safe and honourable tourism pledge

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India: A pledge and a commitment for

Safe and honorable tourism.

27th September 2010 is celebrated globally as World Tourism Day. India marked this year with a unique milestone when nearly 250 members of the tourism fraternity came together and pledged to abide by the "Code of Conduct for Safe and Honorable Tourism", which the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India had launched on 1st July 2010.

The Code of Conduct lays down a set of guidelines for the travel and tourism industry to ensure that all tourism activities in India protect the dignity, safety and right to freedom from exploitation of both tourists and the local population.

On Monday, 27 September, one week before the official inauguration of the 19th Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India, the Ministry of Tourism called for a pledge signing ceremony at the Hotel Ashok, New Delhi. Addressing the gathering, the Hon'ble Minister of Tourism and Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation Kumari Selja said, "Through signing of this pledge on Safe & Honorable Tourism we are conveying a strong message to the world that neither we nor our organizations will be party to activities that exploit women and children. However, having signed the pledge, we should all endeavor even harder to create wider awareness towards strict compliance of provisions of the Code".

The pledge could not have been more timely in view of the just started 19th Commonwealth Games, which brings together more than 6,000 athletes from 71 nations and territories from the Commonwealth. Dr Subhadra Anand, CEO, Save the Children, India explained that, "Not many people coming to India know that there are strict laws against such crimes and that offenders are punishable under the Indian Penal Code. The Code of Conduct makes this very clear. So when hotels put up the Code up at their reception, they give a strong signal that they won't be party to such crimes."

After having signed the pledge, the next step will be to conduct awareness building and sensitisation workshops. Two persons of every hotel or tour operating company will be trained and appointed as focal points to monitor that all values, norms and guidelines of the code are respected and adhered to. They will also impart further in-house training to the staff and other service providers. The Ministry of Tourism will finalize the training modules in consultation with UNODC, Save the Children, India and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) India Chapter.

The Ministry Of Tourism in cooperation with UNODC, Save the Children, India and PATA India Chapter drafted the 'Code of Conduct for Safe and Honorable Tourism'. The Code of Conduct is a concrete outcome of the support provided through UNGIFT, the United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking.

The following associations signed the pledge in India on 27 September 2010:

Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI)

Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI)

The Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI)

The Hotel Association of India (HAI)

Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO)

India Convention Promotion Bureau (ICPB)

Indian Heritage Hotels Association (IHHA)

Indian Tourist Transport Association (ITTA)

Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA)

Click here to view the 'Code of Conduct on Safe and Honorable Tourism'

Click here to view the pledge for commitment towards Safe and Honorable Tourism