What is Responsible Tourism?
“better places for people to live in and better places for people to visit."

Responsible Tourism is a comprehensive approach to the travel and tourism industry ensuring that the potential negative impacts of tourism are minimized while contributing to the  preservation local livelihoods & culture and conserving the environment on which they are dependent.

Responsible Tourism is based on the principles of the Cape Town Declaration of 2002:

Responsible Tourism is Tourism that:

1. Minimize negative environmental, social and cultural impacts;
2. generates greater economic benefits for local people and enhance the wellbeing of host communities, by improving working  conditions and access to the industry;
3. involves local people in decisions that affect their lives and life chances;
4. make positive contributions to the conservation of natural and cultural heritage and to the maintenance of the world’s diversity;
5. provides more enjoyable experiences for tourists through more meaningful connections with local people, and a greater understanding of local cultural and environmental issues;
6. provides access for physically challenged people;
7. and is culturally sensitive and engender respect between tourists and hosts.

Responsible Tourism must be backbone of all tourism practices throughout out industry. It must reflect our commitment to conservation, improving local livelihoods and sustainable resource use whether cultural, land, or otherwise. There is a need to identify better goals and baselines for measuring and monitoring the level of responsible behavior in tourism.