Responsible Travel

WYSE Travel Confederation is committed to helping youth travellers travel in the most responsible way. Whether through poverty reduction, peace, mutual understanding, and respect, WYSE Travel Confederation recognises that teaching the tenets of responsible travel to youth travellers can have enormous impact on our future generations. We support the following codes and have created a set of initiatives to further promote these important issues:

Support: Codes of Conduct Initiative: Climate Change and Youth Travel Initiative: Responsible Travel

Support: Codes of Conduct

WYSE Travel Confederation firmly supports the following Codes:

UNWTO Global Code of Ethics
Officially recognised by UN General Assembly in 2001, the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism provides a framework for further development of a tourist industry that benefits local economies, minimises environmental impacts, and promotes global peace and understanding.

The Code: Protection of children from sexual exploitation in travel and tourism
Launched in 2004, the Code mobilises the tourism industry to work together to protect the welfare of children, and support the development of an ethical policy against exploitation.

Initiative: Climate Change and Youth Travel

Youth travellers care about the environment. They are looking for solutions that will help them balance their passion for travel with their desire to minimise the environmental impact of their travel.

The youth travel industry can provide young travellers with solutions to this dilemma.

As part of WYSE Travel Confederation’s “Climate Change and Youth Travel” Initiative, a series of ready-made tools and templates have been developed to help organisations promote responsible travel habits among young travellers. By using these tools, your organisation can make a difference and to begin to answer the burning “questions of conscience” confronting our industry and our world. Click on the following links for more information on:

“Climate Change and Youth Travel”   industry guide (PDF, 2MB) Fast facts   on climate change and potential future impacts on the travel industry Specific dilemma   of the youth travel industry Analysis of youth travel's unique carbon footprint   Business case   for environmentally responsible travel Primer on carbon offset organisations   Downloadable carbon footprint calculator   from atmosfair Simple step-by-step "toolkit"   for promoting environmentally responsible travel to a highly receptive market Action checklist   Links   to helpful brochures, organisations, and websites

Initiative: Responsible Travel

As a champion of responsible travel, the WYSE Travel Confederation created a "Travel 2 Explore, Travel 2 Live, Travel 2 Respect, Travel 4 Peace" public education campaign called Responsible Travel

Student and youth travellers are motivated to explore, discover, learn and better understand the world around them. Young people who travel responsibly make an especially important contribution to international understanding and poverty alleviation by spending locally, respecting cultural diversity and the environment, and visiting destinations "off the beaten track".

The Confederation is proud to serve on the UNWTO's Sustainable Development of Tourism Committee.