Implementation Guidelines

A Guide for Tour Operators to Put People First

Human rights due diligence is particularly crucial when states take no or insufficient action to mitigate human rights risks. A highly topical issue, as according to "Freedom House", only 20 % of the global population live in free countries.

The tourism industry sends travellers all over the world and maintains economic relations accordingly. A boycott cannot be the solution - but it is the responsibility, also of small and medium-sized enterprises, to act with special care and attention when offering tours to oppressive regimes. This applies where challenging political conditions have existed for years, are just changing or where new destinations and travel markets are emerging.

The printable online publication "Responsible Tourism in Oppressive Regimes – A Guide for Tour Operators to Put People First" helps tour operators with the complex question of how to offer responsible tourism in politically challenging countries as it guides through the first steps, showcases possible fields of action and offers additional links and resources.

Publisher: Roundtable Human Rights in Tourism

1st edition, March 2023

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE ONLINE GUIDELINE.

A value-chain focussed Human Rights Impact Assessment  in Thailand & Myanmar

The report summarizes the findings of the conducted value chain focussed human rights impact assessment in Thailand and Myanmar from September 2019. 

 The methods, instruments and steps relevant for the conduction of a HRIA will be explained in the guidelines.

The development of the implementation guidelines was supported by Swiss Federal Department for Foreign Affairs (FDFA), and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Coorperation and Development (BMZ).

Publisher: Roundtable Human Rights in Tourism

1st edition, March 2020

76 page count

Please find this guideline for download below in English.
You can also download below the Executive Summaries of the report in Thai and Burmese language. 

Assess your Impacts with our HRIA tool

Go to our HRIA Online Step-by-Step Guidance to identify the human rights-related impacts caused by your business operations. 

Human Rights in Tourism – An Implementation Guideline for Tour Operators

The guideline addresses tour operators, assisting them in systematically implementing the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in five key fields of action:

Strategy: develop human rights business policy

Survey: assess human rights impacts of business activities

Integration: integrate human rights in corporate culture and management

Remedy: facilitate complaints and improve situation for the affected

Reporting: review progress and report publicly

 
The five fields of action are derived from the business-relevant UN Guiding Principles 11 through 24 and 29 through 31. The methods, instruments and steps relevant for their implementation will be explained in the implementation guidelines.

The development of the implementation guidelines was supported by Austrian Development Cooperation.

Publisher: Roundtable Human Rights in Tourism

3rd edition, October 2016

35 page count

Please find this guideline for download below in English and German.

Tourism in Fragile Contexts – Guidelines for Product and Communication Managers for the Implementation of Human Rights-Related Due Diligence

A guideline of the Roundtable Human Rights in Tourism provides support for responsible tourism in fragile situations. Political instability, unrest or upheaval, social inequalities or natural disasters – many factors can have an influence on tourism in the destinations. These factors represent the partly fragile framework in which tourists move about a country. In fragile situations, tour operators are faced with special requirements of human rights-related responsibility. What do you need to pay attention to when designing the product? Where can you find information about the conflict? How does the tour operator present the conflict in customer information?

With its second practical recommendation for implementing human rights due diligence, the Roundtable Human Rights in Tourism specifically targets those responsible in the product departments. This guideline provides tour operators with a set of questions that may serve to identify human rights-related risks. The recommendations may be used across countries and may be developed further by the respective companies.

Publisher: Roundtable Human Rights in Tourism

October 2016

8 page count

Please find this guideline for download below in English and German.

Human Rights in Practice! – Recommendations for Implementation of Labor and Social Standards for Driving Personnel in the Tourism Sector

This manual of the "Roundtable Human Rights in Tourism" summarises the recommended minimum requirements for social and labour standards in the transport sector and provides tour operators with specific recommendations for their implementation and monitoring. The manual answers specific and frequently asked questions from real life: As a tour operator, how can I make sure that the recommended minimum requirements are respected by my transport service provider? Which international agreements and relevant regulations are to be taken into account? How can possible discrepancies between legal provisions and human rights claims be overcome - e.g. the difference between minimum wage and a living income? How do I set up contracts and which contractual clauses are reasonable and tested in practice? Furthermore, the four-page manual also presents recommendations for actions which have been tested and implemented in practice. The guidelines are applicable around the world and adaptations to specific regional circumstances are possible.

Publisher: Roundtable Human Rights in Tourism

September 2015

8 page count

Please find this guideline for download below in English and German.
There is also an annex in French with contract recommendations available for download.