This page was last updated March 10, 2009
Projects > Impact of Free Trade and International Treaties and Institutions (WTO, NAFTA, GATS, FTAA, etc) on Responsible Tourism
One of the tenets of ecotourism and sustainable tourism is that it is supposed to promote local ownership and stop "leakage" of tourism profits from host countries and communities. To do so necessitates that governments have the ability to protect, support, and "grow" locally-owned businesses and, at least for a period of time, limit foreign competition. However, under free trade agreements and practices, trade barriers have been systematically eliminated and foreign investment promoted. National laws in many developing countries give preference in the form of tax breaks, unrestricted repatriation of profits, and promotion to foreign investors and larger hotels. In many countries, this has meant that international hotel chains, airlines, tour operators, and car rental agencies have moved in, often absorbing or buying out local companies. Similarly, many upscale ecotourism lodges are foreign-owned.
In addition, it is widely argued that "green" certification programs must remain voluntary because, if they are mandatory they could be viewed as representing constraints on trade, under the terms of the WTO and other international agreements. There is a need to systematically analyze the impact of existing and proposed trade agreements on the tourism industry and on ecotourism, in particular, as well as on certification programs. In addition, it would be useful to select several countries that are heavily dependant on nature-based tourism and examine how their laws and regulations affect the development of their national tourism industry.
Preliminary research has begun in Latin America, which we hope to extend globally.