Tourism with Insight
German NGO
CODE FOR RESPONSIBLE TOURISM

• Tourism should supplement our economy. It also represents a danger to our culture and environment.
• We therefore want to control its development.
• We encourage community participation in decision-making.
• We will cease development if it leads to an intolerable burden for our population and environment.
• We want to avoid the pitfall of economic imperatives.
• We limit tourism development targets to what is desirable, not what is feasible.
• We want to keep control over our land. We pursue an active planning and land-use policy. We decline to sell land to non-locals. We limit new construction by zoning policies and the use of existing buildings and infrastructure.
• We want to protect nature with careful land management, nature reserves for valuable eco-systems and the participation of environmentalists in planning and construction.
• We will avoid overdependence on tourism by strengthening agriculture and small-scale trade.
• We will try to improve the quality of jobs in tourism.
• We want our local culture to remain alive.
• We shall use tourism marketing to promote socially and environmentally responsible behaviour.

• I look forward to my holidays, but I (and others) will get more out of them if I do not use them thoughtlessly.
• It is tempting to do things I would never do at home: I shall avoid this danger. I want to enjoy myself without offending or harming others.
• I am a tourist like any other. I accept this and shall not try to stand apart from other tourists.
• I want to learn more about the country and it's people. I shall adjust to my hosts instead of demanding the opposite.
• I shall try to learn from new experiences.
• Leisure for tourists means work for our hosts. I shall not exploit this situation.
• I accept some responsibility for the environment in which I travel. I shall be content with what is offered and shall not continually demand more comfort. I shall use environmentally-friendly transport and walk wherever I can.
• I will take my time and observe, meet other people, etc.
• I choose travel offers which produce the greatest benefit for the host population. Bargaining for lower prices may mean exploitation.
• I occasionally choose to stay at home. There is much to be discovered in my neighbourhood. Travel should not become routine.

• We shall promote tourism which is economically productive, socially responsible and environmentally friendly.
• We shall encourage interested, considerate and environmentally-conscious travel among our clients.
• We shall bear in mind the rights of the local population, and respect local laws and customs.
• We shall collaborate with the host population.
• We shall continuously train our staff.
• Our advertising must be honest and responsible. We shall avoid erotic enticements.
• Our guides have a responsibility to promote tourism with insight and understanding to our clients.
• We shall not organise trip to ethnic groups who live apart from our western civilisation.
• The activities of our business partners must meet the same high environmental and social standards.
• In our professional associations, we will formulate principles encompassing the ethics of tourism.