2.6 Education and consumer advice

It is widely recognised that there is a need to engage stakeholders in a dialogue with the tourism industry about the impacts that they are having on the destination areas in which they are operating.

There is a lack of appreciation by many of the tourists regarding their impact on the environment, social and cultural heritage of their holiday destination. This can be reduced by the travel industry ensuring that more information is available for the consumers so that they might make informed choices and act more sustainably when they are on holiday.

The development of appropriate educational material within the travel industry should be done in close co-operation with the respective communities. This is in order to distribute information such as brochures, in-flight videos, to raise cultural awareness and understanding. Information can provide guidance on acceptable behaviour, such as the support of local produce. Without the provision of such information tourists have less opportunity to make informed decisions about their personal behaviour. Many tour operators already provide information about issues of health and safety so this could be easily incorporated into standard procedures. Also other groups, such as the media, NGOs and other groups have a role to play m raising the awareness of tourists, as well as host communities.