15-7-2014

The Responsible Tourism Partnership

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The C ape Town C onfe re nce was organise d by the R e sponsible Tourism Partne rship and W e ste rn C ape Tourism as a
side e ve nt pre ce ding the W orld Sum m it on Sustainable De ve lopm e nt in Johanne sburg in 2002. The C ape Town
C onfe re nce on R e sponsible Tourism in De stinations was atte nde d by 280 de le gate s from 20 countrie s. The confe re nce
gre w out of the South African work on re sponsible tourism guide line s and involve d de le gate s fie ld-te sting the South
African Guide line s on site s in and around C ape Town.
RESPONSIBLE TOURISM IN DESTINA TIONS
Shaping sustainable spaces into better places
W e , re pre se ntative s of inbound and outbound tour ope rators, e m e rging e ntre pre ne urs in the tourism industry,
national park s, provincial conse rvation authoritie s, all sphe re s of gove rnm e nt, tourism profe ssionals, tourism
authoritie s, NGO s and hote l groups and othe r tourism stak e holde rs, from 20 countrie s in Africa, North and South
Am e rica, Europe and Asia; having com e toge the r in C ape Town to conside r the issue of R e sponsible Tourism in
De stinations have agre e d this de claration.
Mindful of the de bate s at the Unite d Nations C om m ission on Sustainable De ve lopm e nt in 1999, which asse rte d the
im portance of the e conom ic, social and e nvironm e nt aspe cts of sustainable de ve lopm e nt and of the inte re sts of
indige nous pe ople s and local com m unitie s in particular.
R e cognising the global challe nge of re ducing social and e conom ic ine qualitie s and re ducing pove rty, and the
im portance of Ne w Partne rship for Africa's De ve lopm e nt (NEPAD) in the proce ss.
R e cognising the im portance of the W orld Tourism O rganizations Global C ode of Ethics, which aim s to prom ote
re sponsible , sustainable and unive rsally acce ssible tourism and sharing its com m itm e nt to e quitable , re sponsible and
sustainable world tourism and its STEP initiative with UNC TAD, which se e k s to harne ss sustainable tourism to he lp
e lim inate pove rty.
C onscious that we are now te n ye ars on from the R io Earth Sum m it on Environm e nt and De ve lopm e nt, and that the
W orld Sum m it on Sustainable De ve lopm e nt tak ing place in Johanne sburg will put re ne we d e m phasis on sustainability,
e conom ic de ve lopm e nt, and in particular on pove rty re duction.
Aware of the W orld Tourism O rganization, W orld Trave l and Tourism C ouncil and the Earth C ouncil's update d Age nda
21 for the Trave l and Tourism Industry and the succe ss achie ve d by a num be r of busine sse s, local com m unitie s and
national and local gove rnm e nts in m oving towards sustainability in tourism .
Aware of the work of the UNEP, and the Tourism Industry R e port 2002, and work of UNESC O , and othe r UN age ncie s,
prom oting sustainable tourism in partne rship with the private se ctor, NGO s, civil socie ty organisations and gove rnm e nt.
Aware of the guide line s for sustainable tourism in vulne rable e cosyste m s be ing de ve lope d in the fram e work of the
C onve ntion on Biological Dive rsity.
C onscious of de ve lopm e nts in othe r industrie s and se ctors, and in particular of the growing inte rnational de m and for
e thical busine ss, and the adoption of cle ar C orporate Social R e sponsibility (C SR ) policie s by com panie s, and the
transpare nt re porting of achie ve m e nts in m e e ting C SR obje ctive s in com pany annual re ports.
R e cognising that the re has be e n conside rable progre ss in addre ssing the e nvironm e ntal im pacts of tourism , although
the re is a long way to go to achie ve sustainability; and that m ore lim ite d progre ss has be e n m ade in harne ssing
tourism for local e conom ic de ve lopm e nt, for the be ne fit of com m unitie s and indige nous pe ople s, and in m anaging the
social im pacts of tourism .
Endorsing the Global C ode of Ethics and the im portance of m ak ing all form s of tourism sustainable through all
stak e holde rs tak ing re sponsibility for cre ating be tte r form s of tourism and re alising the se aspirations.
R e lishing the dive rsity of our world's culture s, habitats and spe cie s and the we alth of our cultural and natural he ritage ,
as the ve ry basis of tourism , we acce pt that re sponsible and sustainable tourism will be achie ve d in diffe re nt ways in
diffe re nt place s.
Acce pting that, in the words of the Global C ode of Ethics, an attitude of tole rance and re spe ct for the dive rsity of
re ligious, philosophical and m oral be lie fs, are both the foundation and the conse que nce of re sponsible tourism .
R e cognising that dialogue , partne rships and m ulti-stak e holde r proce sse s - involving gove rnm e nt, busine ss and local
com m unitie s - to m ak e be tte r place s for hosts and gue sts can only be re alise d at the local le ve l, and that all
stak e holde rs have diffe re nt, albe it inte rde pe nde nt, re sponsibilitie s; tourism can only be m anage d for sustainability at
the de stination le ve l.
C onscious of the im portance of good gove rnance and political stability in providing the conte x t for re sponsible tourism
in de stinations, and re cognising that the de volution of de cision m ak ing powe r to de m ocratic local gove rnm e nt is
ne ce ssary to build stable partne rships at a local le ve l, and to the e m powe rm e nt of local com m unitie s.
Aware that the m anage m e nt of tourism re quire s the participation of a broad range of gove rnm e nt age ncie s and
particularly at the local de stination le ve l.
R e cognising that in orde r to prote ct the cultural, social and e nvironm e ntal inte grity of de stinations lim its to tourism
de ve lopm e nt are som e tim e s ne ce ssary.
Having, during the C ape Town C onfe re nce , e x am ine d the South African Guide line s for R e sponsible Tourism , te ste d
the m in a se rie s of fie ld visits, and e x plore d how tourism can be m ade to work be tte r for local com m unitie s, tourists
and busine sse s alik e , we re cognise the ir value in he lping to shape sustainable tourism in South Africa.
R e cognising that one of the stre ngths of the South African Guide line s for R e sponsible Tourism is that the y we re
de ve lope d through a national consultative proce ss, and that the y re fle ct the prioritie s and aspirations of the South
African pe ople .
R e cognising that R e sponsible Tourism tak e s m any form s, that diffe re nt de stinations and stak e holde rs will have
diffe re nt prioritie s, and that local policie s and guide line s will ne e d to be de ve lope d through m ulti-stak e holde r
proce sse s to de ve lop re sponsible tourism in de stinations.
Having the following characteristics, Responsible Tourism:
m inim ise s ne gative e conom ic, e nvironm e ntal, and social im pacts;
ge ne rate s gre ate r e conom ic be ne fits for local pe ople and e nhance s the we ll-be ing of host com m unitie s,
im prove s work ing conditions and acce ss to the industry;
involve s local pe ople in de cisions that affe ct the ir live s and life chance s;
m ak e s positive contributions to the conse rvation of natural and cultural he ritage , to the m ainte nance of
the world's dive rsity;
provide s m ore e njoyable e x pe rie nce s for tourists through m ore m e aningful conne ctions with local pe ople ,
and a gre ate r unde rstanding of local cultural, social and e nvironm e ntal issue s;
provide s acce ss for physically challe nge d pe ople ; and
is

culturally se nsitive , e nge nde rs

http://www.responsibletourismpartnership.org/CapeTown.html

re spe ct be twe e n

tourists

and

hosts, and

builds

local pride

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confide nce
W e call upon countrie s, m ultilate ral age ncie s, de stinations and e nte rprise s to de ve lop sim ilar practical guide line s and
to e ncourage planning authoritie s, tourism busine sse s, tourists and local com m unitie s - to tak e re sponsibility for
achie ving sustainable tourism , and to cre ate be tte r place s for pe ople to live in and for pe ople to visit.
W e urge m ultilate ral age ncie s re sponsible for de ve lopm e nt strate gie s to include sustainable re sponsible tourism in
the ir outcom e s.
De te rm ine d to m ak e tourism m ore sustainable , and acce pting that it is the re sponsibility of all stak e holde rs in tourism
to achie ve m ore sustainable form s of tourism , we com m it ourse lve s to pursue the principle s of R e sponsible Tourism .
C onvince d that it is prim arily in the de stinations, the place s that tourists visit, whe re tourism e nte rprise s conduct the ir
busine ss and whe re local com m unitie s and tourists and the tourism industry inte ract, that the e conom ic, social and
e nvironm e ntal im pacts of tourism ne e d to be m anage d re sponsibly, to m ax im ise positive im pacts and m inim ise
ne gative one s.
W e unde rtak e to work in concre te ways in de stinations to achie ve be tte r form s of tourism and to work with othe r
stak e holde rs in de stinations. W e com m it to build the capacity of all stak e holde rs in orde r to e nsure that the y can
se cure an e ffe ctive voice in de cision m ak ing. W e uphold the guiding principle s for R e sponsible Tourism which we re
ide ntifie d:
Guiding Principles for Economic Responsibility
Asse ss e conom ic im pacts be fore de ve loping tourism and e x e rcise pre fe re nce for those form s of
de ve lopm e nt that be ne fit local com m unitie s and m inim ise ne gative im pacts on local live lihoods (for
e x am ple through loss of acce ss to re source s), re cognising that tourism m ay not always be the m ost
appropriate form of local e conom ic de ve lopm e nt
Max im ise local e conom ic be ne fits by incre asing link age s and re ducing le ak age s, by e nsuring that
com m unitie s are involve d in, and be ne fit from , tourism . W he re ve r possible use tourism to assist in pove rty
re duction by adopting pro-poor strate gie s
De ve lop quality products that re fle ct, com ple m e nt, and e nhance the de stination
Mark e t tourism in ways which re fle ct the natural, cultural and social inte grity of the de stination, and which
e ncourage appropriate form s of tourism
Adopt e quitable busine ss practise s, pay and charge fair price s, and build partne rships in ways in which risk
is m inim ise d and share d, and re cruit and e m ploy staff re cognising inte rnational labour standards
Provide appropriate and sufficie nt support to sm all, m e dium an
re late d e nte rprise s thrive and are sustainable

d m icro e nte rprise s to e nsure tourism -

Guiding Principles for Social Responsibility

Active ly involve the local com m unity in planning and de cision-m ak ing and provide capacity building to
m ak e this a re ality
Asse ss social im pacts throughout the life cycle of the ope ration including the planning and de sign phase s
of proje cts - in orde r to m inim ise ne gative im pacts and m ax im ise positive one s
Ende avour to m ak e tourism an inclusive social e x pe rie nce and to e nsure that the re is acce ss for all, in
particular vulne rable and disadvantage d com m unitie s and individuals
C om bat the se x ual e x ploitation of hum an be ings, particularly the e x ploitation of childre n
Be se nsitive to the host culture , m aintaining and e ncouraging social and cultural dive rsity
Ende avour to e nsure that tourism contribute s to im prove m e nts in he alth and e ducation
Guiding Principles for Environmental Responsibility
Asse ss e nvironm e ntal im pacts throughout the life cycle of tourist e stablishm e nts and ope rations
including the planning and de sign phase - and e nsure that ne gative im pacts are re duce d to the m inim um
and m ax im ising positive one s
Use re source s sustainably, and re duce waste and ove r-consum ption
Manage natural dive rsity sustainably, and whe re appropriate re store it; and conside r the volum e and type
of tourism that the e nvironm e nt can support, and re spe ct the inte grity of vulne rable e cosyste m s and
prote cte d are as
Prom ote e ducation and aware ne ss for sustainable de ve lopm e nt for all stak e holde rs
R aise the capacity of all stak e holde rs and e nsure that be st practice is followe d, for this purpose consult
with e nvironm e ntal and conse rvation e x pe rts
W e re cognise that this list is not e x haustive and that m ulti-stak e holde r groups in dive rse de stinations should adapt
the se principle s to re fle ct the ir own culture and e nvironm e nt.
R e sponsible tourism se e k s to m ax im ise positive im pacts and to m inim ise ne gative one s. C om pliance with all re le vant
inte rnational and national standards, laws and re gulations is assum e d. R e sponsibility, and the m ark e t advantage that
can go with it, is about doing m ore than the m inim um .
W e re cognise that the transpare nt and auditable re porting of progre ss towards achie ving re sponsible tourism targe ts
and be nchm ark ing, is e sse ntial to the inte grity and cre dibility of our work , to the ability of all stak e holde rs to asse ss
progre ss, and to e nable consum e rs to e x e rcise e ffe ctive choice .
W e com m it to m ak ing our contribution to m ove towards a m ore balance d re lationship be twe e n hosts and gue sts in
de stinations, and to cre ate be tte r place s for local com m unitie s and indige nous pe ople s; and re cognising that this can
only be achie ve d by gove rnm e nt, local com m unitie s and busine ss coope rating on practical initiative s in de stinations.
W e call upon tourism e nte rprise s and trade associations in originating m ark e ts and in de stinations to adopt a
re sponsible approach, to com m it to spe cific re sponsible practise s, and to re port progre ss in a transpare nt and
auditable way, and whe re appropriate to use this for m ark e t advantage . C orporate busine sse s can assist by providing
m ark e ts, capacity building, m e ntoring and m icro-financing support for sm all, m e dium and m icro e nte rprise s.
In orde r to im ple m e nt the guiding principle s for e conom ic, social and e nvironm e ntal re sponsibility, it is ne ce ssary to
use a portfolio of tools, which will include re gulations, ince ntive s, and m ulti-stak e holde r participatory strate gie s.
C hange s in the m ark e t e ncourage d by consum e r cam paigns and ne w m ark e ting initiative s also contribute to m ark e t
drive n change .
Local authoritie s have a ce ntral role to play in achie ving re sponsible tourism through com m itm e nt to supportive policy
fram e work s and ade quate funding. W e call upon local authoritie s and tourism adm inistrations to de ve lop - through
m ulti-stak e holde r proce sse s - de stination m anage m e nt strate gie s and re sponsible tourism guide line s to cre ate be tte r
place s for host com m unitie s and the tourists who visit. Local Age nda 21 program s, with the ir participatory and
m onitoring proce sse s, are particularly use ful.
W e call upon the m e dia to e x e rcise re sponsibility in the way in which the y portray tourism de stinations, to avoid raising
false e x pe ctations and to provide balance d and fair re porting.
W e all have a re sponsibility to m ak e a diffe re nce by the way we act.
We commit ourselves to work with others to take responsibility for achieving the economic, social and environmental
components of responsible and sustainable tourism.
Cape Town, A ugust 2002

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C o-chairs Mik e Fabricius W e ste rn C ape Tourism & Harold Goodwin Inte rnational C e ntre for R e sponsible Tourism
Sugge ste d citation: Inte rnational C onfe re nce on R e sponsible Tourism in De stinations (2002) The Cape Town
Declaration, C ape Town http://www.re sponsible tourism partne rship.org/C ape Town.htm l

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