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 PrintableVersion Was your holiday ethical?You pay your money - you take your holiday. But where does the money end up?When you hand a tour operator anything from £500 to £1,500 for your two weeks in the sun, what do they do with it? And who benefits? These were some of the questions Tearfund asked 100 UK-based tour operators at the end of last year. The results are published in a report 'Tourism - putting ethics into practice'. The operators interviewed ranged from the big names (Thomson, Airtours, First Choice) to smaller, more specialist ones such as Dragoman (overland operator) and Rainbow Tours (going to Southern Africa). Tearfund also tried to interview the main Christian operators, some of whom (e.g. MasterSun, Highway Journeys) were very co-operative and had plenty of good practice to demonstrate. Others could not find the time to speak to them. A full list of those contacted is in the report. It was found that smaller operators are leading the way in ethical behaviour. They offered plenty of examples where their tours benefited local people through staying in locally-owned hotels, using local restaurants and employing local guides. Explore Worldwide always work with local guides, who have a better local knowledge and understanding of local culture. Last year they brought guides over from Sri Lanka, trained them in dealing with European tourists and employed them full time when they returned. Community developmentIt is increasingly common for tours to link in with community development initiatives. Dragoman go to one such programme in the Usumbura Mountains, Tanzania. Clients receive a guided tour through the mountains and forest and experience the daily life and farming methods of Wasamba farmers. All profits are used to assist primary schools in the local area so that the whole community benefits from tourism. Smaller companies also give more money to charity as a percentage of their profits. After the earthquake in Turkey in 1999 MasterSun (through their charitable arm, MasterServe) launched an appeal and raised over £50,000 for the reconstruction work led by the Turkish church. Highway Journeys give all of their profits to charity, which in 2000 meant £200,000 to support the church and development work in Israel/ Palestine. Bigger companies?What are the bigger tour operators doing? Due to the number of tourists, they are in a position to make the biggest difference. Some, like Thomson Holidays and British Airways Holidays, are starting to address their responsibilities and have appointed a responsible tourism officer and produced an environmental policy. But there is still much to be done, and some of the market leaders don't seem to be concerned. How can tourists find out who is ethical? One of the problems is that only 25% of tour companies interviewed have an ethical code and few publicise what they do to support development. So how do tourists know which companies are the most ethical and therefore who to travel with? There are perhaps two options at the moment. Two optionsFirstly, ask tour operators some searching questions before you book. What assessment have they made of the benefits they bring to local destinations? What are they doing to support local business and ensure fair wages? Do they have staff members dedicated to responsible tourism issues? Secondly, check out a new website, responsibletravel.com. It features trips all over the world with a variety of tour operators who have met the site's ethical criteria. These trips are independently monitored by feedback from tourists, and are continually updated. For details on Tearfund's ethical tourism campaign call 0845 355 8355 or visit http://www.tearfund.org © Evangelicals Now - September 2001 |
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