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2002
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The Cape Town Declaration on Responsible Tourism in Destinations:
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We recognise that this list is not exhaustive and that multi-stakeholder
groups in diverse destinations should adapt these principles to reflect
their own culture and environment.
Responsible tourism seeks to maximise positive impacts and to minimise
negative ones. Compliance with all relevant international and national
standards, laws and regulations is assumed. Responsibility, and the market
advantage that can go with it, is about doing more than the minimum.
We recognise that the transparent and auditable reporting of progress
towards achieving responsible tourism targets and benchmarking, is essential
to the integrity and credibility of our work, to the ability of all
stakeholders to assess progress, and to enable consumers to exercise
effective choice.
We commit to making our contribution to move towards a more balanced
relationship between hosts and guests in destinations, and to create better
places for local communities and indigenous peoples; and recognising that
this can only be achieved by government, local communities and business
cooperating on practical initiatives in destinations.
We call upon tourism enterprises and trade associations in originating
markets and in destinations to adopt a responsible approach, to commit to
specific responsible practises, and to report progress in a transparent and
auditable way, and where appropriate to use this for market advantage.
Corporate businesses can assist by providing markets, capacity building,
mentoring and micro-financing support for small, medium and micro
enterprises.
In order to implement the guiding principles for economic, social and
environmental responsibility, it is necessary to use a portfolio of tools,
which will include regulations, incentives, and multi-stakeholder
participatory strategies. Changes in the market encouraged by consumer
campaigns and new marketing initiatives also contribute to market driven
change.
Local authorities have a central role to play in achieving responsible
tourism through commitment to supportive policy frameworks and adequate
funding. We call upon local authorities and tourism administrations to
develop - through multi-stakeholder processes - destination management
strategies and responsible tourism guidelines to create better places for
host communities and the tourists who visit. Local Agenda 21 programs, with
their participatory and monitoring processes, are particularly useful.
We call upon the media to exercise responsibility in the way in which they
portray tourism destinations, to avoid raising false expectations and to
provide balanced and fair reporting.
We all have a responsibility to make a difference 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, August 2002
Co-chairs Mike Fabricius Western Cape Tourism & Harold Goodwin International
Centre for Responsible Tourism
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