When going trekking or climbing a mountain, guides and porters are crucial for the tour’s success and a customer's safety and comfort. They are however often subject to difficult and hazardous working conditions. In many destinations, porters are subcontracted to a local tour operator. Porters and guides often receive very low salaries and have to work long hours without an adequate number of rest days. Porters also may not receive the necessary equipment (shoes, protection against cold, medication), making their work even more dangerous. As jobs are rare in many destination countries, many people have no other choice than to carry out this strenuous and hazardous work. Due to the seasonal and sometimes difficult to predict nature of tourism, many porters and guides are in casual employments without job security. To earn additional income, some guides or porters are willing to carry even more baggage or take dangerous routes at the request of tourists, putting themselves (and their customers) in danger. Porters are reliant on their health and physical strength to carry out their job. Even though it is in the nature of their job to be exposed to major strains and risks, porters are often not sufficiently (if at all) covered by social and health insurance. Also, their relatives may only receive inadequate compensation in the case of injury or death. As many porters and guides support an extended family, the loss of income has wide consequences Inca Trail PortersSherpas: NepalPorters’ rights campaign: Tourism ConcernKilimanjaro Porters: Fight for Workforce EquityExploitation of migrant workers: QatarPreviousNext PreviousInca Trail PortersSherpas: NepalPorters’ rights campaign: Tourism ConcernKilimanjaro Porters: Fight for Workforce EquityExploitation of migrant workers: QatarNext Inca Trail PortersVideos A documentary on the strenuous and dangerous work of the Inca trail porters. LinksAl Jazeera (2020): Watch: A Woman Porter’s Story of Pain and Strength on the In…Sherpas: NepalAfter 16 guides were killed by an avalanche on Mt. Everest in 2014, the Nepali Government offered only $400 USD to each victim’s family. It increased the amount to $5000 USD after protests. Delays and bureaucratic hurdles complicated the families’ claims.LinksThe Guardian (2015): Sherpa families angry and fearful eight months on from Eve…BBC News (2015): Everest avalanche: Tributes paid to victims one year onPorters’ rights campaign: Tourism ConcernAs a result of the “Trekking Wrongs: Porters’ Rights” campaign by the organisation Tourism Concern, over half of UK trekking tour operators adopted their Codes of Conduct for improved working conditions for mountain porters.LinksTourism Concern (2014): “Trekking Wrongs: Porters’ Rights” Kilimanjaro Porters: Fight for Workforce EquityAccording to a 2013 World Bank report, as many as twenty guides and porters have died on various Kilimanjaro routes every year. The causes of death range from rockfall to altitude sickness and hypothermia. The fight for fair pay, work benefits and safety has been ongoing for many years. In the past few decades, various organizations have attempted to come up with solutions to these labor issues. It's long past time for all stakeholders, including climbers and trekkers, to listen to the voices of the local guides and porters themselves, to understand the gravity of the problems, and to support their proposed solutions.LinksAlpinist (2021): The Fight for Workforce Equity on KilimanjaroExploitation of migrant workers: QatarExploitative recruitment risk to migrant workers in Qatar's World Cup hotelsAhead of the Qatar World Cup 2022 kick-off in November 2022, with its accompanying influx of an estimated one million visitors, recruitment was ramping up at astonishing speed. So too were the implications of this hiring surge for the plight of migrant workers staffing Qatar’s hotels. Research has shown the payment of recruitment fees by migrant workers is one of the region’s single largest drivers of abuse. Moreover, research has found luxury hotel brands in Qatar are not doing enough to end abusive recruitment practices which have left migrant workers struggling under the pressure of debt and low wages.LinksBusiness & Human Rights Resource Centre (2022): Wake-up call. Exploitative recr…PreviousNext Take actionPolicy and process Collaborate with trekking companies who have a porter policy (Option to have it based on Tourism Concern’s code for porters’ rights). Training and capacity building Sensitize customers about the rights and working conditions of guides, porters, and game keepers to help protect these workers from exploitation and raise awareness for fair working conditions. Find more information on potential measures to take on the "take action" site. Take action Analyse country-specific risksLearn more about potential human rights risks when operating in a specific country.Analyse country-specific risks Learn moreFind more information in the Resource Centre. Learn more
Take actionPolicy and process Collaborate with trekking companies who have a porter policy (Option to have it based on Tourism Concern’s code for porters’ rights). Training and capacity building Sensitize customers about the rights and working conditions of guides, porters, and game keepers to help protect these workers from exploitation and raise awareness for fair working conditions. Find more information on potential measures to take on the "take action" site. Take action
Analyse country-specific risksLearn more about potential human rights risks when operating in a specific country.Analyse country-specific risks