01.12.2015
Expert discussion: ‘Tourism and global responsibility’
Project manager Miriam Schaper. Photo: Gate
How the tourism sector can align itself with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which were adopted in the autumn, was a key question addressed at the expert discussion ‘Tourism and Global Responsibility’, which featured presentations and a panel discussion in mid-November in Berlin.
Miriam Schaper, project manager at the Hamburger Stiftung für Wirtschaftsethik and responsible for the tourism sector, highlighted key issues relating to working conditions and human rights in the industry in her presentation entitled ‘Social and ethical risks in global value chains in the tourism sector’. She highlighted two factors as essential for the effective implementation of minimum social standards in the tourism sector: firstly, she advocated the integration of sustainability issues into specific job descriptions, so that customers can be provided with expert advice on their travel bookings at the point of sale. Secondly, she emphasised the consolidation of the numerous existing labels and seals under a single umbrella certification scheme in tourism as a starting point for realistic potential for change. According to Miriam Schaper, this instrument could provide customers with clear and honest guidance. The widespread positive attitude towards environmentally friendly and socially responsible travel could thus be translated into concrete decisions on how to act.
The question of how to reach consumers in order to place tourism at the centre of lifestyle considerations was a key theme both in the subsequent panel discussion and in the smaller workshops held in the afternoon. The participants – experts from the fields of tourism, environmental, sustainability and development policy – also discussed the role of policy in promoting sustainable consumption and production patterns. Other key aspects included the responsibilities of the tourism industry, as well as those of the state in its legislative capacity.
The expert discussion was organised by GATE – Netzwerk, Tourismus, Kultur e.V. in collaboration with Brot für die Welt – Tourism Watch and the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) on behalf of the Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ). The Hamburger Stiftung für Wirtschaftsethik is engaged in a range of projects that focus intensively on ethical risks in tourism.