Tourist business is strongly increasing all over the world. It has been considered that one sixth of the entire planet population is moving from his usual place to go holiday, even for some days only!

Thanks to price competition among the major part of air companies, distances become shorter and South of the world become more accessible.
That represents a new and large source of revenues for the countries of destination, which pushes a great part of population towards tourism and similar activities. But there are some risks: both abandoning traditional jobs and flourishing illegal or not-ethic activities; both a weaker economy more easily affected by temporary shrinkage of tourism volume (for example Egypt after Luxor attack or Far East after Tsunami in 2004), and ravaging historical, architectural and environmental heritage. Without considering the extreme impact on traditional local culture of a huge number of people with different culture and habits.

Due to concentration in big groups of world tourism industry (tour operators, hotel chains,...), the major risk in fast growing tourism in South of the world is a minimum impact on the country of destination from the travellers expenditure. It’s estimated that in Kenya the 30% only of the total traveller’s expenses remains on the spot, while at the Maldives 10% only.

So, should we never go on holidays into developing countries?

No, there is another way of tourism: travelling with responsibility. Travelling with curiosity, to know a country, its people and culture. Travelling with low impact on the environment. Travelling with local accommodations and transports. Travelling convinced of mutual exchange enriching everybody, even if it can never be on the same level.

Every responsible travel is based on a deep interaction with local community: it promotes local enterprises, supports the development projects, encourages better knowledge of life style of the hosting country.

To deepen: