Tourism Round Table in Arusha (Tanzania) on June 3, 2010

Round Table on Responsible Tourism Partnership

Organized by Laura Tarimo, Damian Bell, Diederik de Boer

Social responsibility is spreading globally. This concept is also growing in the tourism industry, as tourists are becoming more aware of "green" issues and are now making decisions on the choice of their holiday depending on the social and environmental implications of the destination and the company product that they are buying.

The main questions asked during the Round Table on Responsible Tourism meeting in June were “Is it time to be Responsible?” , “What is Responsible Tourism" , "Is it right for us?”

At the beginning of the day an overview of the concept of Responsible Tourism and Round Table Africa program was provided. Thereafter, presentations on “What are the pros and cons of certification of Responsibile Tourism," "What certification schemes are available in East Africa?” and “What is the state of the global market for Responsible Tourism products?” were carried out. The last session focused on the current apporach to Responsible Tourism in Tanzania.

There were three desired objectives of the Round Table,

To provide an opportunity for business people and government representatives to better understand the meaning and elements of Responsible Tourism.
To provide concrete examples of RT practices and innovations from Tanzanian tourism businesses.
To ascertain if there is a need for the formation of a RT association in Tanzania, and identify the role it will play in fostering responsible practices in the sector (e.g. offer evaluation, accreditation and training on RT)

Encouragingly, at the end of the day, all respondents of survey granted that the objectives of the meeting were mostly achieved.

Background Documents (PDF)

Presentations of the meeting (PDF)

The Round Table meeting is related to the following economic development projects: