KEY POINTS:
New Zealand tourists visiting the Pacific this winter are being asked not to leave their environmentally friendly habits behind.
The Development Resource Centre, a charitable trust funded by the New Zealand Agency for International Development, has released a revamped responsible tourism code for the Pacific, including advice on how to respect sustainability issues.
Centre director Tim O'Donovan said the updated code provided tourists with easy steps on how to make a positive difference.
The code, and its accompanying website, would be promoted to the outbound tourism industry to pass on to clients.
Mr O'Donovan said it aimed to minimise the negative economic, environmental and social impacts of tourism and encourage greater interaction between the tourist and the local community.
The code was supported and endorsed by the Pacific Islands Association of Non-Governmental Organisations, and South-Pacific Travel, the intergovernmental regional tourism body for the area.
"By working with the tourism industry in promoting this code, we hope to pass on to tourists some of the advice we have received from people in the Pacific."
Mr O'Donovan said escaping the winter weather with a holiday in the Pacific appealed to a significant number of New Zealanders.
"By using the code, tourists can enjoy the hospitality of the islands and maximise the benefits of their stay at the same time. The code gives tourists sound advice, from how best to shop to how they can help conserve the fragile environment of Pacific islands," he said.
With mounting public interest in eco-friendly tourism, Mr O'Donovan said the launch had come at just the right time for the industry.
"The code provides those in the tourism industry an easy way to promote responsible tourism to their customers.
"We hope this is a first step for tour operators who want to become more responsible in the way they operate in the Pacific."
Mr O'Donovan said for communities living in popular tourist destinations, such as the Pacific, tourism could offer much-needed opportunities for social and economic growth.
There were, however, a growing number of concerns about the possible and actual negative impact on local people and their environment.
"The advice given in the code aims to alleviate the negative and promote the positive impact of tourists."
Promoting responsible tourism also had real commercial benefits. Ethical concerns were fast becoming a key measure in buying.
Mr O'Donovan said responsible tourism was booming. A sector analysis report had found that spending on responsible tour operators and environmental tourist attractions had risen 25 per cent since 2001.
www.responsibletourism.org.nz
