Responsible Tourism: The Mantra for Sustainable Tourism Development

In the tourism and hospitality industry, Responsible Tourism has now become a catchphrase. It focuses on maximizing the positive aspects of tourism by raising knowledge about environmental protection and cultivating a deep feeling of responsibility among tourism stakeholders in order to accomplish the holistic and long-term development of tourism destinations. Responsible tourism is neither a type nor a form of tourism; rather, it is an alternative approach to tourism progress, primarily driven by the “Principles of Sustainable Tourism”, which is again based on “tourism ethics” and “human rights”. This newly emerged tourism approach has various other aspects and it is frequently linked to a wide range of initiatives such as alternative tourism, ecotourism, geotourism, volunteerism, rural tourism, ethical tourism, fair-trade tourism, and pro-poor tourism. From the tourism standpoint, tourist destinations should be developed in such a way that the expectations like the creation of job opportunities for local people of all genders, financial assistance for local entrepreneurs, preservation of local cultural heritage, development of effective visitor management systems to avoid overcrowding, adoption of renewable and green energy systems to combat global warming, and implementation of sustainable tourism practices can be met. However, many of these expectations are rarely satisfied in reality. In this context, a “New Tourism” approach i.e. Responsible Tourism (RT) has gained a lot of traction in the past few decades, implying an effective and efficient tourism management strategy with a clear understanding of creating tourist destinations "a better place for the locals to live in"; while providing an excellent tourist destination for the visitors to enjoy a quality vacation. This article discusses the objectives and salient features of Responsible Tourism highlights a few successful Responsible Tourism models/initiatives around the world, as well as the challenges of successful implementation of Responsible Tourism at various Tourist Destinations