Public Servant Lifestyle

Tourists are increasingly thinking how they affect the people who live where they travel.

Research has shown that the majority of the UK public believes that people living in destinations should benefit from tourism, as much as tourists benefit from their holiday. However, consumers face an obstacle: information on the effects of our holidays is hard to find, making it difficult to choose a holiday that we know will bring benefits that consumers want.

Research has also found that consumers believe it is the responsibility of tour operators to provide this information.

Damaging

"Tourism has the potential to bring major benefits to poor communities around the world, but it can also be damaging to the people living there and to their environment," says Graham Gordon, public policy officer for charity Tearfund, which is operating the 'Tourism: The Right to Know' campaign.

"For example," adds Graham, "very low wages are sometimes paid by the tourist industry, and often local businesses are not used by tour operators to provide goods and services for the holidaymakers visiting their country."

"When making decisions of which holiday to take, we should be able to make informed responsible decisions. We can only do that if tour operators report on the impact of their holidays," says Graham Gordon.

Tearfund

Tearfund believes that tour operators reporting should include, for example:

Local business - Do holidays they sell support local business, such as guides, farmers, and crafts people? Do they use locally run hotels and restaurants?

Employment - What percentage of local people are employed in the hotels tour operators go to? Does this include higher management positions? What opportunities are there for career development?

Environment - What is the environmental impact of holidays? Are there any environmental policies that tour operators, or suppliers, have in place to reduce their environmental impact, for example, in sewage treatment or recycling?

Basic development - What contribution are tour operators making to health and education provision in the destination? Do the tour operators give money to, or provide a way for tourists to contribute to, local development projects?

"It is vital that, as consumers, we ensure that our involvement in tourism brings benefits," says Graham. "We hope that the UK travel agents will join us in sending a clear message to their head offices, and to tour operators."

More information available in Destinations, Gifts, Holidays