Tourism Concern in danger of closing
Wednesday, 15 Oct, 2009
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Campaigning charity Tourism Concern may close before Christmas through lack of funds.
The organisation urgently needs £40,000 to survive.
Director Tricia Barnett says that the recession is partly to blame for the financial crisis but the main reason is that the trusts and government sources which support the charity will not fund its basic running costs.
“Our core work supports people, particularly in the developing world, whose human rights have been severely impacted by tourism developments. They often have no other recourse to get their problems heard and supported except through us”, says Barnett.
"Without £40,000 we will have to close the door to people all over the world who come to us for help and support. Often they live in fear of reprisals if they speak out about their land or water resources being snatched in the name of a tourism development. Other times they simply need an outside person to give them advice and guidance about how best to manage a difficult situation, such as poor working conditions.”
Tourism Concern’s forthcoming report, Putting Tourism to Rights, highlights cases of villagers deprived of water by new hotels and golf courses; indigenous people put on show like animals in a zoo; children exploited by tourism; lack of working rights for hotel staff; and land grabs and environmental erosion caused by unchecked tourism expansion.
Tourism Concern was founded 20 years ago and its many successes include:
- The Sun, Sand, Sea and Sweatshops campaign that resulted in the UK’s leading tour operators adopting policies on labour conditions for hotels.
- The campaign, Trekking Wrongs: Porter’s Rights, improved the lives of hundreds of porters and their families. The majority of UK trekking operators have adopted Tourism Concern’s code of conduct.
- After lobbying by Tourism Concern the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office established a permanent multi-stakeholder panel to protect destinations from unnecessarily prolonged or geographically far-reaching travel advisories.
- Three out of four secondary schools in the UK requested Tourism Concern’s educational pack, Beyond the Brochure, raising the awareness of thousands of children about key tourism issues.
- Tourism Concern’s library holds the most comprehensive book stock and educational resources on tourism in the UK and is widely used by students and academics.
The charity is currently working with local groups in India and Sri Lanka to campaign against post-tsunami tourism developments that have resulted in people being forced from their homes and lands. A planned exhibition of stories and photographs,
Destination Tsunami: Stories and Struggles from the Coast, is now in jeopardy.
Which? Magazine identified Tricia Barnett, Tourism Concern’s director, as one of the five most influential movers and shakers in the UK travel industry.
Messages of support have flooded in: “Tourism Concern’s tireless promotion of the rights of destination communities has raised the consciousness of the travel industry on these often difficult issues…this valuable contribution would be missed,” said Jane Ashton, head of sustainable development at TUI Travel
“I’m completely torn by this news. I completely do not want Tourism Concern to go down. It would be a disaster for the industry,” said Amanda Marks of Tribes Travel.
“Tourism Concern is a valuable organization. The world, and in particular UK tourism, would be the worse if it folded,” commented Chris McIntyre of Expert Africa
Said Adama Bah, of The Gambia is Good, winner of the responsibletravel award for contributing most to responsible tourism: “Tourism Concern stands for respect, justice and fair play for the less fortunate in destinations around the world. They have been an inspirational journey of awareness.”
*Do you want to help save Tourism Concern? Contact Tricia Barnett directly:
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7133 3800
Mobile: +44 (0)7896 337 690
Email: [email protected]
For more information about Tourism Concern campaigns: www.tourismconcern.org.uk
by Valere Tjolle
Get sustainable tourism benefitswww.travelmole.com/stories/1138679.php
Valere
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