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Find out what types of behaviour make a tourism operator or employer ethical and help guide your future employment and travel decisions.
Whether you’re a jobseeker making a decision about which Tourismemployer to work for; a traveller deciding which Tourism operator to visit onyour holidays; or a business owner deciding what sort of Tourism business youwant to be, finding out about the way existing companies do business is key.
As global awareness aboutthe damage being done to the planet increases, individuals and businesses arebecoming more conscious of the impact of their actions. Whether it’s turningoff the lights, recycling, or hiring local, ethical best practice now plays animportant role in decision-making processes of almost every aspect of Tourism.
Today’s consumers, employees, procurers andinvestors all expect certain ethical standards. But what does ethical tourismactually mean?
Ethical tourism is a form of responsible tourism,developed in response to criticism of mass tourism. It focuses on maximisingpositive impacts and minimizing negative impacts on the three pillars ofsustainable tourism: the environment, the economy and society.
The World Tourism Organisation stated over 20 yearsago that “the understanding and promotion of the ethical values common tohumanity, with an attitude of tolerance and respect for the diversity ofreligious, philosophical and moral beliefs, are both the foundation andconsequence of responsible tourism”.
So, what makes an ethical tourism operator?!
Some great examples oftourism operators acting ethically include:
- Minimisingglobal impact by measuring and offsetting carbon or putting planting schemes inplace
- Protectinganimal welfare, natural environments and habitats
- Avoidingexploitation of groups
- Educatingguests about their ethical work
- Treatingcustomers of all genders, ages, races, backgrounds, abilities and beliefsequally
- Showcasinglocal sites and using local (ethically sourced or produced) products and brands
- Composting, reducing, reusing andrecycling
- Usingsolar and wind power
- Goingpaperless
- Givingback to the community via a Corporate Social Responsibility scheme
- Minimisingpressure on infrastructure, services and facilities
- Valuing people(boththeir own staff, customers and the local community)
- Distributionof income
- Reducingcultural impact
Doing these things is not only great for theregion, people, animals and environment impacted by tourism but can have apositive impact on the bottom-line and success of the business too! Some reallygreatbusiness models have come out of ethically-focused tourism,including:
- Agritourism
- Voluntourism
- CharityTourism
- Community-basedtourism
- Ecotourism
- Geotourism
- Pro-poortourism
- Ruraltourism
- Slowtourism
- Sustainableand regenerative tourism
As well as considering theimpact of the goods or services they provide, great ethical tourism companiesalso think about the way they operate across the entire business chain,including turning their attention to:
- End-to-endassuranceprocesses that focus on improving conditions for workers.
- Thecompanies they do business with and assuring that workers within the entiresupply chains are treated fairly and compliantly.
- Ensuringthat any franchisees also operate using ethical and sustainable work practices.
- Knowing and understanding aboutresponsible investments and the impact their investment decisions can have onethical and sustainable work practices.
To put it simply, behavingethically is the right thing to do!
And what about ethicalemployers?
Expecting businesses to treat their staff fairlyand ask the same of workers in the organisations they engage with, is the normnow and, with social media at the fingertips of every prospective customer oremployee, any unethical business behaviour is easily shared with the world andcan be extremely damaging to brand reputation.
Ethical treatment of employees is theresponsibility of everyone in the business, right down from the directors, tomanagers, team leaders and those in charge of HR and hiring.In terms ofemployment,ethical meansengaging inlegally compliant work practices that are fair and ensure decent treatmentofworkers.Although meeting minimumemployment standardsis essential to be considered an ‘ethicalemployer’, for most people, ethical treatment often means going above andbeyond the legal minimum.
Some great examples oftourism employers acting ethically include:
- Payingthe Living Wage
- PuttingWellbeing initiatives in place
- Havinga Corporate Social Responsibility policy
- Providingflexible work options
- Ensuringnon-biased hiring from a diverse talent pool
- Committingto long-term training and development of staff
Ethical employment practices not only help attractand retain great workers but, similarly to ethical operational procedures, canalso have a positive impact on customer goodwill, loyalty and demand for goodsand services. Equally, employment practices that are not legal, ethical orsustainable can severely damage reputation, brand and ultimately revenue,profit, financial viability and market value.
So now you know what to look for, where can youfind the information out?
The majority of tourismoperators now have pages on their websites, or posts on their social mediachannels dedicated to informing potential guests or jobseekers of their ethicalwork and nature. If you’re trying to find out whether to work or visit aspecific tourist attraction, this is a great place to start your research.
Since every customer or employee has their ownopinion about what is and isn’t acceptable for them in terms of ethicalbehaviour, it’s important for individuals to come to their own conclusion.
Part of the decision making process should alsoinclude research into the incentives behind a business’s decision to actethically and whether these are truly genuine, or driven by consumerism and thedesire to appear more ethical in order to simply attract more business.
One quick and easy way to get a good gauge forbusinesses in NZ is to check whether they display theQualmarklogo. If they do, this willtypically be both on their website and on posters on-site and means they:
- Havebeen rated on their ability todeliver a quality sustainable experience
- Haveundergone an independent safety check
- Showcasetrue NewZealand hospitality.
You’ll then be able to book activities or apply forroles with confidence, knowing you’ll find a warm welcome from a business thatoperates in an ethical, professional and environmentally friendly way,protecting what makes NewZealand unique.
And how can you be an ethical tourist yourself?!
Although it’s important to assess the ethicalbehaviour of tourism operators before you engage with them, it’s also importantto make sure you’re playing your part too. This includes both acting and makingethically-focused decisions when you plan and undertake your travel.
A few simple tips include:
- Beingkind to the environment; going as low impact as possible
- Beingkind to society; going as local as possible
- Beingkind to the economy; going for long-term value, where possible
If you’re keen to find out more, check out some ofthese great sites to help continue your ethical journey!
- Global Code of Ethics for Tourism– United Nations
- Tips for Responsible travellers– World Committee on Tourism Ethics (ECTE)
- Putting Ethics into Practice– Tearfund
- The Countryside Commissions’ Code– UK Government
- Code of Ethics– Conservation International
- Environmental Codes of Conduct for Tourism– United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
- Values in Action: WWF’s Core Standards of Performance– World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
- Tour Operators’ Initiative for Sustainable Tourism Development (TOI)– United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO)
- How to choose a responsible tour operator– Intrepid Travel
- Ethical tourism - everything you need to know– Tourism Teacher
- Ethical and Sustainable work practices– Employment.govt.nz
