ECOCLUB, Issue 92
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THE ECOCLUB INTERVIEW
Professor HAROLD GOODWIN
Professor Harold Goodwin teaches Responsible Tourism
Management in the postgraduate International Centre for
Responsible Tourism at the Leeds Metropolitan University. He has
worked as a consultant and researcher for the United Nations
World Tourism Organization, the European Union, the UK’s DFID,
the World Bank, KPMG, Deloitte & Touche and the International
Trade Centre.
In 1998 he wrote a briefing paper on Tourism and
Poverty Elimination which led to DFID’s initiative on Pro-Poor
Tourism at CSD7 in 1999. He is a member of the PPT Partnership
(
local economic development in Africa, Asia, Europe and South
America. He drafted the World Tourism Organization’s 2002
Report on Tourism and Poverty Alleviation and is working on their
PPT Manual. In August 2002 he co-chaired the WSSD event which
Destinations. Professor Goodwin has worked on national and local policy in Bhutan, The Gambia and South Africa.
The International Centre for Responsible Tourism (ICRT) (Web: www.icrtourism.org ) at Leeds Metropolitan University is
a post-graduate training and research centre. The ICRT has played a leading role in the responsible tourism movement through
research and development work with the industry and government, and our students are playing leading roles in this movement.
The MSc in Responsible Tourism Management is taught by Professor Harold Goodwin, Dr Xavier Font and Dr Janet Cochrane
and visiting faculty, all of whom are active in tourism businesses, government, the media, campaigns, national or international
consultancy or research. The course is taught by expert practitioners and we provide high quality tutorial support in Leeds and
London - and where appropriate elsewhere. This course tackles the key issue of how to make better places for people to live and
work; and for people to visit. The course adopts a triple bottom line approach to sustainable development – economic, social and
environmental – and is market orientated, looking at both the supply and demand issues.
The Interview follows:
If a Martian being landed on earth and read about the urgent need for Responsible Tourism, it would deduce that
Tourism on this planet was largely irresponsible. Is Tourism irresponsible, compared to other sectors?
The situation is mixed there are lots of different kinds of tourism in many different environments and cultures, one of the
problems is that there is far too much crass oversimplification. If asked specifically about the UK I would say that travel and
tourism still lags behind some of the other sectors in retailing where organic, fair trade and eco-friendly products are much more
evident on the high street. Our campaigning has had success in the adventure and activities markets in particular – but there is a
long way to go in converting the mainstream operators to a proactive approach.
How easy is it for the layperson, but also the academic, to determine if a tour operation is responsible? And in this
respect is Responsible Tourism Certification feasible? is it useful, or can it only be little more than a marketing exercise?
One of the key principles of Responsible Tourism is transparency; the enterprise or NGO initiative has to be clear about what it
is saying is responsible about its practice, it cannot hide behind an ecolabel. There is a broad agenda and no enterprise or project
does everything which may be possible. Travellers and holidaymakers are increasingly aware of the issue and they can talk with
waiters and chambermaids about wages, they can tell whether the towels are left on the rail or whether they get clean ones even
when they do not ask for them. One of the strengths of the concept of Responsible Tourism is its respect for the diversity of the
earth’s environments and cultures. There is no one label for grading hotel rooms, there is a plethora of ecolabels mostly
meaningless to the travelling public. A certification label is not the way to go
You are currently launching the International Centre for Responsible Tourism in Leeds University, UK. Was this
mostly in response to increasing demand from students, or from businesses? In fact, how easy is getting a job in
responsible tourism, for someone who would have completed courses as yours? Some employers complaints that people
who graduate from tourism university courses do not possess the technical skills, or even the basic knowledge required
for the day to day operation of tourism businesses, such as geography. Conversely, the vast majority of tourism
employees will never go anywhere near a university. Do you have any plans for them also, perhaps through distant, on-
line courses?
