Ethics and tourism

from w
There are plenty of things to comment on regarding Fiji today, but caution is necessary because of the irrational situation in Fiji so I will stick to a safe topic - tourism. Several people ask me if it is safe to visit Fiji as a tourist these days, and I respond by telling them that tourist resorts are still pleasant places for a holiday and the workers need their jobs. However also keep in mind that there is great suffering as well. Patrick Wong and others in Fiji's tourism industry persist in being optimistic but truly, numbers are down in the resorts, partly because of travel warnings and some of the media stories in recent weeks. But I still say to those who ask me, 'Go over and see, observe, and listen. Before you go read Fiji news on the web, including some of the burgeoning blogs so that you will not be naive.'
Here is a very good paper on tourism generally which is worth a read (if the link won't open directly, here it is: http://www.gdrc.org/uem/eco-tour/principles.html ) - and I am quoting here just an excerpt from it.

[Article 5] Tourism, a beneficial activity for host countries and communities

1. Local populations should be associated with tourism activities and share equitably in the economic, social and cultural benefits they generate, and particularly in the creation 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;

3. Special attention should be paid to the specific problems of coastal areas and island territories and to vulnerable rural or mountain regions, for which tourism often represents a rare opportunity for development in the face of the decline of traditional economic activities;

4. Tourism professionals, particularly 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.