Responsible Tourism Checklists

by Wild Asia

The checklist is developed by Wild Asia, in consultation with experts active in conservation and tourism, to help guide responsible tourism operators in Asia.

What is the Responsible Tourism Checklist?

The RT Checklist is a list of indicators that cover economic, environmental, and cultural aspects of tourism. The indicators are now aligned to the Global Sustainability Tourism Criteria, one of the first global, multi-stakeholder processes that include the World Tourism Organisation, Rainforest Alliance, and WWF as members of their panel. As you score the checklist, you will be able to derive an overall RT Score - essentially an indication of the number of Responsible Tourism indicators you currently practice in your operation.

Download Wild Asia's Responsible Tourism Checklist for:

Small to large Accommodation

Small to large business accommodation properties that can be based in rural areas or cities. Download

Community-based Accommodation operations

Small accommodation properties or properties run by communities. Download

What Makes a Winner

Every year we make improvements to our selection process and but as Wild Asia "winners" these are operators we have visited and we try to assessed each property based on these following questions:

How well do you think the operator understands the social and environmental impacts of the operation?
How does the operator create a sense of place? (Efforts towards enriching the visitor's understanding of the destination.)
How will the efforts be sustained? (Are the efforts going to continue in the long term - profitability, leadership, systems?)
How does the operator communicate their efforts to the guests? (How well are guests involved in their RT journey - openness, transparent about success and failures?)
How well does the operator internalise their RT efforts? (Systems, leadership, training - how well are sustainability efforts structured into day-to-day operations?)
What is the reach of the operator's sphere of influence? (The efforts to ensure that the ideas and practices are shared across the community, other businesses, local governments, etc)
Is the operator constantly thinking of continual improvement? (The efforts over the past year.)

Features

Responsible Tourism Awards: Gaining Ground from Checklists to Change

After a review of the finalists for our Responsible Tourism Awards 2008, WILD ASIA finds that its RT principles are spreading throughout Asia and assisting tourism changes that matter for habitats and humanity. RICK GREGORY writes. Read more

Written by Rick Gregory

Contact us if you'd like to nominate an operator you think deserves recognition for their work.

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Original URL: http://www.wildasia.org/main.cfm/RTI/RT_Checklists

Published: 03 February 2010