants.

1. Checks the evaluation results and, if possible, organizes a meeting with the participants to debrief them.
2. Produces informational material that records the experience and publishes it through written reports, photographs, films, etc.

Local host communities and authorities

1. Verify the results of the tour group they received: the impact, local meetings had, economic return.

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