Global Village Homestays - Sustainable Tourism

Overview: (click on the button right for the traveller's code.)

Sustainable tourism is not only about caring about the people and places you visit, but also about actively supporting communities, traditional cultures and helping to build or rebuild local livelihoods that have often been devastated by outside, western, influences. Our top priority is to ensure that we do not inflict western culture on the traditional village life but, by providing a regular income to the villagers, ensure that they maintain their unique cultural facets. The win-win being that the preservation of village life is the primary drawcard for people from the outside wanting to share a small part of this culture which makes their visit unique and memorable.

Achieving sustainable development is one of the key issues facing modern societies. The need to balance economic, ecological, and social objectives is critical to the survival of all species on Earth, including that of human beings.

Tourism is now one of the largest industries on Earth. As such, tourism has the potential to support or destroy places, cultures, and communities around the globe. Sadly, global tourism practices have left their mark on many once pristine environments, traditional cultures, and local communities, leaving a trail of environmental and social devastation in their wake. If tourism is to continue as an economically viable global industry, it will have to become both ecologically and socially responsible. In other words, tourism needs to become sustainable. Rather than simply preserving the environment for the benefit of future generations, sustainable tourism cares for communities, traditional cultures, and local livelihoods. Their economic futures depend on maintaining the beauty and integrity of natural resources and environments.

At Global Village Homestays we achieve these aims by

restricting the numbers of guests staying at any village
allowing the selected hosts to run their village homestay business based on our guidelines but without any interference from outside organisations (including Global Village Homestays). We wish to empower them.
encouraging interaction at an educational level, students, adults, and academics building understanding across cultural borders
encouraging guests ith expertise in specialist areas to assist the village in better using its natural resources
assisting the chiefs and elders in managing village funds established from voluntary donations by guests for community development projects and microfinancing of local village businesses (eg fishing, shell collecting, plantations, community shops) and
running competitions aimed at keeping villages clean and educating families on basic hygiene and health issues

Fiji Holidays - a case study:

Fijibure.com has already had major beneficial impact on participating villages with community halls, guest houses and other projects being funded directly from the money paid by guests to stay at their villages.

In many ways FijiBure.com and this project goes beyond the "sustainable tourism" strategy, as defined by various bodies including the

World Tourism Organisation (2004) as:

“…Development [that] meets the needs of the present tourists and host regions while protecting and enhancing the opportunity for the future. It is envisaged as leading to management of all resources in such a way that economic, social and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled, while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity and life support systems."

Sustainable tourism is only viable in the long-term if it balances the ecological, economic, and socio-cultural aspects of tourism. It is a continuous process that requires the informed participation of all relevant stakeholders, strong political leadership, and the ongoing monitoring of ecological, socio-cultural, and economic impacts (WTO, 2004).

World Tourism Organisation (2004) has stated that:

“Sustainable tourism should also maintain a high level of tourist satisfaction and ensure a meaningful experience to the tourists, raising their awareness about sustainability issues and promoting sustainable tourism practices amongst them."

United Nation's Global Code of Ethics for Tourism
"The Global Code of Ethics for Tourism sets a frame of reference for the responsible and sustainable development of world tourism. It draws inspiration from many similar declarations and industry codes that have come before and it adds new thinking that reflects our changing society at the beginning of the 21st century.
With international tourism forecast to nearly triple in volume over the next 20 years, members of the World Tourism Organization believe that the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism is needed to help minimize the negative impacts of tourism on the environment and on cultural heritage while maximizing the benefits for residents of tourism destinations.
The Global Code of Ethics for Tourism is intended to be a living document. Read it. Circulate it widely. Participate in its implementation. Only with your cooperation can we safeguard the future of the tourism industry and expand the sector's contribution to economic prosperity, peace and understanding among all the nations of the world."
Francesco Frangialli, Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization
You can view the Code of Ethics we stand by by at this link