You will have a better experience with BERUDEP and you can feel better about it.

Why?

Because BERUDEP…

• is first and foremost a development organisation, so all tourism initiatives provide a win-win situation for you and for those affected by poverty in the North West
• is a local organisation whose staff live, work and socialise with the people in the communities you will be interacting with, providing you with a real experience of the local culture
• realises the importance of the environment and protecting it for travellers in years to come as well as for future generations.

BERUDEP is not just economically invested in making your tourism experience great; your positive experience will lead to:

• increased income generation for the communities you interact with
• increased interest from the local people in preserving traditional culture in the area
• increased protection of natural resources

Not all tourism is created equal…

"From our experiences of working on tourism issues we are extremely sceptical about the claims of tourism being a provider of jobs and earner of foreign exchange. We are concerned that the actual benefits that finally reach people in destinations are negligible compared to the profits of transnational tourism corporations. Leakages constitute a major loss of income for host communities and countries. At the same time it is local communities who bear the costs of tourism development in terms of social, cultural and environmental impacts."
Statement of Concern of the Tourism Interventions Group at the 4th World Social Forum

When you plan your holiday make sure you choose responsible tourism that works for communities not individuals. Rate your tourism provider using the following considerations:

Community tourism* should...

• Be run with the involvement and consent of local communities - local people should participate in planning and managing the tour.
• Give a fair share of profits back to the local community - ideally this will include community projects (health, schools, etc).
• Involve communities rather than individuals - working with individuals can disrupt social structures.
• Be environmentally sustainable - local people must be involved if conservation projects are to succeed.
• Respect traditional culture and social structures - have mechanisms to help communities cope with the impact of western tourists.
• Keep groups small to minimise cultural /environmental impact.
• Brief tourists before the trip on appropriate behaviour.
• Not make local people perform inappropriate ceremonies, etc.
• Leave communities alone if they don't want tourism - People should have the right to say 'no' to tourism.

*taken from the Tourism Concern website. Tourism Concern is an educational UK charity who works with communities in destination countries to reduce social and environmental problems connected to tourism. Tourism Concern advocates for community tourism. www.tourismconcern.org.uk

When travelling, how can you make sure that your presence and your foreign dollars benefit the people who live and work in the country you are visiting?

Think local

• Do not choose to take your holiday in a foreign owned resort where you have all your needs provided for by the same establishment. (The effects of your stay are still being felt by the local people yet none of the benefits are. With some package holidays less than 1% of the cost you pay goes to the local community - yet the locals gets stuck with the ill effects of your stay, vehicle pollution, toilet and restaurant waste etc)
•  Always buy your food and drinks from the local people, and if you do stay at a Internationally owned resort try to eat out in the local community at least once a day to give the benefit to the local economy
• Restrict your intake of products such as Coca-Cola and drink the locally produced beverages (Locally produced food and drink creates less waste than imported products and adds more to the local economy)

Think environment

• Dispose of all rubbish in an environmentally sensitive way 
• say no to plastic bags
• reuse your drink bottle (where the water is not clean use water purification tablets or drink bottles with a filter in it)
• ask your tour operators about their environmental policies

Think culture

• learn key words in the local language 
• be aware of religious and social customs 
• visit the visitors centre on arrival for local information

Useful links for more information and travel tips

www.tourismconcern.org.uk
Tourism Concern.

www.icrtourism.org
The International Centre for responsible tourism

www.responsibletravel.com
An on-line travel agent for travellers who want real, authentic holidays that also benefit the environment and local people.

www.eia-international.org
The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) is an international campaigning organisation committed to investigating and exposing environmental crime.

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