As members of AITO we recognise that in carrying out our work as Tour Operators, we have a responsibility to respect other people's places and ways of life.
We acknowledge that wherever a Tour Operator does business or sends clients it has the potential to do both good and harm. All tourism potentially has an environmental, social and economic impact on the destination involved.
We accept, therefore, that we as Tour Operators should aim to be responsible in all our dealings on each of these three levels.
To help us to do so AITO have proposed a set of guidelines intended to help companies, customers and local suppliers recognise their common responsibilities to:
- Protect the environment - its flora, fauna and landscapes
- Respect local cultures - traditions, religions and heritage
- Benefit local communities - both economically and socially
- Conserve natural resources - from office to destination
- Minimise pollution - through noise, waste disposal and congestion
AITO is an Association of individual, independent companies, each with their own distinctive style and field of operation. As such, we each have our own ways of fulfilling the details of these responsibilities by:
- Establishing our own policies and involving our staff
- Informing our clients about responsible tourism and, where appropriate, encouraging them to participate
- Working with our suppliers and partners to achieve responsible goals and practices
- Publicising good practice to encourage and spread responsible tourism