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About us

Tourism Concern fights exploitation in tourism. We are an independent, non-industry based, UK charity, with members and supporters from around the world. We work with partners in over 20 destination countries to ensure that tourism always benefits local people.

We are the only organisation in Europe actively campaigning on tourism and human rights issues. We work tirelessly to expose and challenge tourism's exploitative practices. Tourism Concern develops solutions and promotes forms of tourism that provide meaningful benefits to people in destination communities.

Tourism Concern’s work is grounded in a rights-based approach to development.

Tourism generates positive benefits as well as negative effects. Communities who have greater control within tourism development are able to direct development according to their priorities. In a rights-based approach:

• Local communities must have the right to participate in the decision making about tourism development where they live.
• Tourism industry operators and governments must be accountable to the people whose land and cultures are being utilised for the benefit of the tourists and tourism industry operators.
• Strategies must be prioritised to empower people to be better able to have a say in the development of their communities and country and the capacity to shape tourism development for equitable benefit.
• Attention must be given to marginalised and vulnerable groups such as women, children, minorities, illegal workers and indigenous people working or affected by the tourism industry.

Read our Vision, Mission and Principles

Find out more about how we work

See a sample of our achievements

Read our history

Meet the people behind Tourism Concern

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Official charity documents

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