For industry

How can the tourism and travel industries make a difference?

As part of one of the biggest industries in the world today, you have both the power and responsibility to influence the behaviour of tourists, and the future direction of tourism.

Cheap flights to the Pacific Islands have made this region more accessible than ever to Aotearoa New Zealanders. Both for the tourism industry and for those who live in the Pacific Islands, it is important that tourism activities and ventures are sustainable. To continue attracting tourists, the culture and natural resources of the Pacific need to be respected and maintained.

If you promote responsible tourism, then everyone can gain long-term economic and social benefits.

What are the benefits for my organisation?

Promoting responsible tourism has real commercial benefits as well as being the right thing to do. Ethical concerns are fast becoming the measure consumers use when making purchasing decisions.

The Ethical Consumer Report 2007 found that spending on ethical products and services in the UK has nearly doubled since 2001.

Sector analysis showed that spending on responsible tour operators and environmental tourist attractions had risen 25% in the same period.

The Aotearoa New Zealand market is fast following these global trends.

Promoting the code to your customers is an easy first step in incorporating ethical concerns into your business. For companies that already have sustainability or ethical measures in place, this code, created in conjunction with people in the Pacific, clearly show your commitment and will help guide your customers' actions alongside your own.

How to use the Code

Stakeholders in the travel and tourism industries who want to promote responsible tourism can use the code in any way they choose.

The code is available free of charge in a variety of electronic formats.

Tourism Industry

How the tourism industry can promote the code:

  • Include the code in promotional literature and travel information, either as a separate flyer, or downloaded into your own material.
  • Display a poster of the code in your offices
  • Download an image of the code on your website
  • Local Visitor Centres could give flyers of the code to tourists planning their holiday activities
  • Talk to tourists about the Responsible Tourism Code. Show that you are more than just another company out to take their tourist dollars!

Travel Industry

Travel agents and airlines in Aotearoa New Zealand can promote responsible tourism to the consumer before they travel:

  • Print the code at the bottom of individual itineraries. On your request we've specially designed a downloadable version of the code to fit.
  • Put the code into travel wallets.
  • Display the code in your office or on your website.
  • Talk to your customers. You can make a huge difference if you help your customers to make holiday choices that keep tourism sustainable.

Download the code now and use it in your next brochure! Available in PDF format in a variety of dimensions.

Order colour flyers of the code.

Order the colour poster for your office or reception area: a variety of sizes are available.

Please contact us to discuss ways your organisation can use and promote the code +64 4 496 9597, info@dev-zone.org.

Useful links for the tourism and travel industry:

  • Greenglobe is an international benchmark and certification system for sustainable tourism.
  • International Centre for Responsible Tourism - a virtual centre established to enable all those involved in aspects of responsible tourism work to share information and publicise their work.
  • Partners in Responsible Tourism - grass roots alliance for uniting travel agencies, outfitters, adventurers and tourists who want to protect the environment.
  • The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) - the largest and oldest ecotourism organisation, provides guidelines and standards, training, technical assistance, research to foster ecotourism development.
  • The Responsible Tourism Partnership an NGO that works to support the development of responsible tourism businesses and initiatives.
  • The Travel Foundation - a UK charity that aims to help the outbound travel industry manage tourism more sustainably. Click here for details of their resources aimed at the tourism industry held by the Dev-Zone library.
  • The World Tourism Organization - an international tourism organisation and a specialized agency of the United Nations. With their headquarters in Madrid , Spain , the WTO serves as a 'global forum for tourism policy issues and practical source of tourism know-how'.