The 16 sustainability indicators

Communities help shape the tour itself

Responsible tours are not designed in isolation. This sub-indicator looks at whether operators genuinely consult local communities when creating and updating itineraries — ensuring that activities, routes, and encounters reflect community values rather than external assumptions about what visitors want.

Communities have a real say in how tourism operates

Beyond tour design, this asks whether local people have meaningful input into broader decisions that affect them — from access to sites and visitor limits to how profits are distributed. Genuine participation means communities can shape, not just react to, tourism in their area.

The wider community — not just a few — benefits

Tourism benefits should reach beyond a small group of directly employed guides and drivers. This sub-indicator measures whether spending flows broadly through the local economy and whether a wide range of households and community members see tangible improvements from visitor activity.

Operator contributes to local causes beyond tourism

Responsible operators connect their business to the broader health of the destination — financially supporting, promoting, or partnering with local social and environmental projects. This sub-indicator looks at whether those commitments are real and ongoing, not just token gestures.

The tour genuinely meets or exceeds expectations

A responsible tour should also be a good tour. This sub-indicator measures the overall quality of the visitor experience — whether travellers feel their expectations were met or exceeded, and whether the operator consistently delivers what it promises.

Tourism does not disrupt residents or ecosystems

Unmanaged tourism causes friction — noise, crowding, and disruption to the daily lives of local people and the functioning of natural environments. This sub-indicator asks whether operators have proactive plans to minimise disturbance, rather than simply reacting to complaints.

Tours are designed to include a wide range of visitors

Responsible tourism should be available to as many people as possible. This sub-indicator examines whether operators have genuinely considered accessibility in tour design — providing alternatives for people with reduced mobility, sensory impairments, or other needs — and whether they communicate provisions clearly.

Visitors are spread more evenly across the year

Peak-season congestion harms both the visitor experience and local communities. This sub-indicator looks at whether operators take active steps to promote off-season travel, reduce peak-period concentration, and work with destinations to distribute visitors more sustainably throughout the year.

Local workers are paid fairly and treated well

The guides, drivers, cooks, and hospitality staff who make a tour possible deserve fair pay, safe conditions, and decent hours. This sub-indicator asks whether operators meet and exceed minimum employment standards for all local staff — and whether they can demonstrate it.

Tourism improves long-term living standards locally

Beyond individual wages, does tourism improve the broader quality of life in a destination? This sub-indicator looks at the longer-term livelihood impacts of tour activity — whether residents are genuinely better off because of tourism and whether operators can demonstrate measurable improvement.

Locally owned businesses supply the tour

Where an operator spends its money matters. This sub-indicator measures how much accommodation, food, transport, and other services are sourced from locally owned businesses rather than national chains or international suppliers — keeping spending circulating in the destination economy.

Tourism contributes to the destination's long-term economic health

Responsible tourism thinks beyond immediate revenue. This sub-indicator asks whether operators contribute to the destination's long-term economic development — investing in local capacity, avoiding extractive practices, and aligning their business model with sustainable development goals.

Guests leave better informed about local ecology

Tourism is an opportunity to educate. This sub-indicator examines whether operators actively develop guests' understanding of local environmental issues — not just as a backdrop to the experience, but as a meaningful outcome, leaving travellers more informed and more likely to act responsibly.

Concrete steps are taken to reduce ecological impact

Awareness alone is not enough. This sub-indicator looks at whether operators take measurable, active steps to reduce their environmental footprint — from eliminating single-use plastics and choosing low-carbon transport to formal environmental action plans with tracked targets.

Guests develop genuine respect for local culture

Responsible tourism deepens cultural understanding. This sub-indicator assesses whether operators educate guests about local customs, beliefs, and heritage in a way that fosters genuine respect — delivered by people with lived cultural knowledge rather than generic guides.

Sustainability and quality reinforce each other

Being responsible should also mean being excellent. This sub-indicator measures the overall quality of the responsible travel experience — whether the tour is not just ethically sound but genuinely memorable, well-organised, and something guests would enthusiastically recommend.