6th November World Responsible Tourism Day

Wednesday 6 November is WTM World Responsible Tourism Day 2013

Wednesday 6 November is WTM World Responsible Tourism Day 2013 it is marked around the world with special events, communications and consumer promotions, demonstrating the industry’s determination to make a real difference. This year the themes for World Responsible Tourism Day are Water, Climate Change, Child Protection, Volunteering and Accessibility. And looking across the logo users for this year, it is easy to find examples of pioneering and successful responses to these issues. When it comes to water and climate change, company after company is implementing resource efficient measure depending upon their situation, or encouraging local travel and food, installing renewable energy sources etc.

Nevertheless, what is WTM Responsible Tourism?
An effort to help build a solid, sustainable future for travel and tourism.
In 2002, 280 representatives from all sectors of tourism from 20 countries attended the Cape Town Conference on Responsible Tourism in Destinations, preceding the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg. A declaration on responsible tourism was agreed.


The 2002 Cape Town declaration agreed that responsible tourism:

• minimises negative economic, environmental and social impacts
• generates greater economic benefits for local people and enhances the well being of host communities; improves working conditions and access to the industry
• involves local people in decisions that affect their lives and life chances
• makes positive contributions to the conservation of natural and cultural heritage embracing diversity
• provides more enjoyable experiences for tourists through more meaningful connections with local people, and a greater understanding of local cultural, social and environmental issues
• provides access for physically challenged people
• is culturally sensitive, encourages respect between tourists and hosts, and builds local pride and confidence

WTM has four realistic objectives for this day of action.

WTM WRTD, with support from the UNWTO wants the industry to work together to:

• help drive change by educating more responsible behaviour with the travel and tourism industry and travelling public
• explore the issues of how countries and destinations are made more sustainable including case studies of best practices
• educate the marketplace and debate key environmental related issues to push the agenda and be a catalyst for change
• harness the influence of World Travel Market as an international business forum to encourage the industry to drive the responsible tourism agenda forward

Source:wtmresponsibletourism.com
Source:blog.wtmresponsibletourism.com