Socially Responsible Tourism is important to the tourism industry and is increasingly valued by consumers. The climbing public is becoming more aware and concerned about exploitation and mistreatment of mountain crew within the climbing industry. In response, companies will easily claim that they provide fair and ethical treatment of their crew in order to secure business.
Join our voluntary Partner for Responsible Travel Programme and demonstrate your commitment to supporting fair and ethical treatment of mountain crew. Participation in the programme demonstrates your company’s commitment to responsible tourism and porter welfare. Your clients will have peace of mind knowing that your company has volunteered to share information regarding ethical treatment guidelines related to the crew. In so doing, you reinforce your company’s reputation for fair labor practices and as a leader in Corporate Social Responsibility.
Participation in the Partner for Responsible Travel Programme demonstrates your company’s commitment to responsible tourism and ethical travel. It provides a marketing advantage by showing that your company is dedicated to responsible tourism and ethical travel. It provides your business with greater market exposure as increasingly clients seek ethical and responsible travel companies. Participating companies are listed on the Partner for Responsible Travel Programme page.
How does the program work?
Travel Industry Experts Agree
According to Booking.com’s Sustainable Travel Report, 82 per cent of global travelers have identified sustainable travel as being important to them. “Now is the time for destinations to take charge and demand that tourism be helpful to their environmental efforts and supportive of locals instead of harmful or exploitative.”
Shannon Stowell, president of the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA)
Travelers are also increasingly aware of human rights and working conditions, demanding forms of responsible tourism that protect people and give back to communities. (Sustainability Leaders Project)
A study by Sustainable Travel International and Mandala Research found 86% of 2,292 travelers surveyed agreed that making a concerted effort to ensure the local community will benefit from its presence would positively increase the brand perception of a corporation.
The Partner for Responsible Travel Program has proven to be instrumental in facilitating improvements of porter treatment on Mount Kilimanjaro. Read More about the program and how to become a partner.
KRTO collects shared seasonal data on porter treatment including porter wages, tipping, bag weight, food provision and tent accommodation. This data is reported annually to Tanzanian government authorities and tour operator associations as well as companies participating with the Partner for Responsible Travel Program. Please refer to the Our Impact page for a summary of this information.
KRTO supports participating companies in promoting responsible tourism and porter welfare. We believe that it is the duty of every climber, local tour operator, foreign travel agent, and charity group, among others, to collectively take the steps needed to ensure that fair and ethical treatment of mountain crews. Our Partner for Responsible Travel Program provides a voluntary shared assessment of our combined information through objective measurements; to transparently show the learning and combined efforts these partners make in their drive to maintain ethical and responsible tourism practices.
Is there a cost to become a Partner for Responsible Travel?
No, the program is free to join.
