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World Tourism Organization
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MANILA DECLARATION
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ON THE SOCIAL IMPACT OF TOURISM
1997
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We, the representatives of governments and private groups from
77 countries and territories, gathered for the World Tourism
Leaders’ Meeting on the Social Impact of Tourism, under the
joint auspices of the World Tourism Organization (WTO) and the
Government of the Republic of the Philippines,
Having Discussed the social impact of tourism and considered how
to maximize their positive aspects and minimize their negative
effects,
Believing that tourism will continue to generate substantial
economic and social benefits for communities and countries and
that it is not the sole cause of social problems attributed to
or associated with it,
Being determined to remove the social abuses and exploitation
arising from, associated with or occasioned by tourism and its
related activities, |
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Hereby commit ourselves to: |
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Support greater involvement of communities in the planning,
implementation, monitoring and evaluation processes of tourism
policies, programs and projects within the context of national
objectives and priorities, and for this purpose introduce
community awareness campaigns to inform people of the benefits
to be gained from tourism development;
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Improve people’s standard of living through tourism by providing
economic and social opportunities for wider participation and,
wherever possible and acceptable, dispersal of tourism
activities and destinations to outlying areas to increase rural
incomes; |
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Ensure that tourism development planning preserve the legacy,
heritage and integrity of tourism destinations worldwide and
respect the social and cultural norms of society, particularly
among the indigenous communities and to this end, control the
rate of growth of the tourism sector where it may jeopardize
local communities and social values; |
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Cooperate with and encourage the business community engaged in
tourism and the travel trade to create the right image and
develop appropriate marketing tools for the destination
countries, and to undertake education, information and
communication services to sensitize visitors to the culture and
behavioural expectations of host communities; |
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Recognize the role of human resources development in tourism and
establish long-term programmes that support greater employment
of the local labour force in tourism and provide appropriate
measures as well as opportunities for a greater and more
positive participation of women and youth; |
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Enhance and strengthen international coordination and monitoring
systems through liason and networking among governments, private
sector and concerned parties with a view to promoting the
positive aspects and eradicating the negative impacts of
tourism; |
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Further mobilize local and international support to prevent and
control tourism-related abuse and exploitation of people,
particularly women and children and other disadvantaged groups;
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Encourage governments to promulgate and enforce legal regimes,
both in the domestic and multilateral arenas, in order to
eliminate undesirable social consequences of tourism through,
among others, agreements that deprive malefactors of any safe
haven anywhere; |
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Take into account the importance of tourism in the context of
Agenda 21, for tourism is a major source of development but like
other sectors, it uses resources and generates wastes and in the
process creates not only social and cultural but also
environmental costs and benefits, of which the effects on
biodiversity and fragile eco-systems like coral reefs,
archaeological sites, mountains, coastal areas and wetlands
constitute a particular concern and pose the imperative of
having the world celebrate and, more importantly, observe the
tenets of eco-tourism; and |
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Work towards the formulation and eventual adoption of a Global
Code of Ethics for Tourism. |
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Adopted in Manila, Philippines on the 22 May 1997. |
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