Want to be listed? We showcase the best responsible hotels and tour operators. This definitely doesn’t mean you have to be big or certified. In fact, we love to champion small-scale community run initiatives and places to stay.
We don’t follow strict criteria to adhere to. Rather we want to see responsible or, preferably, regenerative and positive tourism practices in built into your operations. Not just an add on. We see through greenwash.
We broadly use the Cape Town’s Declaration definition of Responsible Tourism to review entries.
As a minimum, Responsible Tourism should:
minimise negative economic, environmental and social impacts;
generate greater economic benefits for local people and enhance the well-being of host communities, improve working conditions and access to the industry;
involve local people in decisions that affect their lives and life changes;
make positive contributions to the conservation of natural and cultural heritage, to the maintenance of the world’s diversity;
provide more enjoyable experiences for tourists through more meaningful connections with local people, and a greater understanding of local cultural, social and environmental issues;
provide access for people with disabilities and the disadvantaged;
be culturally sensitive, engender respect between tourists and hosts, and build local pride and confidence
However, we also believe that tourism should now be going further than just being responsible. It should do good, rather than just do no harm. The Long Run’s 4 Cs framework looks at tourism’s positive impacts on Conservation, Community, Culture and Commerce, and we do too.
So we’d love to hear about what you are doing, and how you are getting there. Ultimately, we also want to be a platform to inspire others in the industry to learn from each other and pick up ideas to take forward.
Costs
Right now all our basic listings are free. We’ll be scaling up later in 2022 and bigger marketing packages will be available. Our prices are dependant on your scale, because we want to make sure the homegrown industries are having their time in the spotlight too.
Drop us an email at info@ethicalescapes.org with your details and web address and we’ll take it from there.