Annual Report & AccountsYear ended 31st March 2010

Fighting

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TourismConcern

ContentsLetter from the Chair 3Staff/Volunteers 4Director’s Report 5

1 Making Progress with Industry Tourism and Human Rights 6Ethical Tour Operators Group 7International Activism 8

2 Campaigns Overview 10Tsunami of Tourism 10Burma 12Putting Tourism to Rights 12Water 13Other Campaigns 14

3 Media & Communications 16

4 Outreach & Volunteers 18

5 Moving forwardRethinking Tourism Concern 20New code of practice for indigenous peoples 21Invitations to share our work 21Destination Tsunami Exhibition 21

8 Funding the Work 18

9 Financial ReviewStatement of Financial Activities 24Balance Sheet 25Sources of Funding 26How Tourism Concern’s money is spent 29Treasurer’s Report 30About Tourism Concern’s accounts 30

Chair’s ReportOver the last twelve months Tourism Concern has continued to speak out on tourism in a variety of settings. We have sent speakers to events around the country, published an updated edition of our successful Ethical Travel Guide, produced educational resources for use by students and their teachers and engaged with Parliament when we launched our hard-hitting report on tourism and human rights at the House of Lords. We have continued to work constructively with the tourism industry to ensure the ethical perspective is brought to bear. Our Ethical Tours Operators group continues to grow and - as gap years continue to be a popular option - we are developing a standards code for use by companies who organise them.

Six years on from the Indian ocean tsunami that devastated much of Tamil Nadu and Kerala we have highlighted the ongoing hardships experienced by coastal communities through a touring exhibition of images and stories. We are delighted to have secured support from the UK Department for International Development to work with local communities in Tamil Nadu and Kerala to empower them to shape the future development of their communities.

Financially, the organisation had one of its toughest years to date and with great regret we saw our staff team reduced by two thirds. It was a very difficult period for the organisation. The AGM held later in the year provided the opportunity to take stock, and discuss with our committed membership how best to ensure the future stability of the organisation as we work towards equity in tourism – a long-term goal that will necessitate a sustained approach.

For the generous response to fundraising appeals from both individual members and trust and foundation supporters, as well as messages of support and increasing interest in our work generated through Facebook and Campaign Actions Network support, we would like to express our enormous thanks. With your generosity and spirit we have entered our 21st anniversary year with our heads held high; a courageous organisation which uses its influence to speak out to improve the ways in which tourism is traded where ever we can.

On behalf of the Council I would also like to extend a huge thank you to the team of hard working staff and volunteers, both those who have left us and those that have remained and kept up the great work. It is your strength and vision that enable us to look towards the next year with hope and enthusiasm.

Dr Stroma Cole

Tourism Concern CouncilStroma Cole (Chair) Roger Diski (Co-Vice Chair)Jacqui Thomasen (nee Smith, Co-Vice Chair)Peter Stone (Treasurer until October 2009)Nicola Green (Treasurer from October 2009)Neville LintonPeter Bishop (until March 2010)Sarah UpfieldSarah Harrington (from October 2009)Michelle Ramsey (from October 2009)Luciana Lago (until October 2009)

Roger Diski, Baroness Helena Kennedy, Lord Frank Judd, Lord Joel Joffe, Michelle Ramsey, Peter Bishop, Sarah Upfield, Nicola Green, Alison Stancliffe, Sarah Harrington, Lee Viesnik, Christine Franklin, Paul Smith, Brian Wade, Rory Hodgson, Luke Dodd, Jenny Kleeman, Ian Taylor, Valere Tjolle, Bruce Cadbury, Debbie Hindle, Diana Luck, Giles Gibson, Elizabeth Mistry, Andrew Carton Kelly, Annabelle Thorpe, Nick Oulton, M62 Visual Communications.

Special Thanks

4

It is with the deepest sorrow we have to report the death in May 2010 of Alan Nguyen, Tourism Concern’s finance officer for five years. He leaves a wife and two sons.

Aged eleven Alan with his brother and parents escaped from Vietnam to Hong Kong and from there they came to the UK where he completed his schooling and trained in accountancy.

Alan joined Tourism Concern in 2005 where he very quickly became an integral part of the Tourism Concern office. If you did not know him well you may have thought him a quiet man. But ask anyone who worked with him and they will tell you what a special person he was, with a wonderful sense of humour, and always cheerful, helpful, hard working. The office as a whole felt it was an honour to have worked with him. He is sadly missed.

Jade Robinson, Patrick Hourmant, Maria Pia Grizzuti, Teresa Lackey, Shannon Harvey, Nicole Clark, Daniel Burgin, Rachel Armstead, Agnese Abelite, Sergei Zavrajnov, Oliver Hoare, Stephen Page, Mark Morris, Louise Lumley, Clara Handler, Rachel Taylor, Rosalind Chik, Hannah Booth, Cecilia Thom, Fiona Stansfield, Amica Dall, Virginia Garramone.

Volunteers (April 2009 – March 2010 only)

StaffDirector: Patricia BarnettAdmin and Information Officer: Siobhan Adeusi (until October 2009)Fundraiser: Gillian Cooper (until October 2009)Campaigns Officer: Rachel NobleProgramme Officer: Guyonne James (until May 2009)Finance Officer: Alan Nguyen (until November 2009)In Focus Editor: Kelly HaynesSupporter Services: Emma Khatun (from Feb 2010)

PIcture creditsJill Fordham, Stroma Cole, Virginia Garramone, Emmanuel Pictures, Chris McIntyre, Finn Thomason, Sohrab Hura, Burma Campaign UK, Jeffrey Allred, Bimini Biological Field Station, Victoria Edwards, Lee Viesnik, David Walker, Tourism Concern

Director’s LetterThis year I have travelled far less than I normally do in order to remain in the office during a very difficult year. I always appreciate my travels though, as I learn an enormous amount when I’m invited to different countries and can meet activists and enterprising entrepreneurs and others trying to make a living from tourism or trying to adapt their lives to it.

My one big trip this year was to India and Sri Lanka to evaluate the results of our Big Lottery funded project with grassroots organisations working to ensure that the after effects of the tsunami didn’t include opportunistic developers and governments denying people their rights to land and livelihoods.

It was a disquieting experience, particularly in Sri Lanka. It is self-evident that trying to raise awareness amongst coastal peoples about tourism, and working with them to ensure that their voices are heard in decision making processes, is surmounted with tremendous obstacles if people are intimidated. In a civil war that resulted in massive state-perpetuated human rights abuses, including prison camps and disappearances, NGOs in Sri Lanka have a delicate path to tread. We commissioned a well-known photographer to take photos of the people’s lives in Tamil Nadu and Kerala in southern India for our major exhibition Destination Tsunami, but were unable to do this in Sri Lanka. It would have been too risky for everyone involved. Telling your story in Sri Lanka requires more than courage.

More positively, in India we encountered many vigorous campaigners, particularly women, working with Kabani, our partner group, and achieving some notable victories.

Lots of interesting things continue to happen from our work here at our office in London Metropolitan University. I had the privilege of working with human rights champion, Baroness Helena Kennedy, when we launched our Putting Tourism to Rights report on Radio 4’s Excess Baggage and later at the House of Lords. I was also excited, once again, to be a judge for the responsibletravel.com awards and the Travel Trade Gazette’s unusually named Scream if You’re Green awards. Identifying the best of best practice is becoming ever more competitive, which can only be good news.

Patricia Barnett

We have had a very good year progressing our work with the industry.

Tourism and Human RightsOur new report on tourism and human rights Putting Tourism to Rights (see p12) has recommendations to all those stakeholders involved in the development and management of the tourism industry.

Tour operators play one of the most pivotal roles in ensuring that our holidays bring genuine benefits to local people as well as their customers. Human rights violations are the hidden factor behind too many holidays. Our strategy has been to tackle this difficult subject through developing closer relationships with the industry’s trade associations so that there will be more openness to the issues we raise and the

Human rights violations are the hidden factor behind too many holidays. Our strategy has been to tackle this difficult subject through developing closer relationships with the industry’s trade associations

Making Progress with Industry

6

opportunities for bringing about change.This work has been enhanced by a

radical restructuring of ABTA, the biggest trade association, by new developments around responsible tourism at AITO and by the appointment of a new director of the UN World Tourism Association whose previous work was with the ILO.

Working with the Government has been a serious challenge because of the elections and the change of government. It has also always been very problematic for all organisations working on outbound tourism that no government has recognised the need for a minister to take responsibility for the multiple issues that are raised. At this time responsibility for different aspects of outbound tourism are distributed amongst five different ministries.

Ethical Tour Operators’ GroupWe are proud of the fact that this year our Ethical Tour Operators’ Group (ETOG) has decided that it can make use of its membership to challenge environmentally unsound hotel developments under its ETOG banner. Having up to twenty tour operators challenging such a development

Opposite: These fishermen in Mararikulum, near Allepey, Kerala, Southern India are gradually being forced into selling their land to make way for the development of luxury tourist resorts.

Above right: Tourism Concern’s report on toursim and human rights.

Below: Baroness Helena Kennedy speaking at the House of Lords

Making Progress with Industry 7

PuttingTourism to RightsA challenge to humanrights abuses in thetourism industry

A report by Tourism Concern

Written and researched by Jenny Eriksson, Rachel Noble, Polly Pattullo and Tricia Barnett

Above: Africa Old Mondoro `bush camp’ in the Lower Zambezi is an example of tourist accommodation that fits in with, rather than blights, the surrounding landscape

Opposite: Clients of operators who are signed up to the Ethical Tour Operators Group (ETOG) receive this newly published leaflet outlining how best to manage their holidays in an environmentally, socially and economically sound way.

OUR HOLIDAYS, THEIR HOMESYour holiday destination is a place where people live; people who may have different values and sensibilities to your own. Opening your mind to new cultures and traditions is part of the joy of a holiday. Learn a few words of the local language before you go – your stumbling attempts will be appreciated even if they cause hilarity.

Local people will welcome you more readily if you have thought carefully about how to behave and are wearing appropriate clothes.

And remember, not everybody likes having their picture taken. Don’t treat people as part of the landscape. Put yourself in their shoes and imagine how it might feel for them to be photographed. Ask first and respect their wishes.

Keep Children smilingIt is best never to give anything directly to children, not even sweets – a child who is begging may think there is no need to go to school. There are plenty of ways to help that will have a much more positive impact. You could donate to a local school, hospital or orphanage for example, or give to a fund that your tour operator is supporting.

Tragically more than one million children are sexually abused by tourists every year – a punishable offence, even when the offender has returned home. Please don’t turn a blind eye. Help protect children by telling your hotel or guesthouse manager if you see something suspicious.

Switch off and relaxWhilst your visit may provide some economic benefits to local people, it can also use up scarce resources. For example, water is in short supply in many tourist destinations, and hotels put a huge strain on an already limited resource. One tourist can use as much water in one day as a village would use to produce rice for 100 days. Even the most ‘eco’ friendly hotel may be using local people’s water supplies so do please ask your hotel manager about their policy on water use. And do your bit by using as little as possible.

The places you visit on holiday are often the ones most threatened by climate change. Don’t forget your good habits just because you are on holiday – remember to turn off lights and fans when you leave your room and don’t leave the TV on standby! no time to waste

Waste disposal methods are often very basic, so think about what happens to your rubbish. Take biodegradable products and as little packaging as you can. Discarded plastic bottles can ruin a landscape – worth thinking about when you buy bottled water. Tap water is often assumed to be of poor quality even when it is fine to drink. If you are unsure, use water purification tablets.

knowing that local people

is the secret of an enjoyable holidayare happy to have you stay

TC Leaflet[v2].indd 1 5/8/09 08:17:34

can be far more influential than one operator alone. Kick-starting ETOG’s campaign was the proposed development of the Lower Zambezi Lodge by Protea Hotels in Zambia.

The development was an inappropriate conference centre with 144 beds, likely to bring in an additional 20-30,000 visitors to an ecologically sensitive wilderness area without any analysis of its impacts at all. ETOG’s support of a widely opposed development brought in an international tour operator focus that ultimately won the day!

8 Making Progress with Industry

International activismOur director, Tricia Barnett, has continued to work with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) to ensure that human rights are not left off of their very ambitious agenda to sign all tourism operations up to a new, all-encompassing set of criteria for best practice. Steered by the widest set of international experts ever put together, the new GSTC is the outcome of a process set in action by the Rainforest Alliance and the United Nations Environment Programme and has taken several years to achieve a set of universal criteria for minimum standards within the industry.

OUR HOLIDAYS, THEIR HOMESYour holiday destination is a place where people live; people who may have different values and sensibilities to your own. Opening your mind to new cultures and traditions is part of the joy of a holiday. Learn a few words of the local language before you go – your stumbling attempts will be appreciated even if they cause hilarity.

Local people will welcome you more readily if you have thought carefully about how to behave and are wearing appropriate clothes.

And remember, not everybody likes having their picture taken. Don’t treat people as part of the landscape. Put yourself in their shoes and imagine how it might feel for them to be photographed. Ask first and respect their wishes.

Keep Children smilingIt is best never to give anything directly to children, not even sweets – a child who is begging may think there is no need to go to school. There are plenty of ways to help that will have a much more positive impact. You could donate to a local school, hospital or orphanage for example, or give to a fund that your tour operator is supporting.

Tragically more than one million children are sexually abused by tourists every year – a punishable offence, even when the offender has returned home. Please don’t turn a blind eye. Help protect children by telling your hotel or guesthouse manager if you see something suspicious.

Switch off and relaxWhilst your visit may provide some economic benefits to local people, it can also use up scarce resources. For example, water is in short supply in many tourist destinations, and hotels put a huge strain on an already limited resource. One tourist can use as much water in one day as a village would use to produce rice for 100 days. Even the most ‘eco’ friendly hotel may be using local people’s water supplies so do please ask your hotel manager about their policy on water use. And do your bit by using as little as possible.

The places you visit on holiday are often the ones most threatened by climate change. Don’t forget your good habits just because you are on holiday – remember to turn off lights and fans when you leave your room and don’t leave the TV on standby! no time to waste

Waste disposal methods are often very basic, so think about what happens to your rubbish. Take biodegradable products and as little packaging as you can. Discarded plastic bottles can ruin a landscape – worth thinking about when you buy bottled water. Tap water is often assumed to be of poor quality even when it is fine to drink. If you are unsure, use water purification tablets.

knowing that local people

is the secret of an enjoyable holidayare happy to have you stay

TC Leaflet[v2].indd 1 5/8/09 08:17:34

Tricia Barnett has continued to work with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council to ensure that human rights are not left off of their agenda to sign all tourism operations up to a new, all-encompassing set of criteria for best practice.

In addition, the GSTC aims to transform the way tourism is carried out worldwide. It was previously known as the International Task Force on Sustainable Tourism Development. The GSTC grew out of

this Task Force. Tricia Barnett attended the sixth international meeting in France in February where nearly 70 participants from all continents came together to create the new Global Partnership.

Overview2009-10 has been a period of transition for Tourism Concern, involving a major exhibition and report launch, plus the development of two new projects addressing water inequity and human rights. We have been actively building relations with other UK-based NGOs to strengthen support for our work and explore opportunities for collaboration.

Tsunami of Tourism In September 2009, Tourism Concern teamed up with Indian photographer, Sohrab Hura, to gather images and testimonials from coastal communities negatively impacted by tourism developments in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Up and down the coast, the stories are repeated: forced displacement away from the shorelines; privatisation of beaches; pollution from hotels; lack of consultation

Campaigns

10 Campaigns

over coastal developments; and limited opportunities for local people to benefit. Tourism Concern’s project partner, Kabani, also introduced us to many of the communities and activists with whom they are collaborating in order to challenge the current situation and defend their rights to land and a livelihood.

The photographs and stories have been developed into a major new photography exhibition, Destination Tsunami: Stories and struggles from India’s southern coast. Indian project co-ordinator, Sajeer Abdul Rehman, travelled to London in February for the exhibition launch at The Guardian Gallery. Sajeer joined Guardian environment editor, John Vidal, Jenny Kleeman of Channel 4’s Unreported World, and Tourism Concern’s Tricia Barnett in a panel discussion. The

exhibition marks five years since the 2004 Asian tsunami. It aims to raise awareness amongst UK holiday-makers of the ongoing struggles facing tsunami survivors because of tourism development, and to raise questions about tourism’s role in post-disaster reconstruction. The exhibition will be touring the UK throughout 2010 and into 2011.

The exhibition also marked the end of Tourism Concern’s Big Lottery-funded work in India and Sri Lanka, and the beginning of a project supported by the UK Department for International Development (DFID). The new project will build upon the achievements of the first in seeking to empower coastal communities in India to defend their land and livelihood rights from unsustainable tourism development.

Campaigns 11

Opposite: Tourism Concern exhibition Launch of Destination Tsunami: Stories and Struggles from India’s Southern Coast at the Guardian Gallery, 24 February 2010 .

Right and below: Image from Destination Tsunami. This exhibition tells the stories and conveys the hardships endured by coastal communities as they now attempt to withstand the multiple pressures of rapid tourism development. This includes the threat of displacement from their land, environmental degradation, loss of livelihoods and alienation from traditional ways of life.

Burma Tourism Concern opposes tourism to Burma in support of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma’s pro-democracy leader who has been under house arrest for almost 15 years. Suu Kyi has asked tourists to stay away on the grounds that their visit provides financial support to the brutal military dictatorship. Following the release of our briefing in February 2009, How UK Tour Operators are Supporting Burma’s Military Regime, we met with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to discuss our concerns about the lack of a statutory instrument making it an offence in the UK to do business with companies – including hotels and resorts - listed under EC regulations for having links to Burma’s military junta. An updated statutory instrument has now been introduced in the UK. Furthermore, Audley Travel, the largest of the UK operators going to Burma, has removed the EC-listed resorts from its website and now discourages tourists from visiting these establishments.

Putting Tourism to Rights November 2009 saw the launch of Tourism Concern’s hard-hitting new report, Putting Tourism to Rights, at the House of Lords in London. The report draws upon the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other major conventions to illustrate the many rights violations that occur as a result of tourism. It challenges the UK Government and international tourism industry to recognise that human rights are fundamental to a sustainable approach to tourism, and calls for action to ensure their protection. The report forms the basis of a new campaign in which Tourism Concern is seeking to work collaboratively with all tourism stakeholders. To this end, Tourism Concern joined the Corporate Responsibility Coalition (CORE), an NGO alliance that is pushing the UK Government to make British businesses more accountable for the human rights impacts of their activities, including overseas.

All too often, local people’s access to water for their basic daily living and agricultural needs is restricted, while hotels and golf courses drill ever deeper into diminishing supplies or pay for it to be shipped in from outside

Water Tourism Concern has also continued to develop our new Water Equity in Tourism (WET) campaign. Tourism is a thirsty industry and is typically developed in hot climates and in coastal areas – places where fresh water is scarce. All too often, local people’s access to water for their basic daily living and agricultural needs is restricted, while hotels and golf courses drill ever deeper into diminishing supplies or pay for it to be shipped in from outside. Our new campaign will seek to address this water inequity between local people and

tourism. We have been building support for our campaign aims amongst water-focussed NGOs, whose expertise will be invaluable in working with governments and industry to develop sustainable solutions to this highly complex issue.

Far Left: Monks crouch in front of SPDC troops as the regime begins its crackdown against the 2007 uprising.

Top left: Tricia Barnett speaking at House of Lords at the launch of our Putting Tourism to Rights report.

Above: Privatised water – a tanker fills a barge with drinking water for transport to a tourist hotel in Allepey, Kerala, India.

Campaigns 13

Other campaigns Tourism Concern continues to support campaigning groups and human rights defenders challenging unsustainable tourism development all over the world.

In Grenada in the Caribbean, People in Action and Citizens in Defence of Grenada’s Lands and Heritage, have been highlighting tourism land-grabs of state-owned land in shady deals lacking any transparency or accountability. The groups are urging their government not to sell

out to developers by adopting instead a sustainable tourism development model that involves local people and allows them to benefit.

On the tiny Bahamian island of Bimini, the government is yet to fulfil its promise to establish a Marine Protected Area that would protect the fragile marine ecosystem from further damage from the on-going development of the Bimini Bay Resort. The massive resort, now managed by an arm of the Hilton Hotels group, was built in the face of fierce opposition from local communities

14 Campaigns

Tourism Concern remains committed to launching our International Volunteering Code of Practice, which has been developed in partnership with the Network for International Development Organisations in Scotland (NIDOS).

because it blocks their access to the coast and threatened their livelihoods.

Tourism Concern remains committed to launching our International Volunteering Code of Practice, which has been developed in partnership with the Network for International Development Organisations in Scotland (NIDOS). Although it has proved challenging to secure funding, the ongoing growth in the international volunteering sector reconfirms the need for such a code for volunteering sending organisations.

Above: Bimini Bay in the Bahamas

Opposite: Many international volunteering projects are not developed in consultation with local communities, throwing their value into question and confirming the need for an industry code of practice.

Left: Citizens in Defence of Grenada’s Lands & Heritage greet MSc Ecotourism students from the University of Portsmouth.

Campaigns 15

Media and communicationsTourism Concern continues to work to get the voices of local communities in destinations heard in the UK media. Despite the economic downturn causing the travel and environment pages of many newspapers to be greatly reduced, we have enjoyed a good media presence this year. This included coverage of our new Ethical Travel Guide, which was launched with a special press pack at Stanfords bookshop in Covent Garden, London. Other highlights were the release of our Putting Tourism to Rights report in November and the Destination Tsunami photography exhibition launch in February. Our Indian project co-ordinator,

Sajeer Abdul Rehman, was interviewed by a Keralan diaspora newspaper during his visit, and Tricia Barnett was interviewed by Indian media during a visit to Kerala in September 2009. We contributed to a special edition of the Tourism Society’s journal examining the future of tourism, and our work starred as a special feature in Travel Weekly during the annual London World Travel Market – a key time for raising our profile amongst the tourism industry. Tourism Concern was overwhelmed with the positive coverage we received for our emergency appeal in late 2009, with The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Irish Times, The Observer,

16

ABTA Magazine, Travel Trade Gazette, Travel Weekly, Travel Mole and many more galvanizing the vital support that helped to see us through a very challenging time.

Our quarterly magazine, Tourism In Focus, continues as a unique collection of campaign updates and actions from local groups campaigning for fairly traded tourism across the world. Issues covered include the forced evictions of shack-dwellers in the lead up to the World Cup in South Africa, tourism and climate justice at the Copenhagen climate talks, post-conflict tourism in Sri Lanka, and updates on the Burmese Kayan refugees confined to ‘tourist villages’ in Thailand. The magazine is disseminated to all members, including colleges and universities, with back copies available to download from our website.

Tourism Concern’s Facebook Group page continues to grow as a hub for sharing news, events and information on tourism and human rights issues. Membership has

Membership of Tourism Concern’s Facebook Group page has doubled since last year to over 1000.

Media and Communications 17

doubled since last year to over 1000. Supporters can also stay in touch with

all the latest news and events via our email-based Campaign Action Network. This also continues to increase in numbers, with many new subscribers signing up at our Destination Tsunami exhibition and other events.

Our website remains popular as ever and is regularly updated with new stories and content. We currently enjoy over 6000 visits a month from all over the world.

Above: Tricia Barnett at the launch of the new Ethical Travel Guide.

Left: Sajeer Abdul Rehman of Kabani, who spoke at London Metropolitian University during the event Tourism Development: A Grassroots Perspective from India in March 2010.

This year has seen a flurry of activity in terms of outreach and events. We have attended talks and travel shows, and started a new programme of school outreach. Volunteers are a vital part of this programme and their willingness to help at a moment’s notice allows us to do weekend outreach events and has helped Tourism Concern have a presence at a whole range of festivals and exhibitions this year.

One of our first events of the last year

was a film night showing two films: Goa Under Siege and Banko and Dobri. Both films highlighted the effects that poor tourism planning and unregulated growth have on delicate natural habitats and local culture. The event was highly successful with everybody gaining a deeper knowledge of the negative effects tourism can have.

Our partnership with the Workers’ Beer Company has been our largest event fundraising exercise this year. Our

Volunteers’ willingness to help at a moment’s notice allows us to do weekend outreach events and has helped Tourism Concern have a presence at a whole range of festivals and exhibitions this year.

Outreach and Volunteers

18 Outreach and Volunteers

volunteers worked in beer tents at festivals such as Glastonbury, Reading, and Leeds to earn us £6.50 per hour and had an amazing time themselves. At Glastonbury alone our volunteers earned us over £1000.

Destinations Travel Show at Earls Court, London was again our biggest outreach event of the year. This show allows us to get our message across directly to the travelling public and gives us the chance to nudge them in the direction of guilt free travel. Our stand was run a by a team of energetic volunteers who over the three days engaged the public and encouraged the sale of our Ethical Travel Guide.

Outreach and Volunteers 19

Above: Goa Under Siege was one of the films shown at our film night in early 2009.

Opposite: Oli Hoare, Tourism Concern fundraising volunteer

Right: Tourism Concern’s volunteer Mark Maris talks to visitor at the Destinations Travel Show in February 2010.

Below: Volunteer Lee Viesnik

Rethinking Tourism ConcernIn order to ensure a sustainable future, Tourism Concern needs to rethink how we might best earn more income, without being so dependent on trusts and foundations for support. The country’s economic situation has had a serious impact on many charities and thus we need to recognise that we have to become more commercially driven.

Our core driver, however, is and will continue to be our campaign work. Overarching all our work is our commitment

to ensuring that the human rights of people living in destinations and the employees within tourism supply chains are respected. Water is high on this agenda for the coming year. For over twenty years we have heard countless stories about how local communities suffer serious water shortages whilst resorts run water freely. Often water is taken to the hotels directly from local people’s wells. Tourism Concern plans to undertake research into the local dynamics of tourism and water in a range of destinations and, working with local partners, seek out equitable solutions.

Moving Forward

20

Overarching all our work is our commitment to ensuring that the human rights of people living in destinations and the employees within tourism supply chains are respected.

New code of practice for indigenous peoplesWe are delighted to have been invited by our Ethical Tour Operators’ Group to produce a code of practice for tour operators working with indigenous peoples. Tour operators commonly fail to include tribal peoples in the cost of a holiday, even if part of the holiday experience is to visit them on an excursion. Often, because the local community has not received any remuneration for the visit, this can result in the holidaymaker feeling harassed to buy handicrafts or to pay to have their photos taken, making the experience uncomfortable for everyone. Indigenous peoples also have special rights under the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples - for example, in relation to control over traditional lands, which need to be respected by tour operators. Tourism Concern will consult widely to identify what steps operators can take to ensure that tribal peoples receive a fair share for their input into the holiday experience.

Invitations to share our workTourism Concern receives invitations to speak from a variety of places, including colleges, universities, special interest groups and international gatherings. Lined up for the coming year is an invitation to speak at a side event at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Bonn in May. Here we will highlight water scarcity in relation to tourism, climate change and human rights.

Destination Tsunami ExhibitionOur exhibition will continue to travel around the country to a wide variety of venues, enabling people to understand directly how frequently exploitation goes alongside tourism development.

But what we have most to look forward to is celebrating our 21st anniversary. We hope to be able to celebrate and thank all those who have helped us to reach maturity.

Opposite: The Mursi women of Ethiopia with pottery plates work in the lower lip are a curiosity for tourist. The Mursi see tourists as people `who don’t know how to behave’

Right: In the coming year Tourism Concern plans to undertake research into the local dynamics of tourism and water in a range of destinations

Making Progress with Industry 21

Thank youWithout the generous support of our donors and members, the achievements of which we are so proud would simply not be possible. We would like to say a very big thank you.

Emergency appealsTourism Concern was not immune from the difficulties that have hit many charitable organisations in recent times and threats to our future led us to launch two emergency appeals for funds towards the end of 2009. One appeal

went out to our membership, the other our 100 Appeal – aimed to find 100 companies and organisations who could donate £1,000 to enable us to continue our work. The response to these appeals was generous and helped to raise well over £40,000.

Donors also sent many heartening messages of support and encouragement. These highlighted how valued Tourism Concern is among our friends and supporters, as well as in the travel and tourism world. We would like to thank everyone who contributed. We are working hard to secure new, longer-term funding streams that will ensure the sustainability of our unique organisation.

Funding the work

22

Trust and foundationsCharitable trusts and foundations provide an important source of income, sometimes pledging their support over a number of years. This is invaluable as it helps us to plan ahead with confidence.

‘As the tourist industry continues its rapid growth, the work of Tourism Concern to ensure that those in tourist destinations benefit too becomes more important than ever. The Margaret Hayman Charitable Trust is pleased to support the work of Tourism Concern in giving a voice to those who are all too often adversely affected by tourism.’Carolyn Hayman, the Margaret Hayman Charitable Trust

We would like to thank the following trusts and foundations for their support during the year:Big Lottery Fund Grant DFID Civil Society Challenge Fund Joffe Charitable Trust CAFOD Educational and General Charitable TrustThe Ashden Trust FCO Global Opportunities Fund Margaret Hayman Charitable Trust Commonwealth Foundation The Christensen Fund Shared Interest Foundation …and those supporters wishing to remain anonymous.

We are working hard to secure new, longer-term funding streams that will ensure the sustainability of our unique organisation.

Funding the Work 23

Above right: Just Giving continues to help raise funds for Tourism Concern

Opposite: Rosie Chik, Tourism Concern events co-ordinator at the Camden Green Fair, Regents Park.

Summarised Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31st March 2010

2010 2009INCOMING RESOURCES Unrestricted Restricted Total Total Funds Funds Funds Funds £ £ £ £

Donations 67,134 67,134 27,160Donated facilities and benefits 43,000 43,000 24,600Sale of resources 3,485 3,485 4,456Investment income 89 89 877Grants receivable 12,708 108,310 121,018 139,300Memberships 23,408 23,408 25,188Research and activities 14,606 14,606 11,207Ethical Tour Operators’ Group subscriptions 4,620 4,620 3,670

TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES 169,050 108,310 277,360 236,458

RESOURCES EXPENDED Charitable activities 116,825 117,447 234,272 198,746Costs of generating funds 2,915 2,915 10,636Governance costs 3,246 27 3,273 1,511

TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED 122,986 117,474 240,460 244,850

Net movement in resources 46,064 (9,164) 36,900 (8,392) Transfers between funds - - - - Total funds brought forward 7,171 9,445 16,616 25,008

TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD 53,235 281 53,516 16,616

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Balance Sheetas at 31st March 2010 2010 2010 2009 2009 £ £ £ £

FIXED ASSETSTotal Fixed Assets 897 1,400

CURRENT ASSETSDebtors 4,173 4,947Bank and Cash 107,739 58,267

TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS 111,912 63,214

CURRENT LIABILITIESCreditors and Accruals 8,104 18,638 Deferred Income 51,189 29,360

TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES 59,293 47,998

NET CURRENT ASSETS 52,619 15,216

TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES 53,516 16,616

FUNDSRestricted funds 281 9,445Unrestricted funds 53,235 7,171

TOTAL FUNDS 53,516 16,616

These figures are a summary of information extracted from the full financial accounts which are available on request.

Financial Review 25

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Sources of FundsWe are grateful to the following funders, without whose support and generosity our work would not be possible. We are fortunate to have developed long and valued relationships with several of them.

Big Lottery Fund GrantDFID Civil Society Challenge Fund Joffe Charitable Trust CAFODEducational and General Charitable TrustThe Ashden TrustFCO Global Opportunities FundMargaret Hayman Charitable TrustCommonwealth Foundation

In addition we would like to say a big “thank you” to all members, tour operators and other donors for their ongoing support and in particular for their generous contributions to our appeal at the end of 2009.

London Metropolitan University has continued to donate the space for our office and library.

The Guardian newspaper was kind enough to provide the space for the first showing in London of our Destination Tsunami exhibition, as well as hosting the opening night debate which many of our member and supporters attended.

How Tourism Concern’s funds are spent

Incoming resources

Resources Expended

Grants Receivable 44%

Ethical Tour Operator Group subscriptions 2%Research and

Activities 5%Resource Sales 1%

Donated Facilities & Services 16%

MembershipIncome 8%

Donations & Fundraising 24%

Cost of Charitable Activities – Unrestricted 49%

Governance Costs 1%

Costs of Generating Funds 1%

Cost of Charitable Activities – Restricted 49%

Financial Review 27

About Tourism Concern’s accountsTourism Concern has two types of income:

Unrestricted Funds – funds which can be used in accordance with our broad charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees.

Restricted Funds – funds that are raised for specific projects, or funds earmarked for spending on a specific project at the request of the donor.

Treasurer’s ReportI joined Tourism Concern as Treasurer in October 2009 during what was a very challenging time. It was most heartening to see the huge amount of support from our members, funders and the travel industry, which really demonstrated the importance with which our work is viewed. We raised over £40,000 from our appeal at the end of 2009 which enabled us to continue our campaigns and projects, albeit with a reduced staff. I have been hugely impressed with what the remaining staff and our cadre of enthusiastic volunteers have been able to achieve with limited resources.

Tourism Concern’s income was £277,000 in the year to 31 March 2010, an increase from the £236,000 received in the prior financial year. The trustees are grateful, as always, to all individuals and bodies who have supported us and who continue to do so. (More details of sources of funds are shown on page 26). We will continue to submit applications to trusts and foundations whose missions are aligned with our own.

In 2010/11 the generous support of the Joffe Charitable Trust has allowed us to develop a three year business plan and to take on an interim business director and a membership officer. The aim is to make both of these roles self-funding from 2011/12 by diversifying our sources of income and building our membership.

I should like to take this opportunity on behalf of all of the trustees to thank Peter Stone, the outgoing Treasurer, for his years of service on the Council and in particular from my perspective for all of his assistance during 2009/10.

Nicola GreenTreasurer

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Stapleton House 277-281 Holloway Road London N7 8HN

t: 020 7133 3800 f: 020 7133 3985 e: info@tourismconcern.org.uk website: www.tourismconcern.org.uk

Tourism Concern is a company limited by guarantee (England). Registered charity no. 1064020. Registered office as above. Registered No. 3260052.

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