Reports

Another way of tourism is possible. Such is the belief of Joan Miquel Gomis and Carles Tudurí. After many years working in the tourist industry, they saw that tourism was an excellent driving force for growth for many companies and countries, but that not everyone benefited from it: "Tourism is a transverse activity that benefits the people that receive it in many ways (businesses, hotels, etc.), but Carles and I began seeing that western companies that invested in developing countries did not provide all of these benefits," explains Joan Miquel Gomis. The problem is that "companies, with some exceptions, seek maximum profits and are not overly concerned with the effects that they may cause," he added.

The expression fair tourism is born out of the concept of fair trade in the area of tourism. Joan Miquel Gomis states that "fair tourism contemplates a series of minimally ethical criteria that ensure that everyone who takes part in the tourism production process receives the benefits of this activity in a more or less equitable way."

The reality is that, on the one hand, "the public is increasingly aware of what is going on in the world" and, on the other, "the hotelier has realised that they are no longer just selling a product but also a social environment, and if the social environment is deplorable, their product will also end up being deplorable," explains Joan Miquel Gomis.

In this context, and little more than a year ago, the Turisme Just NGO was created (in March 2006) on his initiative. One of the main aims, as stated by Carles Tudurí, is "the raising of awareness in favour of more responsible tourism." The guide Turismo responsable. 30 propuestas de viaje "is set out primarily as a tool for helping in the dissemination of this type of tourism and also for helping publicise some very interesting projects in particular," adds Carles Tudurí, coordinator of the guide.

More than twenty people have worked to highlight these projects and have made this guide possible, and, as Joan Miquel Gomis explains, "we work in a network, and for each project we find people willing to collaborate." Carles Tudurí adds that in this guide there are "contributions from numerous photographers and organisations who have loaned the photographs in the book for free, which are one of the publication?s great attractions. In addition, the people at Alhena Media, the publishing house that has published the book, have made a serious commitment to this product and have devoted a great deal of hard work to it".

Of all the travels included in the guide, Carles Tudurí explains that "there are suggestions for sun and sand, eco-tourism, rambling, volunteer schemes, cycle tourism, safaris, solidarity routes, etc. to satisfy all types of travellers. The more adventurous can go to Uganda, Namibia, Mauritania, Peru or Venezuela. Families have a great trip along the Danube cycle tourism trail, while younger people can try out the dry stone route in Mallorca." If what people want is a solidarity trip with all mod cons, they can go on a "stay at the Guludu Camp Base in Mozambique or the Kapawi Ecolodge in the heart of the Bolivian Amazon. There are also a number of resorts in South Africa where you can enjoy a safari with every luxury and that carries the fair tourism stamp." This apart, if it?s rural tourism that people are after, Carles Tudurí continues, "we include a trip to Salta, in Argentina, and another a little closer to home in northern Morocco, specifically in Chefhaouen. They are very different options but both still valid for getting to know rural areas." And for anyone who wants to gain an in-depth knowledge of the local population, Carles recommends "Senegal, Cameron or Gambia, where you sleep in private homes; and if you want to go a little further, the trip to Thailand organised by Go Differently also allows you to spend a few days in the company of Thai families."

"We've tried to ensure that there are ideas for everyone", Carles concludes, but always with one common denominator: respect for the environment and the local communities, which benefit from the visits by travellers.

The guide's authors believe that tourism is a driving force of economic development and a tool in the fight against poverty. What do we have to do to achieve this? Carles Tudurí sets it out: "we have to be committed to models that generate work, train the local residents to take posts of responsibility, foster the growth of complementary supply, encourage tourists to visit local markets, and so on. On occasion, the measures that are taken do not have to be expensive but should be seen as an investment that will, over time, mean a better level of satisfaction for the tourist." Fair tourism, explains Carles, "is not a type of travel such as eco-tourism or solidarity tourism; it is simply a framework of relations between the various actors in the holiday process that benefits both companies and the population in the destinations."

The warm reception that the guide has received and the lack of publications of this type mean that the authors are proposing to produce a new edition in the future and include new ideas because, as Carles Tudurí says, "there was only room for thirty suggestions in this book, but there are many more!"