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Non-Governmental Organisations, or NGOs, play a crucial role in the development and management of tourism destinations worldwide. Unlike government bodies or profit-driven businesses, NGOs typically operate with specific social, environmental, or cultural goals in mind.
Key Definitions:
NGOs often fill gaps where governments or businesses can't or won't act. They might protect natural areas, preserve cultural heritage, or ensure local communities benefit from tourism. Because they're not focused on making money, they can champion causes that might otherwise be overlooked.
Many tourism NGOs operate internationally but work closely with local communities. This unique position allows them to bring global expertise to local challenges, while ensuring solutions are appropriate for each specific destination's needs and culture.
NGOs involved in tourism development and destination management come in various shapes and sizes, each with different focuses and approaches:
Focus on protecting natural resources, wildlife conservation and promoting eco-tourism. Examples include WWF and The Nature Conservancy.
Work directly with local communities to ensure they benefit from tourism while preserving their way of life. Often smaller and locally focused.
Concentrate on preserving cultural heritage, historic sites and traditional practices. Examples include UNESCO (though technically an IGO) and National Trusts.
NGOs contribute to tourism development and destination management in several important ways:
NGOs often campaign for better tourism policies and practices. They might lobby governments to protect natural areas, push for regulations that benefit local communities, or advocate for sustainable tourism principles.
For example, Tourism Concern (a UK-based NGO that operated until 2018) successfully campaigned for more ethical practices in tourism, including fair wages for porters on Mount Kilimanjaro and improved working conditions in tourism destinations.
Many NGOs run educational programmes for tourists, local communities and tourism businesses. These might include:
The Travel Foundation is a UK charity that works with tourism businesses and destinations to improve the sustainability of tourism. In Cyprus, they helped local women establish businesses selling traditional products to tourists, creating new income streams while preserving cultural traditions. They also worked with hotels to reduce water and energy use, saving money while protecting the environment. Their "Taste of Fethiye" project in Turkey connected local farmers with hotels, ensuring tourists enjoyed fresh local food while farmers gained reliable markets for their produce.
NGOs often run practical projects that directly improve tourism destinations:
Effective tourism development requires cooperation between different groups. NGOs often act as bridges between:
NGOs help ensure local voices are heard in tourism planning. They might help communities develop their own tourism initiatives or negotiate with larger tourism businesses to ensure fair benefits.
NGOs often work with local and national governments, providing expertise, implementing projects, or monitoring the impacts of tourism policies. They might help draft regulations or provide training to government officials.
Many NGOs partner with hotels, tour operators and other businesses to improve their sustainability. This might include developing responsible tourism guidelines, providing training, or creating certification schemes.
NGOs often collaborate with universities and research centres to monitor tourism impacts, develop new approaches and evaluate the effectiveness of different initiatives.
The Rainforest Alliance works to make tourism more sustainable through its certification programme. Hotels, lodges and tour operators that meet specific environmental, social and economic criteria can earn Rainforest Alliance certification, helping tourists identify responsible businesses. In Costa Rica, this certification has encouraged many tourism businesses to improve their practices, protecting the country's famous biodiversity while still supporting economic development. Certified businesses often report cost savings from reduced water and energy use, showing how sustainability can be good for business as well as the environment.
As tourism continues to grow globally, NGOs face both new challenges and opportunities:
For students interested in tourism careers, understanding the role of NGOs is increasingly important. Whether you work directly for an NGO or interact with them as part of a business or government role, these organisations will continue to shape how tourism develops in the coming decades.