Ethical Tourism Conference to explore sector’s issues and solutions

An annual meeting and ethical tourism conference is set to take place on Saturday 7 February in Croydon Town Hall and will discuss how the industry is developing, an online ethical travel guide and future campaigns.

The event is being organised by charity Tourism Concern, which argues that tourism can provide meaningful benefits to people in local destination communities. The charity also works to expose and campaign against tourism’s worst human rights abuses.

Since forming in 1989 Tourism Concern notes that there is a growing awareness about the impact of tourism and the power and need for ethical consumerism, stating that there is an overwhelming need to make meaningful change and for alternatives that empower not exploit.

The full day conference will being at 10am on Saturday 7 February and will through until 4:30pm. The conference will kick off with an overview of issues in ethical tourism and a question and answer session on the issues raised. Future campaigns, country guides, an online ethical travel guide and interactive map that the organisation is working on will also be presented. A number of case studies, including Ethiopia and Burma, will also be showcased to highlight the impact responsible tourism can have.

To coincide with the event, Tourism Concern will also launch a new report – The perceived impacts of all-inclusive package holidays on host destinations – A Consumer Survey. The report presents the findings of a survey of over 1,700 holidaymakers into the perceived impacts of all-inclusive holidays. The survey’s findings include 55% of participants believing that a shift towards all-inclusive holidays is a negative develop and 65% stating that local communities are in some way made worse off by the establishment of all-inclusive resorts.

Tourism Concern’s Mark Watson said, “It is clear from the survey results and the views of participants that, while there is continuing demand for the advantages that the all-inclusive model offers to some holidaymakers, there is also an increasing awareness of the model’s negative impacts, even among those who enjoy the all-inclusive experience.”

Tickets for the full day event cost £35 and £25 for students and are available to purchase here, members of Tourism Concern can attend the event for free.

Photo: CyprusPictures via Flickr 

Further reading:

UN ethical tourism efforts praised

Sustainable tourism industry needs third party certification

Green Globe launches sustainable tourism certification

Sustainable tourism is an instrument to ‘protect nature and alleviate poverty’

The Guide to Sustainable Tourism 2014