The “Good Tourism” Glossary
This website is dedicated to “Good Tourism”, which is deliberately undefined.
If pushed, one might say that “Good Tourism” all about the (in)sincerity of the travel & tourism industry to accentuate the positive and mitigate the negative.
“Good Tourism” is in the eye of the beholder. And diverse perspectives are welcome on this platform. Here you will find content related to all of the definitions listed below (as well as many that are not). Please suggest a term and definition if it is not listed here.
Click a linked term to find “GT” content tagged with that term. The “GT” Blog tries not to get bogged down with terminology and definitions. Thus you may very well disagree with the tags applied to some posts. Feel free to comment about it, but remember …
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.”
― William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
Pictured above is a Rafflesia arnoldii in the foothills of Mt Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. The corpse flower, as it is commonly known, is not a rose and it certainly doesn’t smell like one! Source: Raphaelhui / Wikimedia.
Accessible Tourism
Accessible tourism “(also known as “Access Tourism”, “Universal Tourism”, “Inclusive Tourism” and in some countries such as in Japan “Barrier-free Tourism”) is tourism and travel that is accessible to all people, with disabilities or not, including those with mobility, hearing, sight, cognitive, or intellectual and psychosocial disabilities, older persons and those with temporary disabilities” ― Takayama Declaration, UNESCAP, 2009
“Accessible tourism is the ongoing endeavour to ensure tourist destinations, products and services are accessible to all people, regardless of their physical limitations, disabilities or age. It encompasses publicly and privately owned tourist locations.” ― Wikipedia
All-inclusive tourism
All-inclusive tourism (all-inclusive tours, all-inclusive holidays, all-inclusive cruises, etc) offers packages in which everything a traveller will need, such as transport, accommodation, food, entrance fees, guides, etc is included in the one price. This practice may (or may not) be good for the customer but it is often of very little value to a host community.
Community-based Tourism
Community-based tourism ensures that the host community of a destination has a stake and/or say in the development of tourism within the community via consultation, decision-making, employment, and/or direct ownership.
Ecotourism
“Ecotourism is responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and creates knowledge and understanding through interpretation and education of all involved (visitors, staff and the visited)” ― Global Ecotourism Network, 2016; What is (and what isn’t) ecotourism.
Ethical Tourism
Ethical tourism … The Global Code of Ethics for Tourism (GCET) is designed to be a “fundamental frame of reference for responsible and sustainable tourism”. According to the UNWTO, the Code’s principles “amply cover the economic, social, cultural and environmental components of travel and tourism”.
The 10 articles to the Code pertain to:
Article 1: Mutual understanding and respect between peoples and societies
Article 2: Individual and collective fulfilment
Article 3: Sustainable development
Article 4: Cultural heritage
Article 5: Benefits for host countries and communities
Article 6: Obligations of stakeholders
Article 7: Right to tourism
Article 8: Liberty of movement
Article 9: Rights of workers and entrepreneurs
Article 10: Implementation of the principles
Inclusive Growth
“Economic growth that creates opportunity for all segments of the population and distributes the dividends of increased prosperity, both in monetary and non-monetary terms, fairly across society” ― Oganisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
Inclusive Tourism
When referred to by The “Good Tourism” Blog, “inclusive tourism” means the same as OECD’s definition of “inclusive growth” as it pertains to tourism sector growth and development. Elsewhere it often used interchangeably with “accessible tourism”, which is confusing.
Regenerative Tourism
Regenerative tourism challenges and/or extends the concept of “sustainable tourism” (see below). As at August 2020, “GT” used the same tag for both; “sustainable tourism and regenerative tourism”.
Responsible Travel (& Tourism)
Responsible travel is “conducted in such a manner as to not harm or degrade the cultural or natural environment of the places visited” ― Travel-Industry-Dictionary.com
Responsible tourism is “making better places for people to live in and better places for people to visit” ― Responsible Tourism Partnership
Sustainable Tourism
Sustainable tourism “takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities” ― United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
Sustainable tourism has been challenged and/or extended by the concept of regenerative tourism. As at August 2020, “GT” used the same tag for both; “sustainable tourism and regenerative tourism”.