Tourism is not supposed to harm the host country, but on the contrary to create much needed jobs, to revitalise local crafts and traditions, to generate appreciation of foreign cultures and customs and to help preserve unspoilt landscapes.

Tourism can enhance social inequality, cause major ecological problems and overtax or threaten local culture. Whether tourism holds opportunities or risks for a region, depends on a multitude of factors which are mainly influenced by the region itself and by the tour operators. Beyond that, every individual tourist influences the development of a region through his/her choice of destination and behaviour.

What is more relaxing - an extended weekend in Paris or a three-week holiday in the Alps? Both options are doubtlessly attractive, but there can be little doubt that a short trip to a large city will not be truly relaxing and invigorating. It is a fact that the frequency of holidays is on the increase, while the length of stay is decreasing. Tourism and leisure time account for 50% of the total traffic volume and all the related consequences – the savings potentials are obvious.

The costs of air travel are dwindling; alternative options of travelling by train or ship are frequently much more costly and time consuming. In all this, full cost pricing is left out of consideration. According to current estimates, air transport accounts for 10% of global warming. For responsible travellers who cannot or will not forego air travel, campaigns, such as atmosfair, offer ways of making up for the emission of greenhouse gases caused by contributing, on a voluntary basis, to projects designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Holidays are supposed to be interesting and exciting. Sights and attractions are frequently visited at top speed. The private car seems indispensable to ensure local mobility. However, “being on the move“ can in itself be a distinctive element of holiday making. Why don’t we switch ... to bicycles, horse-drawn carriages, the local rail or bus lines or taxis? Why not re-discover the joy of walking when short distances are to be covered? Being mobile does not necessarily mean to be motoring. Alternative types of mobility open up new paths and set a new pace for experience and encounter.

This does not literally apply to the bed at your destination, but it implies that you are well advised to take account of ecological and social criteria when choosing your accommodation. Are measures taken to save energy and water? Are social rights respected? You can be sure to be on the safe side, if you give preference to accommodation with a recognised quality label. If none is on offer, small and medium-sized hotels usually are a good compromise, especially when it comes to social compatibility. The earnings of international luxury hotels usually end up in the pockets of a few business conglomerates, while the regional benefit is negligible. In very modest types of accommodation, the staff is often exploited and social standards tend to be ignored. Usually accommodation which is integrated into towns or villages and provided at old houses or medium-sized hotels has an above-average eco-balance. When planning your holiday with the help of Gentle Tours you can form your own picture of the accommodation registered.

The delicatessen shop called Europe knows no boundaries. We are used to finding delicacies that have been transported over several thousand kilometres from the place of production to the supermarket fridge shelf whenever we fancy them – including in our holidays. And yet, holidays would seem to the perfect setting for sampling the culinary treats of the regions visited. Regions are not only distinguished by their sights, their characteristic scenery and their unmistakable dialects, their calling cards also bear the imprint of local produce and the typical ways in which it is prepared. Why not venture on a culinary expedition, taste new dishes and take time to enjoy regional produce. You will help to boost the local economy and contribute to nature conservation - because produce from the region has not been shipped around half the globe.

Leisure time and holidays are the periods in our life when we are finally free to do what we enjoy most. There are those who simply wish to let their soul run free and to laze around, while others are intent on activity holidays. Both attitudes are justified. But no matter what you do, you should make sure not to reinforce negative developments in your destination country. Golf courses for tourists or enough drinking water for all? This is question which actually should never come up. In southern countries the water supply is frequently limited. In order to attract tourists, this fact is often ignored and leisure time activities are offered which consume enormous quantities of water. Golf courses are a case in point. Gigantic amounts of water are needed for their irrigation – water that would be needed to irrigate arable land or as drinking water for the local population. A similar picture is presented by energy consumption at tourism centres. In poor countries the electricity supply of the local population is not always guaranteed, while tourism centres appear to dispose of unlimited amounts of electrical energy. Air conditioning systems and swimming pools have become standard in hotels, and are no longer perceived as luxuries. Some insight into the daily life of the local population and the use of regional resources should facilitate the choice of a suitable holiday destination.

In many countries visitors meet with warm-hearted hospitality. The guest is treated as a king. In return, guests should make an effort to become familiar with and to respect the faith, the customs and traditions as well as the social manners of their hosts. Open-mindedness and genuine interest in the hosts and their countries are excellent travel companions. An endearing smile or a few words in the national language are often the first steps towards an amicable relationship. The respect shown to one’s hosts is further enhanced by being properly dressed and by showing deference to religious and cultural customs. Being aware of and accepting an unfamiliar concept of time subscribed to by many cultures, will help to avoid unpleasantness and dissonance. When in a foreign country, the best way to establish amicable relationships with your hosts is to act as guests rather than as paying customers, impatiently claiming the services they feel entitled to.

Who hasn’t tried to take a “piece of holiday” home? A souvenir from colourful market stalls or shops. There seems to be an abundance of handcrafted artisans products, jewellery, even of plants and live animals that are offered for sale. Think twice before buying a souvenir. Taking artisans products home with you, can be tantamount to promoting local crafts. You should make sure, however, that the products were actually made in the country where you spend your holidays. You should further make sure that no threatened animal or plant species were used in their manufacture. Of course you should never purchase live animals or plants. No matter how distressing you find the plight of an animal offered for sale, its purchase will merely increase demand. If you keep in mind that trade in products of animal or plant origin means loss of natural habitats and in addition endangers many animal and plant species, you will find it easy to forego the purchase of many a souvenir.

A look behind the scenes will reveal, whether sustainability is unheard of in your destination country, if it is nothing but an empty buzzword or lived reality. How is the natural environment dealt with? Are measures taken to protect the environment? What status is accorded to social concerns? The aim of sustainable development is to shape a liveable future, taking into account all sectors of the economy and all spheres of life. This means that sustainability cannot be restricted to a single sector, but has to be understood as a general principle that is taken into account whenever a decision is taken. Ecological, economic and social contexts need to be critically examined and a liveable future needs to be fostered. There is no generally accepted pattern for the sustainable development of a region. The underlying conditions and the potential for development differ from region to region. If you closely watch developments in the country you have chosen as your destination by reading newspapers, watching television reports, browsing the Internet, etc., you can surely gain a reliable impression of how much serious attention is given to sustainability.

With the gentle-tour eco-profile users get a view of the ecological engagement from every offerer.
Here you can see an overview of the criterias within the questionnaires, which are responsible for the given points within a scala from 0 to 100 points.

questionnaire for regions

Percentage-wise, what means of transport is used by visitors to travel to the region / town?
Percent of visitors travel by rail
Percent of visitors travel by bus
Percent of visitors travel by ship
How many of the hospitality providers offer a pick-up service from the station?
What percentage of the community is organically farmed or is a nature reserve?
What percentage of energy consumption in the town is derived from renewable energy sources?
What percentage of accommodation are second homes?
What percentage of property is connected to public sewage treatment plants?
What percentage of the water is derived from a local source?

questionnaire for accommodations

Can your business be reached by public transport?
Percentage-wise: Use of renewable energy
Environmental measures
Energy saving measures
Water saving measures
Waste avoidance policies
Use of regional materials & products
Organic food / wholefood available
Environmentally conscious building methods (Use of environmentally sustainable materials according to the latest standards of environmentally conscious builders and best technology)
Socio-cultural measures
Building fits into the landscape and local building style Regional and seasonal food
Complying with the conditions regarding legal requirements and wage agreements of the employees
Regular educational furtherance for the workers
Regular talks with workers about their working conditions Increasing the motivation of employees (e.g. By giving a share of the profits)
Information and educational offers for the guests Additional offers
Caters for the needs of the disabled
Family orientated
Children’s needs catered for
Cycle friendly accommodation
Cycle hire
Organised walks

questionnaire for tour-operators

Percentage-wise, what were the means of transport of your travel sold in previous years?
Percent of travel sold was cycle tours
Percent of travel sold was train travel
Percent of travel sold was bus travel
Percent of travel sold was air travel
For self-organised travel, do you offer information on the varying ecological effects of different means of transport and on the possibility of travel with public transport?
Do you offer travel discount for arrival with public transport?
Do you offer air travellers the choice of participating in climate protection options (e.g. carbon-free-travel)?
What socio-cultural measures have been implemented in your organisation?
Planning and designing the travel programme locally
together with representatives / organizers of the target region
Ecological and social limits are taken into account with regards group size and locally offered activities (determined together with local experts)
Adherence to international rules of conduct (e.g. protection of children against sexual exploitation, prohibition of export of rare species etc.) and relevant information for the traveller
Adherence to correct legal and earnings agreements for employees
Participation of employees/travel guides (e.g. in the form of regular meetings)
Enabling and developing contacts between travellers and locals (e.g. via joint events, discussion groups, talks, festivals, visits to social projects, schools etc.) Comprehensive background information (incl. ecological, social and political problems, code of conduct) and preparation for travel
Promoting added value to the destination
Principally no accommodation in enclosed club resorts ("all inclusive") or in hotels with more than 200 rooms Working together with local suppliers with regards catering, guided tours, transport, equipment
What percentage of the travel revenue of recent years has remained on average in the target region?