What is 'ethical' travel?

[Mary Finn]

A comment on Ron

[Rosie]

Thank you Mary for that last excellent brief I agree with everything you touch on regarding issues of acculturalisation. In addition, I fully support your proposal.

I would like to propose that political and community leadership should come together with a greater sense of governance too fully represent and identify community values and priorities. Local communities should be more directly involved in the decision making process, being critical, transparent and accountable. All visitors ideally should be informed with a leaflet left in their room about community issues, customs and expectations. I guess rather like the re-use the towel notices found in most hotel guest rooms.

[Mary Finn]

Thanks, Rosie

[Guyonne]

Thanks Ron for leaving this open so I could get in a last post.

There has been a great deal of insightful comments over the past couple of weeks. Mary, your post regarding universal moral standards started a hot debate in the office, mostly about your point regarding the difficulty of any universal agreement. To quote Sally in the office

[Guyonne]

Xavier and Valere comments on the need for ethical tourism (or whatever we are calling it now!) to be financially viable are very important. This is fundamental for any transaction, it has to be viable for all concerned. But I think this is a separate issue from what is