Holidaymakers favour ‘responsible operators’
Holidaymakers going to developing nations are being urged to choose a tour operator that is socially and environmentally responsible.
The Christian relief and development agency, Tearfund claims research carried out with ABTA revealed 52 percent of Britons would rather book a holiday with an operator that had a responsible tourism policy.
Tearfund ethical tourism advisor, Graham Gordon said: “People are getting increasingly adventurous as travel to exotic locations becomes more affordable. However, the more exotic locations tend to be in the world’s poorest countries – where millions of people struggle to survive on less than £1 a day – and more needs to be done to ensure that this tourism benefits those who actually live there.
“Tourism can provide significant benefits such as jobs, economic development and foreign currency. But all too often these countries reap no benefit, or worse, there is a negative impact. It can put pressure on scarce local resources such as water, damage the local environment, and any potential income may never reach the local economy”.
The development agency claims that one in ten holidays are to developing nations, notably in Africa, Latin America and Asia.
Tearfund is urging holidaymakers to ask operators about their policy on issues such as fair wages for local workers, environmental impacts, support of local businesses, company donations to local community development projects, and the advice handed out to holidaymakers about local cultures.
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