A few words on Responsible Tourism Management

Since September 2010 Josefien is studying at the International Centre for Responsible Tourism Management. 'My aim is to put responsible and community based tourism more up the agenda, especially in Togo, West Africa, the country of origin of my partner. Togo is a very diverse country with varying landscapes and a caleidoscope of cultures. Tourism in Togo used to flourish in the 1980s but was degraded afterwards. Currently Togo is restructuring its tourism sector, focussing amongst others on eco-tourism. Since I see an important link between tourism and development I would like to devote my energy and time to promote
a positive image of Africa in general and Togo in specific'.

Responsible Tourism Management means: creating better places for people to live in and better places for people to visit (Cape Town Declaration). This applies to all forms of tourism be it all-inclusive holidays, backpacking, eco-tourism etcetera and includes all stakeholders involved. For more information on responsible tourism management go to sites referred to under 'Responsible Tourism links'.