GLOBAL CODE OF ETHICS FOR TOURISM

UNITED NATIONS

Resolution adopted by the General Assembly

21 December 2001 A/RES/56/212 Global Code of Ethics for Tourism

GLOBAL CODE OF ETHICS FOR TOURISM

adopted by resolution A/RES/406(XIII) at the thirteenth WTO General Assembly (Santiago, Chile, 27 September 1 October 1999). PREAMBLE We, Members of the World Tourism O rganization (WTO), re p re s e n t atives of the world tourism industry, delegates of States, territories, enterprises, institutions and bodies that are gathered for the General Assembly at Santiago, Chile on this first day of October 1999, Reasserting the aims set out in Article 3 of the Statutes of the World Tourism Organization, and aware of the decisive and central role of this Organization, as recognized by the General Assembly of the United Nations, in promoting and developing tourism with a view to contributing to economic development, international understanding, peace, prosperity and universal respect for, and observance of, human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion, Firmly believing that, through the direct, spontaneous and non-mediatized contacts it engenders between men and women of different culture s and lifestyles, tourism re p resents a vital force for peace and a factor of friendship and understanding among the peoples of the world, In keeping with the rationale of reconciling environmental protection, economic development and the fight against poverty in a sustainable manner, as formulated by the United Nations in 1992 at the Earth Summit of Rio de Janeiro and expressed in Agenda 21, adopted on that occasion, Taking into account the swift and continued growth, both past and foreseeable, of the tourism activity, whether for leisure, business, culture, religious or health purposes, and its powerful effects, both positive and negative, on the environment, the economy and the society of both generating and receiving countries, on local communities and indigenous peoples, as well as on international relations and trade, Aiming to promote responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism in the framework of the

The General Assembly, Recalling its resolution 32/156 of 19 December 1977, by which it approved the Agreement on Cooperation and Relationships between the United Nations and the World Tourism Organization, Reaffirming paragraph 5 of its resolution 36/41 of 19 November 1981, in which it decided that the World Tourism Organization might participate, on a continuing basis, in the work of the General Assembly in areas of concern to that organization, Recalling the Manila Declaration on World Tourism of 10 October 1980 adopted under the auspices of the World Tourism Organization,1 the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development 2 and Agenda 21 3 adopted at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development on 14 June 1992, and taking note of the Amman Declaration on Peace through Tourism adopted at the Global Summit on Peace through Tourism on 11 November 2000,4 Considering that the Commission on Sustainable Development, at its seventh session, held in April 1999, expressed interest in a global code of ethics for tourism and invited the World Tourism Organization to consider the participation of informed major groups in the development, implementation and monitoring of its globlal code of ethics for tourism ,5 Recalling its resolution 53/200 of 15 December 1998 on the proclamation of 2002 as the International Year of Ecotourism, in which, inter alia, it reaffirmed Economic and Social Council resolution 1998/40 of 30 July 1998, recognizing the support of the World Tourism Organization for the importance of ecotourism, in particular the designation of the year 2002 as the International Year of Ecotourism, in fostering better understanding among peoples everywhere, in leading to greater awareness of the rich heritage of various civilizations and in bringing about a better appreciation of the inherent values of different cultures, thereby contributing to the strengthening of world peace, Recognizing the important dimension and role of tourism as a positive instrument towards the alleviation of poverty and the improvement of the quality of life for all people, its potential to make a contribution to economic and social development, especially of the developing countries, and its emergence as a vital force for the promotion of international understanding, peace and prosperity, 1. Takes note with interest of the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism adopted at the thirteenth session of the General Assembly of the World Tourism Organization,6 which outlines principles to guide tourism development and to serve as a frame of refere nce for the different stakeholders in the tourism sector, with the objective of minimizing the negative impact of tourism on environment and on cultural heritage while maximizing the benefits of tourism in promoting sustainable development and poverty alleviation as well as understanding among nations; 2. Emphasizes the need for the promotion of a responsible and sustainable tourism that could be beneficial to all sectors of society; 3. Invites Governments and other stakeholders in the tourism sector to consider introducing, as appropriate, the contents of the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism in re l evant laws, regulations and professional practices, and, in this regard, recognizes with a p p re ciation the efforts made and measures already undertaken by some States; 4. Encourages the World Tourism Organization to promote effective follow-up to the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, with the involvement of relevant stakeholders in the tourism sector; 5. Requests the Secretary-General to follow up developments related to the implementation of the present resolution based on the re p o rts of the World Tourism Organizaion and to re p o rt thereon to the General Assembly at its fifty-ninth session.
1 A/36/236, annex, appendix I. 2 Report of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Rio de Janeiro, 314 June 1992 (United Nations publications, Sales No. E.93.I.8 and corrigenda), vol. I: Resolutions adopted by the Conference, resolution 1, annex I. 3 Ibid., annex II. 4 See A/55/640. 5 See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 1999, Supplement No. 9 (E/1999/29), decision 7/3 6 See E/2001/61, annex.

right of all persons to use their free time for leisure pursuits or travel with respect for the choices of society of all peoples, But convinced that the world tourism industry as a whole has much to gain by operating in an environment that favours the market economy, private enterprise and free trade and that serves to optimize its beneficial effects on the creation of wealth and employment, Also firmly convinced that, provided a number of principles and a certain number of rules are observed, responsible and sustainable tourism is by no means incompatible with the growing liberalization of the conditions governing trade in services and under whose aegis the enterprises of this sector operate and that it is possible to reconcile in this sector economy and ecology, environment and development, openness to international trade and protection of social and cultural identities, Considering that, with such an approach, all the stakeholders in tourism development national, regional and local administrations, enterprises, business associations, workers in the sector, non-governmental organizations and bodies of all kinds belonging to the tourism industry, as well as host communities, the media and the tourists themselves, have different albeit interdependent responsibilities in the individual and societal development of tourism and that the formulation of their individual rights and duties will contribute to meeting this aim, Committed, in keeping with the aims pursued by the Wo r l d Tourism Organization itself since adopting resolution 364(XII) at its General Assembly of 1997 (Istanbul), to promote a genuine partnership between the public and private stakeholders in tourism development, and wishing to see a partnership and cooperation of the same kind extend, in an open and balanced way, to the relations between generating and

receiving countries and their respective tourism industries, Following up on the Manila Declarations of 1980 on World Tourism and of 1997 on the Social Impact of Tourism, as well as on the Tourism Bill of Rights and the Tourist Code adopted at Sofia in 1985 under the aegis of WTO, But believing that these instruments should be complemented by a set of interdependent principles for their interpretation and application on which the stakeholders in tourism development should model their conduct at the dawn of the twenty-first century, Using, for the purposes of this instrument, the definitions and classifications applicable to travel, and especially the concepts of visitor, tourist and tourism, as adopted by the Ottawa International Conference, held from 24 to 28 June 1991 and approved, in 1993, by the United Nations Statistical Commission at its twentyseventh session, Referring in particular to the following instruments:
Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 10 December 1948; International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of 16 December 1966; International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of 16 December 1966; Warsaw Convention on Air Transport of 12 October 1929; Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation of 7 December 1944, and the Tokyo, The Hague and M o n t re Conventions in re l a t i o n al thereto; Convention on Customs Facilities for Tourism of 4 July 1954 and related Protocol; Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage of 23 November 1972;

Manila Declaration on World Tourism of 10 October 1980; Resolution of the Sixth General Assembly of WTO (Sofia) adopting the Tourism Bill of Rights and Tourist Code of 26 September 1985; Convention on the Rights of the Child of 20 November 1989; Resolution of the Ninth General Assembly of WTO (Buenos Aires) concerning in particular travel facilitation and the safety and security of tourists of 4 October 1991; Rio Declaration on the Environment and Development of 13 June 1992; General Agreement on Trade in Services of 15 April 1994; Convention on Biodiversity of 6 January 1995; Resolution of the Eleventh General Assembly of WTO (Cairo) on the prevention of organized sex tourism of 22 October 1995; Stockholm Declaration of 28 August 1996 against the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children; Manila Declaration on the Social Impact of Tourism of 22 May 1997; Conventions and recommendations adopted by the International Labour Organization in the area of collective conventions, prohibition of forc e d labour and child labour, defence of the rights of indigenous peoples, and equal treatment and non-discrimination in the work place;

affirm the right to tourism and the freedom of tourist movements, state our wish to promote an equitable, responsible and sustainable world tourism order, whose benefits will be shared by all sectors of society in the context of an open and liberalized international economy, and solemnly adopt to these ends the principles of the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism.

heritage should be severely condemned and punished in accordance with their respective national laws;

rights of the most vulnerable groups, notably children, the elderly, the handicapped, ethnic minorities and indigenous peoples; 3. The exploitation of human beings in any form, particularly sexual, especially when applied to children, conflicts with the fundamental aims of tourism and is the negation of tourism; as such, in accordance with international law, it should be energetically combatted with the cooperation of all the States concerned and penalized without concession by the national legislation of both the countries visited and the countries of the perpetrators of these acts, even when they are carried out abroad; 4. Travel for purposes of religion, health, education and cultural or linguistic exchanges are particularly beneficial forms of tourism, which deserve encouragement; 5. The introduction into curricula of education about the value of tourist exchanges, their economic, social and cultural benefits, and also their risks, should be encouraged;

Article 1
Tourisms contribution to mutual understanding and respect between peoples and societies 1. The understanding and promotion of the ethical values common to humanity, with an attitude of tolerance and respect for the diversity of religious, philosophical and moral beliefs, are both the foundation and the consequence of responsible tourism; stakeholders in tourism development and tourists themselves should observe the social and cultural traditions and practices of all peoples, including those of minorities and indigenous peoples and to recognize their worth; 2. Tourism activities should be conducted in harmony with the attributes and traditions of the host regions and countries and in respect for their laws, practices and customs; 3. The host communities, on the one hand, and local professionals, on the other, should acquaint themselves with and respect the tourists who visit them and find out about their lifestyles, tastes and expectations; the education and training imparted to professionals contribute to a hospitable welcome; 4. It is the task of the public authorities to provide protection for tourists and visitors and their belongings; they must pay particular attention to the safety of foreign tourists owing to the particular vulnerability they may have; they should facilitate the introduction of specific means of information, prevention, security, insurance and assistance consistent with their needs; any attacks, assaults, kidnappings or threats against tourists or workers in the tourism industry, as well as the wilful destruction of tourism facilities or of elements of cultural or natural

5. When travelling, tourists and visitors should not commit any criminal act or any act considered criminal by the laws of the country visited and abstain from any conduct felt to be offensive or injurious by the local populations, or likely to damage the local environment; they should refrain from all trafficking in illicit drugs, arms, antiques, protected species and products and substances that are dangerous or prohibited by national regulations; 6. Tourists and visitors have the responsibility to acquaint themselves, even before their departure, with the characteristics of the countries they are preparing to visit; they must be aware of the health and security risks inherent in any travel outside their usual environment and behave in such a way as to minimize those risks;

Article 2
Tourism as a vehicle for individual and collective fulfilment 1. Tourism, the activity most frequently associated with rest and relaxation, sport and access to culture and nature, should be planned and practised as a privileged means of individual and collective fulfilment; when practised with a sufficiently open mind, it is an irreplaceable factor of self-education, mutual tolerance and for learning about the legitimate diff e re n c e s between peoples and cultures and their diversity; 2. Tourism activities should respect the equality of men and women; they should promote human rights and, more particularly, the individual

Article 3
Tourism, a factor of sustainable development 1. All the stakeholders in tourism development should safeguard the natural environment with a view to achieving sound, continuous and sustainable economic growth geared to satisfying equitably the needs and aspirations of present and future generations; 2. All forms of tourism development that are conducive to saving rare and p recious re s o u rces, in part i c u l a r water and energy, as well as avoiding so far as possible waste production, should be given priority and encouraged by national, regional and local public authorities;

3. The staggering in time and space of tourist and visitor flows, particularly those resulting from paid leave and school holidays, and a more even distribution of holidays should be sought so as to reduce the pressure of tourism activity on the environment and enhance its beneficial impact on the tourism industry and the local economy; 4. Tourism infrastructure should be designed and tourism activities programmed in such a way as to protect the natural heritage composed of ecosystems and biodiversity and to preserve endangered species of wildlife; the stakeholders in tourism development, and especially professionals, should agree to the imposition of limitations or constraints on their activities when these are exercised in particularly sensitive areas: desert, polar or high mountain regions, coastal areas, tropical forests or wetlands, propitious to the creation of nature reserves or protected areas; 5. Nature tourism and ecotourism are recognized as being particularly conducive to enriching and enhancing the standing of tourism, provided they respect the natural heritage and local populations and are in keeping with the carrying capacity of the sites;

should protect and pass on to f u t u re generations; particular care should be devoted to pre s e rv i n g and upgrading monuments, shrines and museums as well as arc h a e ological and historic sites which must be widely open to tourist visits; encouragement should be given to public access to privately-owned cultural property and monuments, with respect for the rights of their owners, as well as to religious buildings, without prejudice to normal needs of worship; 3. Financial resources derived from visits to cultural sites and monuments should, at least in part, be used for the upkeep, safeguard, development and embellishment of this heritage; 4. Tourism activity should be planned in such a way as to allow traditional cultural products, crafts and folklore to survive and flourish, rather than causing them to degenerate and become standard i z e d ;

3. Special attention should be paid to the specific problems of coastal a reas and island territories and to vulnerable rural or mountain regions, for which tourism often re p resents a rare opportunity for development in the face of the decline of traditional economic activities; 4. Tourism professionals, part i c u l a r l y investors, governed by the regulations laid down by the public authorities, should carry out studies of the impact of their development projects on the environment and natural surroundings; they should also deliver, with the greatest transparency and objectivity, information on their future programmes and their foreseeable repercussions and foster dialogue on their contents with the populations concerned;

Article 6 Article 5
Tourism, a beneficial activity for host countries and communities 1. Local populations should be associated with tourism activities and s h a re equitably in the economic, social and cultural benefits they generate, and particularly in the c reation of direct and indirect jobs resulting from them; 2. Tourism policies should be applied in such a way as to help to raise the standard of living of the populations of the regions visited and meet their needs; the planning and architectural approach to and operation of tourism resorts and accommodation should aim to integrate them, to the extent possible, in the local economic and social fabric; where skills are equal, priority should be given to local manpower; Obligations of stakeholders in tourism development 1. Tourism professionals have an obligation to provide tourists with objective and honest information on their places of destination and on the conditions of travel, hospitality and stays; they should ensure that the contractual clauses proposed to their customers are readily understandable as to the nature, price and quality of the services they commit themselves to providing and the financial compensation payable by them in the event of a unilateral breach of contract on their part; 2. Tourism professionals, insofar as it depends on them, should show concern, in cooperation with the public authorities, for the security and safety, accident prevention, health protection and food safety of those who seek

Article 4
Tourism, a user of the cultural heritage of mankind and a contributor to its enhancement 1. Tourism resources belong to the common heritage of mankind; the communities in whose territories they are situated have particular rights and obligations to them; 2. Tourism policies and activities should be conducted with respect for the artistic, archaeological and cultural heritage, which they

their services; likewise, they should ensure the existence of suitable systems of insurance and assistance; they should accept the re p o rting obligations prescribed by national regulations and pay fair compensation in the event of failure to observe their contractual obligations; 3. Tourism professionals, so far as this depends on them, should contribute to the cultural and spiritual fulfilment of tourists and allow them, during their travels, to practise their religions; 4. The public authorities of the generating States and the host countries, in cooperation with the professionals concerned and their associations, should ensure that the necessary mechanisms are in place for the repatriation of tourists in the event of the bankruptcy of the enterprise that organized their travel; 5. Governments have the right and the duty - especially in a crisis, to inform their nationals of the difficult circumstances, or even the dangers they may encounter during their travels abroad; it is their responsibility however to issue such information without prejudicing in an unjustified or exaggerated manner the tourism industry of the host countries and the interests of their own operators; the contents of travel advisories should therefore be discussed beforehand with the authorities of the host countries and the professionals concerned; recommendations form u l a t e d should be strictly pro p o rt i o n a t e to the gravity of the situations encountered and confined to the geographical areas where the insecurity has arisen; such advisories should be qualified or cancelled as soon as a return to normality permits; 6. The press, and particularly the specialized travel press and the other media, including modern means of electronic communica-

tion, should issue honest and balanced information on events and situations that could influence the flow of tourists; they should also p rovide accurate and re l i a b l e i n f o rmation to the consumers of tourism services; the new communication and electronic commerce technologies should also be developed and used for this purpose; as is the case for the media, they should not in any way promote sex tourism;

4. Family, youth, student and senior tourism and tourism for people with disabilities, should be encouraged and facilitated;

Article 8
Liberty of tourist movements 1. Tourists and visitors should benefit, in compliance with i n t e rnational law and national legislation, from the liberty to move within their countries and from one State to another, in accordance with Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; they should have access to places of transit and stay and to tourism and cultural sites without being subject to excessive formalities or discrimination; 2. Tourists and visitors should have access to all available forms of communication, internal or external; they should benefit from prompt and easy access to local administrative, legal and health services; they should be free to contact the consular re p re s e n t atives of their countries of origin in compliance with the diplomatic conventions in force; 3. Tourists and visitors should benefit from the same rights as the citizens of the country visited concerning the confidentiality of the personal data and inform a t i o n concerning them, especially when these are stored electronically; 4. Administrative pro c e d u re s relating to border cro s s i n g s whether they fall within the competence of States or result from international agreements, such as visas or health and customs formalities, should be adapted, so far as possible, so as to facilitate to the maximum freedom of travel

Article 7
Right to tourism 1. The prospect of direct and personal access to the discovery and enjoyment of the planets resources constitutes a right equally open to all the worlds inhabitants; the increasingly extensive p a rticipation in national and i n t e rnational tourism should be re g a rded as one of the best possible expressions of the sustained growth of free time, and obstacles should not be placed in its way; 2. The universal right to tourism must be regarded as the corollary of the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay, guaranteed by A rticle 24 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and A rticle 7.d of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; 3. Social tourism, and in particular associative tourism, which facilitates widespread access to leisure, travel and holidays, should be developed with the support of the public authorities;

and widespread access to international tourism; agre e m e n t s between groups of countries to harmonize and simplify these procedures should be encouraged; specific taxes and levies penalizing the tourism industry and u n d e rmining its competitiveness should be gradually phased out or corrected; 5. So far as the economic situation of the countries from which they come permits, travellers should have access to allowances of conv e rtible currencies needed for their travels;

to seasonal workers in the sector; 3. Any natural or legal person, provided he, she or it has the necessary abilities and skills, should be entitled to develop a professional activity in the field of tourism under existing national laws; entrepreneurs and investors - especially in the area of small and medium-sized enterprises should be entitled to free access to the tourism sector with a minimum of legal or administrative restrictions; 4. Exchanges of experience offered to executives and workers, whether salaried or not, from different countries, contributes to foster the development of the world tourism industry; these movements should be facilitated so far as possible in compliance with the applicable national laws and international conventions; 5. As an irreplaceable factor of solidarity in the development and dynamic growth of international exchanges, multinational enterprises of the tourism industry should not exploit the dominant positions they sometimes occupy; they should avoid becoming the vehicles of cultural and social models artificially imposed on the host communities; in exchange for their freedom to invest and trade which should be fully recognized, they should involve themselves in local development, avoiding, by the excessive repatriation of their profits or their induced imports, a reduction of their contribution to the economies in which they are established; 6. Partnership and the establishment of balanced re l a t i o n s between enterprises of generating and receiving countries contribute to the sustainable devellopment of tourism and an equitable distribution of the benefits of its growth;

Article 10
Implementation of the principles of the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism 1. The public and private stakeholders in tourism development should cooperate in the implementation of these principles and monitor their effective application; 2. The stakeholders in tourism development should re c o g n i z e the role of international institutions, among which the W r l d o Tourism Organization ranks first, and non-governmental organizations with competence in the field of tourism promotion and development, the protection of human rights, the environment or health, with due respect for the general principles of international law; 3. The same stakeholders should demonstrate their intention to refer any disputes concerning the application or interpretation of the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism for conciliation to an impartial third body known as the World Committee on To u r i s m Ethics.

Article 9
Rights of the workers and entrep reneurs in the tourism industry 1. The fundamental rights of salaried and self-employed workers in the tourism industry and related activities, should be guaranteed under the supervision of the national and local administrations, both of their States of origin and of the host countries with particular care, given the specific constraints linked in particular to the seasonality of their activity, the global dimension of their industry and the flexibility often required of them by the nature of their work; 2. Salaried and self-employed workers in the tourism industry and related activities have the right and the duty to acquire appropriate initial and continuous training; they should be given adequate social protection; job insecurity should be limmited so far as possible; and a specific status, with particular regard to their social welfare, should be off e red

THE WORLD TOURISM ORGANIZATION is the only intergovernmental organization that serves as a global forum for tourism policy and issues. Its Members include 144 countries and territories as well as over 350 Affiliate Members from the public and private sectors. WTOs mission is to promote and develop tourism as a significant means of fostering international peace and understanding, economic development and international trade. INTERNET: www.world-tourism.org