Staff from the International Centre for Responsible Tourism have worked in Abu Dhabi, Egypt Jordan, Oman and Saudi Arabia.

There is an Arabic translation of the Cape Town Declaration on Responsible Tourism in Destinations

Abu Dhabi

The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) describes it commitment to sustainable development through tourism as economically sustainable, environmentally friendly and socially response and it has committed to reduce power consumption in 2010 over 2008/9 by 10%, hotel waste to landfill  by 20% and water use per hotel guest night by 20%.  The processes which the ADTA has put in place to support progress and to monitor and report on the performance of hotels in meeting the targets are impressive and individual hotels will be reporting by the end of the year on their performance in meeting the targets and securing the reductions over their 2008/9 consumption. The power target is based on the square meters of the property, waste and water on the guest nights. The ADTA will be producing aggregated data for the sector and publishing it, that will enable us to see what the average performance by property type. If over time the average or the average less a given target percentage becomes the annual improvement target dramatic reductions will be secured across the sector.

The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority’s 2009 Towards a Sustainable Tourism Destination Report complies with the standards for Global Reporting Initiative level B. The ADTA reports on many aspects of its performance including Emiratisation (94% in 2009), training, visitor satisfaction and the local people’s perception of tourism and hotel occupancy rates.

The commitments to reduce power consumption in 2010 over 2008/9 by 10%, hotel waste to landfill by 20% and water use per hotel guest night by 20% are part of a serious government initiative, backed by Decree 42,  to make Abu Dhabi more sustainable described in detail in Plan Abu Dhabi 2030.

Oman

Harold Goodwin of the ICRT co-chaired, with the Ministry of Tourism in Oman, the 4th International Conference on Responsible Tourism in Destinations, Living Landscapes of Oman 10-12 October, 2010.

The closing conference statement called on other national programs around the world to adopt a responsible approach to sustainable development through tourism and the Undersecretary announced that to demonstrate its leadership in taking responsibility, Oman’s Ministry of Tourism will finalise its Sustainable Tourism Policy in collaboration with other government authorities and stakeholders. The policy will be embodied in the 8th Five Year Plan to be implemented 2011-2015.

His Excellency Mohammed bin Hamoud al Toobi, Undersecretary, Ministry of Tourism read a statement to the delegates inviting them to take responsibility and work together for sustainable development through tourism. The statement recognises that the scale of the challenges is increasing and called on all stakeholders to consider their share of responsibility to contribute to sustainable development.

The statement put livelihoods, local economic development and human resources at the centre of any sustainable tourism strategy and asserted the importance of respect for local communities, urging that marketing be used to attract tourists who value and respect local communities and the natural and cultural heritage of destinations. Recognising the challenge of achieving growth without damaging our finite world the statement asserted the importance of legislation, enforcement and compliance monitoring to protect natural and cultural heritage, and reduce the consumption of natural resources such as water and fossil fuels.

The closing statement reaffirmed that a responsible approach to sustainable tourism is a model that can and should be developed and adapted for national, regional and local programs. Additionally, the Conference recognised the value and priority of operational research and monitoring for targeted actions at all levels.