The
12th Meeting of the World Committee on Tourism Ethics commended the
UNWTO Private Sector Commitment to the Global Code of Ethics for
Tourism Initiative and praised the growing number of signatory
businesses who pledged to uphold responsible conduct in the tourism
sector (Madrid, Spain, 4-5 March).
As
the body responsible for promoting and monitoring the implementation
of the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, the Committee
applauded the significant advancements in UNWTO’s engagement with
the private sector, as well as the 47 companies and associations
which signed the Code between September 2011 and February 2013. These
include major tourism associations from Germany, the Netherlands,
Spain and Mexico, among others.
“With
their signature, these companies have pledged to implement and
promote the Code’s values, both by integrating ethical practices
into their business operations, and by reporting to the World
Committee on Tourism Ethics on the actions they undertake”, said
UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, in his welcome remarks to the
participants.
The
Chairman of the World Committee, Dawid De Villiers, called for a
renewed commitment to ethical standards and values, stressing that
“we live in difficult times and peoples and nations around the
world are facing enormous challenges”. He explained that “the
tourism sector can make a valuable contribution to peace and progress
if all stakeholders commit themselves to the principles and values of
the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism. The Code is our roadmap
towards a better future”.
Advancing
accessible tourism for all
Accessibility
is a key area of UNWTO’s work in sustainable tourism development.
Against this backdrop, the Committee also discussed the on-going
updating of the 2005 UNWTO Recommendations on “Accessible Tourism
for All”. The revised Recommendations will be submitted for
approval to the upcoming UNWTO General Assembly next August.
Committee
members also welcomed the production of a “Manual on Developing
Universal Accessibility”, a result of UNWTO’s collaboration with
the Spanish ONCE Foundation, the European Network for Accessible
Tourism (ENAT) and the ACS Foundation, expected to be available later
this year.
Other
issues discussed by the Committee included consumer protection,
travel facilitation, sustainable tourism following Rio+20, intangible
cultural heritage and fair tourism.
