Responsible Tourism Blog

May 1, 2018

Taking responsibility for sustainability is now a business imperative

Recent research published by TUI clearly shows that consumers expect the industry to take responsibility for ensuring that their product is sustainable. Research by booking.com found that ... Read more

April 24, 2018April 30, 2018

How Tourism can rapidly eliminate single use plastics – Earth Day inspiration from around the world

Carbon & Water, Development, RT Marketing

For a somewhat obsessive follower of tourism industry news like me, the spike in press releases that mark the annual Earth Day celebrations provide a quick reference ... Read more

April 20, 2018August 20, 2018

Big interview: Setting responsible travel standards

Overtourism, Responsible Tourism Blog, Spring 2018 Magazine

G Adventures has helped push sustainable tourism to the top of the world travel agenda. Katherine Lawrey speaks to founder Bruce Poon Tip about how the company ... Read more

April 19, 2018July 24, 2018

2018 African Responsible Tourism Awards: Wilderness Safaris scoops coveted Overall Winner title

Blogging, Responsible Tourism, Responsible Tourism Blog, Responsible Tourism Spotlight

Cape Town – Wilderness Safaris – an operator of safari camps, lodges and experiences in seven African countries, has grabbed the main prize at the 2018 African Responsible Tourism ... Read more

April 17, 2018April 30, 2018

Responsible Tourism moves centre stage

Responsible Tourism Blog

TUI recently published survey results on UK consumer demand. 62% of UK holidaymakers agree it makes them feel better when they know their holiday was organised with ... Read more

April 10, 2018April 25, 2018

Is Day Zero becoming the new normal, and not just in Cape Town?

Carbon & Water, Destinations, Development

This month, Cape Town may or may not reach Day Zero, signifying the point at which the city runs out of water. According to an April 9th ... Read more

April 10, 2018April 10, 2018

Finalists for the 2018 African Responsible Tourism Awards announced

Responsible Tourism Spotlight, WTM Africa

A luxury island in the Seychelles, a cultural experience among the Maasai in Kenya and a township experience in Namibia are among the organisations selected as finalists ... Read more

April 9, 2018April 25, 2018

Western Cape has safety plan for TMNP

Responsible Tourism Blog

The Western Cape government is to spend “millions” on making Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) safe for tourists and locals, says Economic Opportunities MEC, Alan Winde. He told Tourism Update on ... Read more

April 9, 2018April 25, 2018

How to travel responsibly

Responsible Tourism Blog

It’s becoming more and more important to think about the marks we leave on places when we travel. After all, we all want future generations to be ... Read more

April 9, 2018July 24, 2018

Keep safe in the city

Responsible Tourism Blog

This article covers all you need to know about travelling to Cape Town, including detailed safety tips and information on health and medical facilities. Safety Here are ... Read more

April 9, 2018April 11, 2018

Responsible relaxation in Central America

Responsible Tourism Blog, Spring 2018 Magazine, Wellness

Wellness and sustainable travel are top of the agenda for Central America tourism boards, writes Katherine Lawrey Costa Rica is promoting a new tourism strategy for 2018 ... Read more

April 3, 2018April 25, 2018

Responsible Tourism & Market Demand

RT Marketing

As Jane Ashton, then with First Choice, said in a newspaper interview back in 2006 “‘The product we sell is the people and environment – so we ... Read more

March 27, 2018March 28, 2018

The future of hotels is circular… and two of them are opening soon

Hospitality, Responsible Tourism Blog

A couple of exciting new stories about two upcoming hotels suggest the travel industry is beginning to wake up to the potential of the circular economy for ... Read more

March 20, 2018March 20, 2018

Making a Difference with Every Holiday

RT Marketing

Thomas Cook has just launched a new three-year sustainability strategy, promising to “Make a Difference with Every Holiday”. Their ambition is to make a positive contribution to ... Read more

March 13, 2018March 13, 2018

How to engage tourists in sustainable tourism (Part 2): redesign the loyalty scheme

Carbon & Water, Development, Hospitality, RT Marketing, Social Economy

Last week, I spent a night in a hotel in Brussels that has taken a circular economy approach to redesigning the way its loyalty scheme works. Following ... Read more

March 9, 2018April 3, 2018

Cape Town’s Big Five tourism trends

Destinations, Responsible Tourism Blog, Spring 2018 Magazine, Trends

Here are five ways that Cape Town, host city of WTM Africa, is at the forefront of tourism trends, writes Katherine Lawrey. 1. Investment in Halal training ... Read more

March 6, 2018

Travelling to encounter the other

Blog, Development, Social Economy

Fifty years ago my father took me for a day trip to Boulogne, just across the channel from Ramsgate. He headed us straight for the back streets ... Read more

February 27, 2018

How to engage tourists in sustainable tourism – make them feel proud to come

RT Marketing

What connects most of the recent high profile campaigns to make tourism more responsible? Stop riding elephants. Don’t swim with dolphins. Avoid handicrafts made from endangered species. ... Read more

February 20, 2018

Orphanages: Slavery and Birthday Parties

Human Rights

There is mounting concern about orphanages and tourism around the world, but the response has been patchy. Our world is a diverse place and our understanding of ... Read more

February 13, 2018

To deal with the climate costs of flying, we need to talk about growth and carbon offsetting

Carbon & Water

Last week Harold Goodwin’s blog laid out his reasons why the aviation industry’s approach to addressing its ongoing growth in emissions is inadequate. This week, I want ... Read more

February 6, 2018

Aviation: Business as usual? Is that acceptable?

Carbon & Water

Globally aviation emits around 2% of CO2 and other greenhouse gases, bring its total emissions to around 5% of the global total; if aviation were a country ... Read more

January 31, 2018

£22 for a sunlounger? Is no part of our holiday sacred?

Responsible Tourism Blog

Thomas Cook is making the news this week for a new programme it is trialing to enable guests to pre-book sunloungers before they come on holiday. From ... Read more

January 23, 2018January 31, 2018

What is the biggest threat to our global environment?

Carbon & Water

It is a kind of pollution. There are of course several contenders. Carbon emissions and consequent global warming, soil degradation, overpopulation, biodiversity and plastics. It is not ... Read more

January 16, 2018January 31, 2018

PATA’s excellent new hotel food waste resource shows need for collaborative solutions

Responsible Tourism Blog

This week the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has launched an impressively extensive resource targeting food waste in hotels. Titled with one of the better acronyms around ... Read more

January 12, 2018February 5, 2018

Five predictions for responsible tourism in 2018… and one I hope won’t happen

Carbon & Water, Development, Human Rights, Overtourism

In my last blog of 2017, I looked back at some of my personal responsible tourism highlights of that year. I’ve been on holiday for most of ... Read more

January 9, 2018January 31, 2018

Taleb Rifai reflects on his tenure as Secretary-General of UNWTO

Development

2017 was the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. Taleb Rifai’s tenure of office as Secretary General of UNWTO closed at the turn of the year ... Read more

December 21, 2017December 21, 2017

Governance: whose responsibility?

Overtourism

Looking back over 2017 the issue of governance has come to the fore. The challenge of overtourism has emerged as a cause of significant concern in part ... Read more

December 20, 2017

The year in review: My highlights of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development

Responsible Tourism Blog

With the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development drawing to a close, I’ve looked back through the year’s headlines to chart an extremely personal selection of ... Read more

December 12, 2017

Social Media – a curate’s egg for tourism?

RT Marketing

The concept of the “curate’s egg” was first used in the British satirical magazine Punch by George du Maurier in November 1895. The curate was too timid ... Read more

December 5, 2017December 5, 2017

How to redesign tourism to end #pointlessplastics

Carbon & Water

A few days ago, a new hashtag started appearing on Twitter. Created by the Good Awards, #pointlessplastics is encouraging people to tweet images of the unnecessary use ... Read more

November 28, 2017

We can deal with climate change, if we all take our share of responsibility

Carbon & Water

At WTM London this month the least well-attended session of the Responsible Tourism programme was the one addressing climate change. We chose a panel of speakers from ... Read more

November 21, 2017November 21, 2017

How can tourism help Dominica be the world’s first Climate Resilient Nation?

Development

Just two months ago, on September 18th, Hurricane Maria hit the Caribbean island of Dominica. Minutes before, this was the Nature Island, a tropical paradise of 365 ... Read more

November 14, 2017November 21, 2017

WTM London: Taking responsibility for making tourism better

Responsible Tourism Blog

Tuesday the 14th November 2007 was the first WTM & UNWTO World Responsible Tourism Day, today we are ten years on. This year at WTM London we ... Read more

October 31, 2017

From Human Rights to Plastic Pollution – there are 28 Responsible Tourism events at WTM London

Responsible Tourism Blog

With a new Responsible Tourism Theatre in the Africa Section (AS580) the Responsible Tourism programme is now firmly established down on the show floor. An experiment last ... Read more

October 24, 2017

Tourism’s Dirty Secret report reveals working conditions of hotel housekeepers

Human Rights

A report released last week into the working conditions of hundreds of thousands of women cleaning bedrooms and other hotel areas across the world. Published by Oxfam ... Read more

October 17, 2017October 20, 2017

On the Responsible Tourism Agenda at WTM London

Carbon & Water, Certification, Disability, Human Rights

World Responsible Tourism Day is on Wednesday this year and our main focus is on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Tanya Beckett will be interviewing tourism leaders ... Read more

October 10, 2017October 10, 2017

Electrical Flight is not the panacea for sustainable tourism

Carbon & Water

Alongside the stories of Ryanair and Monarch’s woes in the last few weeks have been excited posts on the potential of electric flight, following Easyjet’s announcement that ... Read more

October 3, 2017October 10, 2017

The WTM Responsible Tourism Awards 2017

Responsible Tourism Blog

2017 is a transition year. responsibletravel.com has decided to pursue other priorities and to pioneer creative projects to deliver change through our business; our activism and Trip ... Read more

September 27, 2017February 6, 2018

A cheer for Tourism!

Blog, Responsible Tourism Blog

September 27th is the date on which we celebrate World Tourism Day and we can stop to analyse: how much has changed in the sector over the ... Read more

September 26, 2017October 4, 2017

World Tourism Day 2017: opportunities and challenges for achieving sustainable tourism

Development

World Tourism Day occurs this week, with the theme for 2017 being “Sustainable Tourism – a tool for development”. According to the UNWTO’s official site for the ... Read more

September 20, 2017October 4, 2017

What contributions do businesses make to local sustainable development? Which do best?

Development, Responsible Tourism Blog

With the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development focus on travelling with respect (#TravelEnjoyRespect) we have focused on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Respect is one ... Read more

September 13, 2017October 4, 2017

After Irma: lessons from nature for tourism and a resilient future

Carbon & Water, Responsible Tourism Blog

The images from the impact of Hurricane Irma on Caribbean islands such as Barbuda are shocking. These are places whose beaches and coastlines epitomise what many of ... Read more

September 5, 2017October 4, 2017

WTM Responsible Tourism Awards

Development, Responsible Tourism Blog, Social Economy

Word Responsible Tourism Awards have been presented at World Travel Market in London since 2004. Each year we have seen the bar rise, competition has been tough ... Read more

August 30, 2017October 10, 2017

Using social media to do more than sell holidays

Overtourism, Responsible Tourism Blog, Social Media

Among this summer’s slew of stories about overtourism, one took a slightly different angle. In an article titled 10 tourist destinations ruined by Instagram, the Independent reported ... Read more

August 25, 2017January 11, 2019

Infrastructure in tourism

Blog, Disability, Trends, WTM Latin America

by Fedetur There is lot of talk nowadays about the transformation of the tourist, who is a product of the incorporation of technology and the growing awareness ... Read more

August 22, 2017October 4, 2017

Modern Slavery in the UK and in orphanages

Human Rights, Responsible Tourism Blog

Modern slavery is an underground issue in the UK, it is hidden from view. Trafficking is at the heart of much of it. I know of no ... Read more

August 15, 2017October 4, 2017

Why tourism needs to support rewilding initiatives

Development, Responsible Tourism Blog

Last week I spent an afternoon training my binoculars on a field of cows. I got very excited by the sight of some pigs walking down a ... Read more

August 8, 2017October 4, 2017

“Anarchist threat to tourists”

Overtourism, Responsible Tourism Blog

Last Saturday the London Times led its front page with a photo of Mo Farah winning the 10,000m at the IAAF world championships. But the headline on ... Read more

August 1, 2017October 4, 2017

How can we truly measure tourism’s impact?

Carbon & Water, Development, Responsible Tourism Blog, Social Economy

When people are looking to assert how important tourism is as an industry, they are likely to cite the proportion of global Gross Domestic Product that it ... Read more

July 25, 2017October 4, 2017

Tourism is not a zero sum game

Development, Responsible Tourism Blog, Social Economy

When you are working in the field trying to improve the livelihoods of local people this is the kind of email you want to receive: ““Hi – ... Read more

July 19, 2017October 4, 2017

Could the world’s hotels run on renewable energy?

Carbon & Water, Development, Responsible Tourism Blog

Last week a significant climate change milestone was passed. On July 10th, the Climate Group’s RE100 (the RE standing for renewable energy) announced that the 100th multinational ... Read more

July 14, 2017September 18, 2017

Tourism’s Natural Advantage: Creating Shared Value

Development, Responsible Tourism Blog, Social Economy

The concept of shared value emerges from the writing of Harvard Professor Michael Porter– well-known for his previous work on competition strategy, value chains and cluster theory. ... Read more

July 4, 2017September 18, 2017

Why tourism finds it hard to talk about climate change

Carbon & Water, Responsible Tourism Blog

Despite the rain pouring down outside my window right now and the fact I am wearing a jumper in late June, I can’t actually see climate change. ... Read more

June 27, 2017September 18, 2017

Tourism, decent work and the SDGs

Development, Disability, Responsible Tourism Blog, Social Economy

Tourism and hospitality are labour intensive, with 8% of the global workforce employed in the sector. As the ILO has pointed out there are many highly skilled ... Read more

June 20, 2017September 18, 2017

How tourism is providing hospitality and support to refugees and asylum seekers

Human Rights, Responsible Tourism Blog, Social Economy

A couple of years ago I wrote a blog for this site reporting on inspirational tourism industry initiatives responding to the refugee crisis. My aim was to ... Read more

June 13, 2017September 18, 2017

Hotels, the SDGs and transparent reporting

Carbon & Water, Certification, Responsible Tourism Blog, Video

At the heart of Responsible Tourism are commitments to transparency and accountability. Responsible Tourism is about what people do, individually and collectively in businesses, to move towards ... Read more

June 6, 2017September 18, 2017

Pandora’s Paradox: social media, tourism and FOMO

Carbon & Water, Responsible Tourism Blog, RT Marketing, Social Media

Last week, a village in Switzerland got loads of press coverage for banning tourists from taking photos of its scenery and sharing them on social media. According ... Read more

May 31, 2017September 18, 2017

Certification: what comes next?

Carbon & Water, Certification, Responsible Tourism Blog

The purpose of consumer facing certification is presumably to assure the guest or client that the hotel they are planning to stay in, or the operator they ... Read more

May 22, 2017September 18, 2017

Bringing Biodiversity back home – lessons from the graveyard

Carbon & Water, Development, Responsible Tourism Blog

Today is the UN’s International Day for Biodiversity. This year being the UN’s International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, the theme is ‘Biodiversity and Sustainable Tourism’. ... Read more

May 16, 2017September 11, 2017

Beyond Ecotourism: Wildlife Conservation & the SDGs

Development, Responsible Tourism Blog

It was the ecotourism slogan ‘leave only footprints, take only photographs’ appearing in national parks in the 1980s that set me thinking about the impacts of tourism ... Read more

May 9, 2017September 18, 2017

Embracing timeshare to tackle tourism issues

Development, Responsible Tourism Blog, Social Economy

Timeshare is almost a dirty word in tourism today. But its structure offers much for those trying to make the industry more sustainable. It can deepen connections ... Read more

May 2, 2017September 12, 2017

WTM Responsible Tourism Awards 2017

Development, Responsible Tourism Blog, Social Economy, Video

For many years the industry has asserted its economic and social importance. The WTTC suggests that travel & tourism is 10.2% of world GDP and that the sector ... Read more

April 25, 2017September 18, 2017

New European student travel scheme offers a vision of tourism’s future

Carbon & Water, Responsible Tourism Blog, Social Economy

If I was asked to sum up the challenge facing tourism in one sentence, I would say something like the following: Can the travel industry of the ... Read more

April 21, 2017September 13, 2017

Responsible Tourism and the African Responsible Tourism Awards at WTM Africa

Development, Responsible Tourism Blog, Social Economy

The first Responsible Tourism panel on market access for SMEs and emerging entrepreneurs drew an audience of 90 to hear Enver Mally – originally an SME and ... Read more

April 11, 2017September 18, 2017

If you’re looking after the environment, you’re looking after your guests. Tell them.

Carbon & Water, Development, Human Rights, Responsible Tourism Blog

Written above a doorway at London’s Horniman Museum is an Einstein quote that reads: ‘The environment is everything except myself.’ When I saw it last week it ... Read more

April 4, 2017September 18, 2017

World Travel Market and the Sustainable Development Goals

Development, Responsible Tourism Blog, Social Economy, Video

WTM, supported by the UNWTO, has sought to present examples of good practice to educate, inspire and challenge business and destinations to deliver on sustainability through WTM ... Read more

March 31, 2017September 18, 2017

Tourism and Nature A Brazil of Opportunities

Development, Responsible Tourism Blog

by Luiz Del Vigna, ABETA For the first time in history, more than half of the world’s population lives in urban areas. Part of it is confined ... Read more

March 28, 2017September 18, 2017

Tourism will be the future’s most important industry. We aren’t ready.

Carbon & Water, Overtourism, Responsible Tourism Blog, RT Marketing, Social Economy

Last weekend I paid for my shopping at a self-service till. I swiped my credit card across the automatic turnstile on the Underground. I streamed a movie ... Read more

March 21, 2017September 18, 2017

Seasonality, Cruises and Overtourism: Coping with Success

Carbon & Water, Development, Overtourism, Responsible Tourism Blog

How does a small archipelago cope with becoming Britain’s most successful cruise destination? In 2011 there were 36,000 cruise passengers, last year there were close to 100,000, ... Read more

March 15, 2017September 18, 2017

Why it matters what stories tourism tells to promote destinations

Human Rights, Responsible Tourism Blog, RT Marketing, Social Economy

Museums and Heritage Advisor doesn’t sound like a particularly radical or controversy-seeking website. Described as “The ultimate news, product and opinion resource for museum, gallery, cultural and heritage ... Read more

March 8, 2017September 18, 2017

Does tourism really contribute to sustainable development?

Carbon & Water, Development, Responsible Tourism Blog, Social Economy, Video

The Resolution of the 70th United Nations General Assembly to designate 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development has shone the spotlight on tourism. ... Read more

March 1, 2017September 18, 2017

How should men mark International Women’s Day 2017?

Responsible Tourism Blog, Women in Travel

I should start by apologising to all women readers of this blog. You will learn nothing new from it. I doubt I have anything to say that ... Read more

February 21, 2017September 18, 2017

Should destinations focus on yield rather than arrivals?

Development, Overtourism, Responsible Tourism Blog, RT Marketing

From a consumer or traveller perspective there are many answers, but it is not difficult for a traveller or holidaymaker to say why they are travelling. It ... Read more

February 14, 2017September 18, 2017

Will Transformative Tourism be more than the latest travel trend?

Development, Responsible Tourism Blog, RT Marketing, Trends

Industry leaders are discussing why ‘Transformative Travel’ will be the travel trend of 2017 after Vogue released this article in January. While 2016 was all about experiential ... Read more

February 7, 2017September 18, 2017

Why take Responsibility for Tourism?

Carbon & Water, Development, Responsible Tourism Blog, Video

The simple answer of course is that we should, because tourism is what we make it. We can make tourism better, we can use tourism to make ... Read more

January 31, 2017September 18, 2017

How should the travel industry respond to Trump’s travel ban?

Human Rights, Responsible Tourism Blog

The rules of engagement are being changed. According to established social media thinking, the lifespan of a tweet is 18 minutes. Yet one of the tweets currently ... Read more

January 31, 2017February 21, 2017

Disintermediation & Destination Management session review

Responsible Tourism Blog, Video

World Travel Market, Travel Tech Theatre, Monday 7th November 2016 Panel member and CEO of Barcelona Tourism Board, Jordi William Carnes discusses why he attended WTM London ... Read more

January 24, 2017September 18, 2017

Creating shared value for local communities – the Kerala Experience

Carbon & Water, Development, Responsible Tourism Blog, Social Economy

In 2008 when the Second International Conference on Responsible Tourism in Destinations was held in Kerala there was overt and mounting hostility to the tourism industry in ... Read more

January 19, 2017September 18, 2017

Will South Africa eradicate irresponsible captive animal practices in 2017?

Development, Responsible Tourism Blog

‘‘JHB airport to remove cub-petting images from its international arrivals corridor’ read the headline in South Africa’s Citizen newspaper on January 13th. I’ve started 2017 – the ... Read more

January 18, 2017September 18, 2017

Going beyond trickledown

Development, Responsible Tourism Blog, Social Economy

Responsible Tourism is about using tourism to make better places for people to live in and better places for people to visit. 2017 is the UN’s International ... Read more

January 4, 2017September 18, 2017

A New Year, anti-globalisation and tourism

Carbon & Water, Development, Responsible Tourism Blog, Social Economy

2016 brought the Brexit vote and the election of Donald Trump to be the next President of the USA, the full impact of these momentous changes in ... Read more

December 22, 2016September 18, 2017

Reality has to be on tourism’s bucket list for 2017

Development, Overtourism, Responsible Tourism Blog

About six months ago my plans to write about a press trip to Jordan were disrupted by the Brexit vote, and I had to write about that ... Read more

December 20, 2016September 18, 2017

Tourism at the End of the Earth….

Development, Responsible Tourism Blog

Well almost. Thanks to the UK government’s Newton-Picarte science funding and the Economic and Social Research Council’s Impact Acceleration fund I was invited, through Bangor University, to ... Read more

December 13, 2016September 18, 2017

How to ensure your hotel isn’t used by traffickers… just got easier

Human Rights, Responsible Tourism Blog

It would be safe to assume that most people working in hotels do not want their businesses used for human trafficking. And it would be just as ... Read more

December 6, 2016September 18, 2017

The joy of travel – other peoples’ places

Development, Responsible Tourism Blog

We travel to enjoy other peoples’ places, the brochures and websites show us images of their natural and cultural environment the buildings and cafes the landscapes and ... Read more

November 29, 2016September 18, 2017

Why partnership has to be the buzzword for sustainable tourism in 2017

Development, Responsible Tourism Blog

2016 has not been a year that many people will look back on that fondly. But as we begin to look forward to 2017, I’d suggest there ... Read more

November 24, 2016September 18, 2017

Airbnb, disintermediation and communities

Development, Responsible Tourism Blog, Social Economy

Airbnb is only one of many new distribution channels which are creating new opportunities for suppliers and consumers. Like previous disruptors it will probably face competition from ... Read more

November 15, 2016September 18, 2017

8 Challenges for sustainable tourism posed at WTM London 2016

Development, Overtourism, Responsible Tourism Blog

I spent the whole of World Travel Market sat in the lecture halls, listening to the women and men most committed to developing sustainable tourism discuss the ... Read more

November 9, 2016September 18, 2017

WTM London 2016 10 years of Responsible Tourism

Development, Overtourism, Responsible Tourism Blog, RT Marketing

Simon Press, Senior Exhibition Director World Travel Market, toasted the ten years of Responsible Tourism at WTM and thanked all those who have become part of the ... Read more

November 8, 2016September 18, 2017

Ten years of promoting responsible tourism at WTM

Carbon & Water, Development, Responsible Tourism Blog, RT Marketing

Today World Travel Market celebrates the 10th anniversary of World Responsible Tourism Day with a programme that assesses the past, present and future of efforts to make ... Read more

October 25, 2016September 18, 2017

Enhancing the Tourism Experience for Guests and Hosts

Development, Responsible Tourism Blog

Responsible Tourism is about using tourism to make better places for people to live in and better places for people to visit. 2017 is the UN’s International ... Read more

October 18, 2016September 18, 2017

Last Chance Travel: What if the only truly sustainable form of tourism is less of it?

Carbon & Water, Development, Overtourism, Responsible Tourism Blog

Issues around Venice and the problems of what is fast becoming known as ‘overtourism‘ are being talked about a great deal these days. What I was unaware ... Read more

October 4, 2016September 18, 2017

Google Cardboard’s VR headset will change tourism forever. But will virtual reality make the industry more sustainable?

Carbon & Water, Disability, Responsible Tourism Blog

In the last few days the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset has launched in the UK, bringing virtual reality to the headlines once again; although at £549, ... Read more

October 3, 2016September 18, 2017

How Gulf destinations are opening their doors to the world

Blog, Disability

The Gulf has already established a formidable reputation as one of the world’s most accessible regions – in fact, it’s the very foundation of its tourism success ... Read more

September 27, 2016September 18, 2017

A new challenge “overtourism”

Carbon & Water, Overtourism, Responsible Tourism Blog

A new challenge and a new word: “overtourism.” First used on twitter as #overtourism back in August 2012 it’s likely to become commonplace over the next few ... Read more

September 20, 2016September 18, 2017

#TOURISMFORALL – Is your travel website reaching as many guests as possible?

Disability, Responsible Tourism Blog

The theme for this year’s World Tourism Day, which happens a week today on September 27, is Tourism for All. In the promotional materials for its annual ... Read more

September 13, 2016September 18, 2017

It is a privilege to judge the Responsible Tourism Awards

Certification, Development, Responsible Tourism Blog

Since 2004 when responsibletravel.com launch Responsible Tourism Awards I have been privileged to chair the judges for the Awards presented at WTM in London on World Responsible ... Read more

September 6, 2016September 18, 2017

Tourism has to stop worrying about how to spin sustainability

Responsible Tourism Blog, RT Marketing

I am sitting inside a campervan, sheltering from the rain on day 12 of a road trip around England and Wales. I have stayed in 4 different ... Read more

August 30, 2016September 18, 2017

People and Gorillas at Bwindi

Development, Human Rights, Responsible Tourism Blog

Looking out of the lodge window at Rushaga in southwest Uganda close on the border with Congo and Rwanda the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest home to the fabled ... Read more