The Manifesto also promotes the "responsible traveler stamp" for travel bloggers who, through their commitment, are an example of responsible travelling
The Responsible Tourism Institute (RTI) and Foundation InterMundial present the "Manifesto of the Responsible Traveler", a guiding document for travelling in a responsible manner. The Manifesto has been made public at a press breakfast today, September 26, the eve of the World Tourism Day, that this 2017 celebrates the "International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development". Manuel López, the head of the InterMundial Foundation and CEO of InterMundial Seguros, Dr. Tomás Azcárate, president of the Responsible Tourism Institute, and Yolanda Perdomo, director of the Affiliate Members Program of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) have been in charge of the presentation.
The document is articulated in 10 fundamental principles, written on the basis of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) stated by the UN in the Agenda 2030 and the criteria of recognized travel bloggers. Its aim is to be a document that any traveler can use as a personal examination, both before embarking on a new trip and after the trip to detect where they can improve.
Be aware of the risks of traveling and take precautions; promote the destination’s local development by consuming local products and services; contribute to the conservation, protection and regeneration of the destination ecosystem; respect diversity and do not engage in discriminatory activities; promote the sustainability of the heritage and infrastructures of the destination; support fair labor conditions that respect the rights of workers of tourist companies or choose experiences or products that promote the R&D of the destination; are some of the points of the document. The Manifesto develops each of them, explaining in detail how a traveler can contribute to make traveling as sustainable as possible.
"We want to engage the traveler in the pursuit of a better tourism," says Manuel López, head of InterMundial Foundation and president of InterMundial Seguros. "The traveler is the true protagonist of the trip and, therefore, responsible for it"
The president of the RTI, Tomas Azcárate, recalled that 2017 has been proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development with the objective of "widening the contribution of tourism to the 17 SDG, as well as raising awareness of the true dimensions of a sector whose contribution to Sustainable Development is crucial. " Azcárate affirmed that "responsible travelers are those who respect and value not only the natural heritage of the destination, but also cultures, traditions and local knowledge in all its forms."
Any person can symbolically sign the Manifesto, which is hosted on the web www.manifiestoviajeroresponsable.es , thus compromising with a way of traveling that is aware that the impact it generates on the destination should always be positive. The Manifesto also promotes the "responsible traveler stamp", a badge for travel bloggers who comply with the principles of the document and are examples of committed travelers. Also, and always within the framework of the Manifesto, there will be different days on which travel bloggers and tourism companies will be able to dialogue.
"We must stop thinking of the tourist as someone who devastates the territory and think that it can be a transforming agent, an agent of change," concluded Yolanda Perdomo, director of affiliated members of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) . "If every one of the 43 million travelers who travel each year thinks that they can do something to improve, there will be a real revolution."
