Ethical Tourism
It is estimated that one third of all international tourist trips are now made to developing countries. In some of these countries, tourism can provide jobs and attract outside investment for things like infrastructure development. However, not all the money spent on a foreign holiday reaches the destination country. The World Bank estimates that 55% of income from international tourism in developing countries immediately leaves again via foreign owned airlines, hotels and tour operators, and payments from imported food, drink and supplies. And in some cases this leakage can be as high as 75%.
There can be other difficult issues too. Local communities are forced off their land by tourist developments. Hotel complexes and roads are sometimes built in environmentally-sensitive areas. Employment provided can be exploitative and low-paid.
It is easy to find horror stories, but it is harder to suggest a practical alternative. Poor communities will welcome the tourist dollar at almost any cost. It is not straightforward for the consumer either, as the label ‘ecotourism’ is attached to a variety of holiday packages that are anything but ethical. Here in the Gambia, a number of venues describe themselves as an ‘ecolodge’ but what this means varies. Some of these make strong attempts to support local communities, use local produce and labour, and restrict their environmental impact by installing solar electricity and composting toilets. Others use the word as a marketing gimmick without changing their practices at all.
The following organisations are attempting to promote ethical tourism.
Alternative Tourism Groups
Tourism Concern. Advocates ethical travel approaches. Confronts the travel industry over its abuses. www.tourismconcern.org.uk
Travel Foundation. Charity that helps local communities, NGOs, governments and tour operators to develop and market sustainable tourism projects.www.thetravelfoundation.org.uk
International Centre for Responsible Tourism. www.icrtourism.org
Responsible Tourism Partnership. www.responsibletourismpartnership.org
Gambia Responsible Tourism Groups
Association of Small Scale Enterprises in Tourism (ASSET). www.asset-gambia.com
Gambia Tourist Support (GTS). www.gambiatouristsupport.com
Aviation / Climate Groups
Airport Watch. Umberella movement uniting groups opposed to unsustainable airport expansion. www.airportwatch.org.uk
Plane Stupid. British campaign network taking action against airport expansion and aviation’s climate impact. www.planestupid.com
Low Fly Zone. Website promoting alternatives to air travel. http://lowflyzone.org
Books
The Final Call: in search of the true cost of our holidays (Leo Hickman, Eden Project Books, 2007).
The Ethical Travel Guide (Toursim Concern, Earthscan, 2006).
No-Nonsense Guide to Tourism (Pamela Nowicka, New Internationalist Books, 2007).
Publications
The March 2008 issue of the New Internationalist magazine featured the issue of ethical tourism. www.newint.org
