Eco - Tourism -Key Documents: State of the Tourism Industry

Key Documents: State of the Tourism Industry

Oslo Statement on Ecotourism 2002

The Global Ecotourism Conference 2007 (GEC07), held in Oslo, Norway, May 2002, marked an important step forward in the global ecotourism community’s efforts to strengthen its voice, and to put sustainability on the agenda of all sectors of the tourism industry. The Oslo Statement on Ecotourism serves both as a summary of the discussions that took place during GEC07 and a practical tool for those seeking to improve their sustainability practices and those interested in learning more about ecotourism and its challenges.

Bar Harbor Declaration on Ecotourism in the U.S.

Developed as an outcome of the Ecotourism in the U.S. Conference, held in Bar Harbor, Maine, September 2005, this Declaration calls on the U.S. government to adopt a series of policies to promote socially and environmentally responsible tourism. Bar Harbor Declaration on Ecotourism in the U.S. calls on the U.S., as one of the world’s leading tourism destinations, to play a leadership role in promoting responsible tourism. This Declaration builds on previous ecotourism platforms, most importantly the Quebec Declaration adopted in 2002 during the United Nations' International Year of Ecotourism.

International Year of Ecotourism (IYE) 2002

In 1999, the United Nations designated 2002 as the International Year of Ecotourism through the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), in conjunction with the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) - in recognition of its growing importance to sustainable development and the protection of the environment. The purpose of the IYE was to encourage cooperation among NGO's, governments and industry in developing ecotourism practices that are environmentally, economically and socially beneficial, while minimizing their negative impacts.