The Hindu Business Line : `Responsible tourism works for all'

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Thiruvananthapuram Feb. 9 India needs to start adopting the principles of responsible tourism, believes Dr Harold Goodwin, Professor, Responsible Tourism Management, Leeds Metropolitan University.

Emphasising that there is a need to change the way human beings travel, he argues that India must begin moving towards implementing responsible tourism practices.

"We have to begin the effort, because if we don't do it, we won't change the way people travel; the way people live," he adds.

Dr Goodwin, who is also Director of the UK-based International Centre for Responsible Tourism, believes that responsible tourism is about "creating better places for people to live in and better places for people to visit." This approach to responsible tourism is also culturally neutral, as it does not use the word `responsible', which can mean different things in different places and different languages, he adds.

Globally, the interest in responsible tourism is growing.

Growing interest

Web sites such as ResponsibleTravel.com get a lot of customers who are attracted by the excitement of particular holidays offered by the site, Dr Goodwin says.

To start with, many of these holidaymakers don't know what responsible tourism is, but after going on a `responsible' holiday, they are "converted" and come back for more such experiences, he adds.

Tourism businesses, particularly those in the UK, are also beginning to see responsible tourism as a mechanism for differentiating their product from that of their competitors, he points out.

Product differentiation

Product differentiation is just one aspect of the business case for responsible tourism, Dr Goodwin explains.

For tourism-related businesses that are listed on stock exchanges, asset value is intimately related to the company's brand, and a corporate social responsibility agenda based on responsible tourism is, thus, extremely useful in maintaining brand and asset value, he adds.

The attraction

Another incentive for a business to adopt responsible tourism policies and practices is the possibility of offering enhanced experiences to tourists and, thus, attracting repeat bookings and referrals from delighted customers, he says.

Businesses that believe in responsible tourism also find it easier to retain and motivate employees because people are pleased to work for a company that is known for being responsible, he points out.