Responsible tourism issues, our stance on destinations and politics

As responsible travellers we can sometimes face an ethical dilemma when considering whether or not to visit a certain destination, particularly those with poor human rights records. Here’s our advice to help you along your way…

We market holidays to many countries with poor human rights records including Zimbabwe, China, Libya, Colombia and Indonesia.

We genuinely believe that in most cases, if you choose a tour operator with a strong responsible tourism policy, it is possible for your holiday to benefit local communities. If you take steps to ensure your money reaches local hands rather than governments then your trip will ultimately be doing more good than harm. Using local craftspeople, hoteliers, guides, farmers and traders, for example, will bring benefits to the people that need it most. Ultimately it is down to each of us as individuals to consider the ethical implications of visiting particular places, and to research ways of minimising your negative impact. We believe in good and bad practice, rather than good and bad destinations.

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You should consider whether you will enjoy the trip and have a clear conscience afterwards.

Consider the wider message you are sending out if you do decide to visit a particular destination. For some people, this is not a factor in choosing a holiday, for others however, the political implications of being seen to offer approval to a certain destination, are a real issue.

Choose tourism ventures that have responsible tourism policies and guidelines in place.

Buy from local craftspeople to bring benefits to the people that need it most.

Stay in locally owned hotels and use local guides.

Zimbabwe

We continue to offer holidays to Zimbabwe in spite of the surge in state violence and civil instability earlier in 2008. It is still possible to visit the country and participate in community-based tourism and conservation projects – in fact, Zimbabwe has been very much a pioneer in these kinds of tourism initiatives.

Burma

There is only one destination that responsibletravel.com has a policy of not visiting, and that is Burma.

Burma has been under the military rule of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), an abominable military junta that has, despite facing international condemnation and sanctions, ruled since 1988. In 1990, the National League for Democracy (NLD) won a landslide victory in Burma’s first multi-party elections for thirty years. The party has however, never been allowed to govern and the democratically elected leader, Aung San Suu Kyi has had several restrictions placed upon her, including many years of house arrest. More recently, in October 2007, the world watched as thousands of monks in Burma have protested against the military regime.

Aung San Suu Kyi has repeatedly asked tourists not to visit Burma; "I still think that people should not come to Burma because the bulk of the money from tourism goes straight into the pockets of the generals. And not only that, it's a form of moral support for them because it makes the military authorities think that the international community is not opposed to the human rights violations which they are committing all the time. They seem to look on the influx of tourists as proof that their actions are accepted by the world." (Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, January 1999)

Monks, Our stance: on destinations and politics

Monks, Our stance: on destinations and politics

We also believe that in Burma’s case, there is evidence to show that slave labour was used to create tourist facilities and that local people were removed from these places without adequate consultation or compensation to make room for hotels and hostels.

It is difficult for local people in Burma to even talk freely to tourists and there can be severe repercussions if they do. Meeting local people on holiday is often the most enjoyable part of any trip. In Burma, you run the risk of putting those that you talk to in real danger.

There are more effective ways to demonstrate your support for the people of Burma than visiting the country on holiday. Writing to your MP, taking part in marches or events and joining campaigning groups are just some of the ways you can help keep the issues in the headlines.

Ultimately, we hope that sooner rather than later, the situation in Burma will change for the better and we can all enjoy this beautiful country and its culture.

Last updated: December 2008