About this site

The aim

The aim of this site is to raise awareness of human rights in general and of human rights issues in tourism in particular.

The purpose

The purpose of this site is to:

1. Highlight the negative impact of tourism on the Human Rights of people particularly in
   developing countries.
2. Highlight good practice that is, tourism that does not infringe on people´s rights but that apart from respecting rights also contribute to their fulfilment.

The concept of fair tourism

Fair tourism is a tourism that develops sustainably, that is;

"generating long-term benefits for the people, natural environments and economies in the areas in which it takes place"1

Human Rights are a fundamental element of any sustainable approach to development, including tourism development2. Vulnerable and exposed groups within (or affected by) the tourism industry such as children, women, migrant workers and indigenous peoples, need to be given extra attention in order to facilitate and ensure their human rights are protected and fulfilled.

Who is producing this site?

My perspective is derived from studies in Sociology and in Human Rights and particularly from my time (2008) spent with the British non-governmental organization TOURISM CONCERN3  doing research for their report Putting Tourism to Rights4. 

1. 1. George, B.P. and Varghese, V. (2007) `Human Rights in Tourism: Conceptualization and Stakeholders Perspectives´Electronic Journal of Business Ethics and Organization Studies, Vol.12, No.2.
2. 2. Eriksson, J., Noble, R., Pattullo, P., Barnett, T. (2009) Putting Tourism to Rights, Tourism Concern, London.
3. 3. http://www.tourismconcern.org.uk
4. 4. Ibid.