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Tourism and human rights: travel companies, associations and non-profit organizations develop online training courses for the industry
Tatjana PetersA total of fifteen large, medium-sized and small tourism companies, associations and civil society organizations have started to jointly develop online training courses on human rights due diligence in the tourism value chain. The training courses are made available free of charge to suppliers and partners in the target countries. They enable accommodation providers and destination management organizations (DMOs) of tour operators to familiarize themselves with the topic of human rights due diligence and gain an initial overview of possible measures
The tourism industry touches on many aspects of human rights, such as equal rights, fair wages and discrimination, especially in developing and emerging countries. Ten companies in the travel industry as well as five associations and non-profit organizations have now joined forces to promote human rights due diligence in the tourism value chain through self-study online training. The project is coordinated by the sustainability initiative Futouris e.V. and the Roundtable Human Rights in Tourism.
Tourism companies need individual due diligence strategies to promote human rights
Tourism is an important factor in developing and emerging countries and can create jobs, strengthen local economic cycles and reduce inequalities. At the same time, tourism affects many aspects of human rights, e.g. equal rights, fair wages or protection against discrimination. For this reason, tourism companies need due diligence strategies in order to promote human rights through their business activities and avoid human rights violations.
The Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG) passed by the German government in January 2023 and the planned European Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) will initially place obligations on large companies. The travel industry consists predominantly of small and medium-sized companies. The project also encourages these companies to take responsibility and implement concrete measures.
Strong together: travel industry and non-profit organizations join forces
The aim of the tourism companies involved in the project - DER Touristik, FTI Group, TUI Group, TUI Cruises, Booking.com, Gebeco, Chamäleon, Studiosus Reisen, Hauser Exkursionen and FairAway Travel - is to ensure that these training courses are widely accepted and used. For this reason, the training courses developed are to be tested in advance for practical applicability and further developed together with the partners in the destinations. They are supported by the sustainable tourism association forum anders reisen, the German Travel Association (DRV) and ECPAT Germany, the Working Group for the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation.
The training courses will be available to the industry free of charge at atingi.org, the digital learning platform of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), thus enabling local partners of travel companies to gain an introduction to the topic of human rights due diligence.
Online training on aspects of human rights in tourism
At a kick-off workshop in the fall, the project participants defined the structure and concept of the training courses based on the results of a stakeholder survey conducted in advance. A basic training course is intended to give participants a comprehensive insight into the various human rights risks in tourism, relevant steps and an overview of where further information on the risks can be found. In addition, the training will provide information on the legal requirements of the LkSG and the planned EU directive and will be supplemented by further, more in-depth modules.
The project is being implemented under the umbrella of the sector dialogue on tourism for sustainable development. The project is financed half from the tourism companies' own funds and half by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Companies that are interested in actively participating are cordially invited to do so. Futouris is available for further information.
