UNIT 1: INTRODUCTION OF RESPONSIBLE TOURISM

Learning objectives:
- Demonstrate understanding of definitions commonly associated with responsible
tourism
- Demonstrate understanding of how individuals perceive aspects of sustainability when
making a purchase

I. Terminology.
Sustainable, responsible and regenerative tourism generally share the principles of
minimising negative impacts and maximising social, environmental and economic
benefits. These are also supported to some degree by narrower concepts, such as
ecotourism, ethical tourism and nature tourism.
Sustainable tourism: /səˈsteɪ.nə.bəl ˈtʊə.rɪ.zəm/ Sustainable tourism aims to minimise
the negative, and maximise the positive, impacts of tourism on the environment, society
and the economy.
Responsible tourism: /rɪˈspɒn.sə.bəl ˈtʊə.rɪ.zəm/ Aims to make better places for people
to live in and for people to visit and focuses on the need to take responsibility for the
impacts of tourism activity.
Ecotourism: /ˈiː.kəʊˌtʊə.rɪ.zəm/ Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the
environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and involves interpretation and
education.
Regenerative tourism: /rɪˈdʒen.ə.rə.tɪv ˈtʊə.rɪ.zəm/ This more recent and evolving
approach situates tourism as an integral part of a ‘living, networked system’. The aim is
not only to ‘do less harm’ but to rejuvenate and nourish by building “economies and
communities that thrive, and that allow the planet to thrive too.”
Green tourism: /ɡriːn ˈtʊə.rɪ.zəm/ Generally taken to mean tourism activity operating
in an environmentally-friendly manner.
Ethical tourism: /ˈeθ·ɪ·kəl ˈtʊə.rɪ.zəm/ A form of tourism that has been specifically
designed to encourage both the tourism industry and tourists to consider the ethical
implications of their actions and avoid participation in activities which contribute to
ethical abuses in tourism destinations.

1
Community based tourism: /kəˈmjuː.nə.ti -beɪst ˈtʊə.rɪ.zəm/ Tourism experiences
hosted and managed and/or owned by local communities which generate direct
economic benefits and are sustainable and responsible, enabling visitors to learn about
the local culture and way of life and communities to set up their own small-scale self-
managed business and improve their living conditions without damaging the
environment. May also include social enterprises and other not for profit models
designed to deliver benefits at a local level.
Nature tourism: /ˈneɪ.tʃər tourism/ Tourism based on the natural attractions of an area,
consisting of responsible travel to experience natural areas and their landscape, flora and
fauna, protecting the environment and improving the quality of life of locals.

II. Reading resources

Reading resource 1:
Understanding sustainability:
What is ‘sustainable tourism’ and why is it important?
The UNWTO defines sustainable tourism as “tourism that takes full account of its
current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs
of visitors, the industry, the environment, and host communities”1
A sustainable approach essentially involves recognising that whilst tourism can provide
many benefits, it also creates burdens which if not recognised and managed, place
destinations and their future at risk2. Sustainable tourism practices are therefore about
planning, developing and managing tourism in a way that ensures that:
• Negative impacts are managed and minimised, and the net benefits tourism
can create for places and people are enhanced;
• Natural resources are conserved, and biodiversity protected;
• Cultural traditions and heritage are respected, celebrated and preserved;
• Local economies and livelihoods are strengthened;
• The wellbeing and quality of life of communities are enhanced and they are involved
in tourism decision-making.
Sustainable tourism is not a product, a niche, a market proposition or even a ‘form’ of
tourism – all types of tourism can be made more sustainable. Neither does it connote a

2
particular level of luxury or service (although arguably it offers a better visitor
experience).
Importantly, sustainability is a process and not a goal – there is always more to achieve.
It can be helpful to think of sustainability as a ‘lens’ through which to view all tourism
activity, to consistently ensure that the way it is structured and delivered enhances rather
than diminishes destinations as places to live, work, visit and enjoy. All stakeholders
have a vital role to play in creating a sustainable destination:
• Policymakers: by creating an enabling environment in which sustainable tourism can
be implemented at national, regional and local level;
• Tourism and destination managers: by establishing models of tourism that will meet
the needs and priorities of the place and its people, and by identifying and accounting
for the costs of tourism development as well as the benefits it is intended to create;
• Tourism operators: by taking responsibility for the impacts of their operations, and
identifying ways in which they can positively contribute to destinations, their
economies, environment and communities;
• Local residents and communities: by actively participating in decisions about
whether and how to develop tourism in the places where they live;
• Visitors: by making choices that benefit the places they visit through responsible
behaviour, supporting local businesses, buying local produce, respecting local culture
and taking care of the environment.
Reading resource 2:
Responsible Tourism
2.1 Definition
The definition of responsible tourism was first introduced in the World Summit on
Sustainable Development in Cape Town, South Africa in 2002. This type of tourism is
built based on the principle foundation of sustainable tourism, including:
• Sustainable use of natural resources
• Respect, preserve and promote the authenticity in culture-society
• Guarantee long-term economic benefits and the equality in resource allocation
among stakeholders

3
It requires everyone from government to local people and tourists to actively involve
and bring positive changes via decision making and application of activities in order to
optimize economic, social and environmental benefits while mitigating related negative
impacts. Therefore, responsible tourism is more like an approach than a destination, with
the long-term result is creating a better living environment for local people, improving
natural, cultural and social conditions and building an interesting destination for tourists.

2.2 Characteristics of 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;
• makes positive contributions to the conservation of natural and cultural heritage,
to the maintenance of the world’s 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 people with disabilities and the disadvantages;
• is culturally sensitive, engenders respect between tourists and hosts, and builds
local pride and confidence

2.3 Benefits of responsible tourism

The core of responsible tourism is the principle of sustainable tourism which, according
to UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) and UNWTO (World Tourism
Organization), includes: society, environment and economics. Hence, responsible
tourism has certain impact these three factors:

Responsible tourism brings sustainable environment

Environment is an essential part of tourism. Both nature environment (ocean, forest,
waterfall, mountain, river, …) and man-made environment (historical heritage or relic)
need to be preserved and protected. Applying responsible tourism will contribute to
biodiversity reservation as well as ancient values and culture preservation. In a deeper
4
look, responsible tourism requires a scientifically and consciously extraction of natural
resources, guarantees the regeneration of these resources for future generations. For
example, Gansbaai, used to be a small fishing village no one knows of, became one of
the most attractive tourism spots in South Africa when it applied responsible tourism.
By creating experiential activities closely connected to nature without over-extraction
such as cage diving with sharks, kayaking, whale watching, horse riding or long hike,
Gansbaai is seen as a region of diverse eco-system and has been well-known all over the
world in the past 20 years.
Furthermore, protecting the environment does not solely means protecting rare animals
and plants living in the area, but it also creates many benefits for human: no pollution in
water, air and soil. Guarantee the harmony in living environment for other creatures
means doing the same for human.

Responsible tourism protects the authenticity of local communities

When an area is turned into tourist spot, there will be certain impact from tourists on the
culture and communities there. Local people might have to face traffic jam due to tourist
vehicles, overload in town or city due to too many tourists, crime rate might go up, new
language and culture will come and there might be people move in to do tourism service.
A typical example is Sapa, one of the most famous tourist attractions in Vietnam, many
ethnic families force their children to go sell souvenirs for money instead of going to
school. Even worse, kids might not know Vietnamese but they learnt the street kind of
English to talk to tourists. Or in Huong pagoda, a culture and religion system in Vietnam,
each year thousands of people come here in the beginning of the year. Together with
that, hundreds of tourist vans and motorbikes gather at one place causing serious traffic
jam. Moreover, stealing and dragging tourists happen because some people make use of
the crowd and careless of tourists.
Responsible tourism will help avoid these negative changes, at the same time bring on
positive changes such as supporting the exchange between local culture and new foreign
cultures without losing its identity. This manifests in introduction of service
organization methods, new knowledge and skills for local labor to improve their
professionalism and attract service to the area. It will not only guarantee jobs for local
people but also gives tourist a realistic and friendly view of the place.
5
Responsible tourism develops economics sustainably
The last and not less important element of sustainable development in economics. The
assurance of income from tourism in a destination helps improve living condition and
development of the area, which should be considered in tourism management. When
tourist agencies or resorts are invested by outsiders, they will get most of the profit from
tourism. Responsible tourism brings the profit back to support the local people and
contribute to local economy.
In fact, considering a long term impact, responsible tourism benefits every stakeholder,
not only for service and resorts investors, for local communities but also for tourists.
For local people
Support local economy in different ways, create chances for business and stimulate the
development of local business both directly and indirectly
Create opportunities both directly and indirectly for job, income, money exchange as
well as bring more taxes for the local authority
Create an environment for community to take part in tourism more actively, generate
income from tourism and by that, reduce poverty for the local.
For travel agencies or tourism enterprises
Tourists like the feeling when they are contributing to the environment, supporting local
people both socially and economically. Therefore, applying principles of responsible
tourism will raise enterprises’ reputation and make them stand out from other
competitors, help them attract more customer.
Efficient use of energy helps enterprises save money. Executing good working
conditions brings them a cheerful and effective work force. Preserving nature in tourist
sites increases the chance tourists will come back and keeps their long-term
relationships.
For tourists
Spending money on the trip more effectively and meaningfully. Their money will be
sent on true and authentic experience of culture and nature that will meet their
expectation.
Reading resource 3:
How individuals perceive aspects of sustainability when making a purchase
6
One study by Christina Tölkes of the Munich University of Applied Sciences
categorized travellers into nine groups according to how they perceive, recognise and
understand certain sustainability aspects, and to what extent they motivate the consumer
to take action. These are adapted and summarised in the table below:
Table 1: Summary of how individuals perceive aspects of sustainability
when making a purchase

Reading resource 4:
How to develop responsible tourism? - Tourists
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) states that, with proper investment and
policies, nature and cultural heritages in tourism destinations will be protected.
However, the awareness of tourists contributes to maintain and keep the culture and
environment in these places from being ruined.
- Learn about your destination
A bit of research about where you are going will enrich your trip. Besides, this is the
foundation for a trip that respects culture, protects environment and supports host
communities. How can a traveler accomplish all that without understand a little bit about
the history or culture of the destination? It can be done simply by reading some articles,

7
talking to someone has experience, reading some books or looking up information on
the Internet, this will bring you surprising and positive travel experience.
- Choose a suitable tourism service agency which has responsible tourism policies
No matter which support service you purchase when travelling such has hotel booking,
ticket booking, tour booking… pay attention to the sustainability or sustainable tourism
related policies on their website.
If an agency does not have the information you are seeking for about policies to
sustainability contribute to the community, ask them directly. Let them know that
supporting local economy, protecting environment and respecting local culture are
important to you when you are travel and ask how they are implementing these policies.
- Respect local custom, culture and lifestyle
Some traditional cultures might be very different from yours. Therefore, you should
understand and respect it, or at least do not negatively affect the local people. This shows
your politeness.
Besides, spend time to enjoy local music, art and explore their cuisine. The experience
and feeling about these culture differences will make your trip more meaningful and
unique. Spend time to know the local people and the way they live. You might be
surprised at what you can learn when you open your mind to new things.
- Consider the impact of your appearance to the destination
Think about what you will leave behind after the trip. Always collect your own trash, it
will not only keep the view but also support the preservation there. These impacts are
not limited in environment, it can be impact on local lifestyle, culture or economy.