The fight against the hiv-aids epidemic within the framework of a “responsible tourism” strategy

Ernest Cañada

The fight against the HIV-AIDS epidemic progressively faces new challenges and, at the same time, new intervention paradigms.

The fight against the HIV-AIDS epidemic progressively faces new challenges and, at the same time, new intervention paradigms. One of the risk factors which in recent times has been emphasised most in scientific literature for its importance is that of population mobility, whether it be for questions of work or leisure, and albeit of a fleeting, temporary or permanent nature. As a risk factor, population mobility concerns the people displaced, or who move, as much as the populations that receive them. We are referring to migrations as much as to tourism. In that respect, the Nimehuatzin Foundation in Nicaragua has insisted that when reference is made to the mobile populations one cannot limit their identification to the lorry drivers or the sexual workers with whom they have relations, as is very often done, considering that this would be no more than an extension of the limited concept of risk groups, classically to be found in the epidemiology of STD. Quite the contrary, it is argued that mobility affects the whole of the population related one way or another to the aforementioned phenomenon.

From this perspective tourism appears as a key field in the work of prevention and in the empowerment of the population in facing the HIV-AIDS epidemic. Traditionally the relationship between tourism and HIV-AIDS has been considered from the point of view of the risks to be supposed by “sexual tourism”, as much for the tourists themselves as for the hosting populations. Despite the importance of this emphasis, the relation between tourism and HIV-AIDS is not only not exhausted there, but it is also becoming more and more urgent to approach it in a global way and in relation to the whole of the population that, permanently or temporarily, occupies a specific touristic territory. Concentrating only on the risks of “sexual tourism” could end up being stigmatising, with the touristic activity being associated with specific destinations and, at the same time, hiding other risk situations. In this way, we understand that it is necessary to pay particular attention to the work of prevention, as much as regards those relationships which stem from inequality, as is the case of “sexual tourism”, as those in which the risk factor is not necessarily associated with this factor of inequality.
In the case of “sexual tourism” the risk seems to be clear. In these types of situations it is easy for certain tourists to consider commercial sexual relations from a position of domination, thus imposing risk practices, like sexual penetration without the use of condoms. The poverty situation of many countries in the south, make the strategies of economic development based on tourism place their populations in a situation of great vulnerability in facing the HIV-AIDS epidemic.

On the other hand however, the relation between tourism and sexuality is not only, nor necessarily, considered from within these parameters. Tourism is also associated with the idea of leisure and entertainment and, therefore, with the possibility of having access to sporadic sexual contact amongst equals, without considering a relationship of inequality. The risk lies in the fact that in these encounters, outwith the customary context of the tourist, safe sex practices are not upheld and the person, as a result of the novel and exceptional circumstances, relaxes his/her preventive measures.

In this way, in ACASC and from within the framework of the work developed in the Red por un Turismo Responsable (Network for Responsible Tourism), we consider the necessity for the intervention, in facing HIV-AIDS in contexts associated with tourism, being designed upon the strategy given in the “responsible tourism” proposal.

We will go on to explain why this “responsible tourism” proposal has been born and what it entails, after which we will return to the question of the fight against the HIV-AIDS epidemic.

The development of tourism in southern countries

In the last few years many countries in the south have proposed specialisation in sectors such as the assembly plant industry or the tourist industry as a means of development and of economic growth. This specialisation, in spite of attracting investment and of generating work, also brings risks with it; fundamentally, vulnerability to the outside world. The experience of the different cycles of specialisation in single crop farming for export (cotton, coffee etc.) makes this evident. On the other hand, the presence of the tourist industry in many countries in the south has brought with it many negative effects from multiple points of view: environmental (the destruction of natural areas, pressure regarding the use of water…), social (the making precarious of working conditions, difficulties for union action, pressure regarding access to land belonging to peasants…), as regards gender (“sexual tourism”, inequality in the distribution of the work load to be supposed by the touristic activity…), cultural (the loss of cultural identity, “folklorisation” and the commercialisation of the distinctive cultural features…).

Sustainable tourism in a context of social conflict

In recent years, in facing one of the most pernicious effects of traditional touristic development, other ways of conceiving the said activity have appeared. The World Tourism Organisation (WTO) has started to talk of SUSTAINABLE TOURISM, stemming from the definition of sustainable development in the Brundtland Report. Thus it is asserted that: “the development of Sustainable Tourism responds to the necessities of the tourists and to the present hosting regions, while at the same time protecting the opportunities of the future. It focuses on the management of all the resources in order to satisfy all the economic, social and aesthetic needs, while on a parallel level respecting the cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity and life support systems.”

Sustainable Tourism makes no reference to any specific type of tourism. There is no Sustainable Tourism model that is universally applicable, in that the impact of the tourism varies according to the characteristics of the hosting society and of its context. Instead, it seems apparent that there are touristic models which are always unsustainable, no matter what the social, economic and environmental characteristics of the destination area are: mass tourism, “sexual tourism” etc.

The problem, however, does not just consist in considering that tourism could be a development motor into which should be incorporated certain corrective mechanisms for facing the risks that it brings. We are talking about a question that comes prior to this: tourism, just like any sector which generates benefits, is also a space of social conflicts between sectors and social groups with different and conflicting interests. Thus, when we analyse the role that tourism could have as a development factor in countries in the south, we will have to bear in mind, very specifically, the characteristics that the said activity has, who it benefits, who it controls and what its role is in relation to other productive activities.

Responsible Tourism as a movement in favour of Sustainable Tourism

In facing this situation, the Red para un Turismo Responsable (Network for Responsible Tourism), a platform driven by the non-governmental organisations ACASC, SODEPAU and the Xarxa de Consum Solidari (Network of Consumer Solidarity), is starting to talk about RESPONSIBLE TOURISM as a movement, as a collective action in favour of Sustainable Tourism. Stemming from the recognition of all that is being done, especially in countries like Germany, Italy or India and, in an incipient way, in Catalonia and other parts of Spain, the Red para un Turismo Responsable (Network for Responsible Tourism) defines Responsible Tourism as a movement that proposes:

a) The search for sustainable and specific touristic development models for
each destination area and which should, to this end, bear in mind their
social, economic and environmental variables.

As has already been explained, there is no sustainable tourism model that can be implemented universally. Apart from the intrinsic characteristics of the model, its sustainability also depends on two other factors: the socio-economic, political, environmental and cultural characteristics of the hosting community as well as the context in which it is carried out. Evidence of this idea is that replicas of experiences carried out in areas that are different from the original have clearly failed.

For this reason, the sustainable development of tourism cannot be based on the application of pre-fabricated models, but rather supposes a process of analysis prior to the establishment of a concrete model.

This model should establish itself based on some indicators that mark out what the capacity for touristic load is of the place of destination. The “capacity for touristic load” is defined as the maximum level of use that can be made of the social, cultural, economic and natural resources on the part of the touristic activity without putting its sustainability in danger. It is also a concept which should bear in mind certain subjective factors: in spite of the indicators materially establishing the sustainability of the activity, the perception of the hosting population might be quite contrary to this.

Finally, we would have to point out that the touristic development has its own technical instruments, just like other sectors of social incidence such as agriculture and fishing, health or education development. Knowledge of this field is necessary in order to be able to work in it. The limited work done by the Spanish NGOs as regards touristic development, on occasions, hands the task over to the co-ordination of specialists in other fields, who do not know the instruments and idiosyncrasies of the touristic phenomenon.

b) The reporting of the negative effects that tourism generates and solidarity
action with the affected collective groups

Although there are no sustainable touristic models per se, there are models that, no matter what the context and the characteristics of the place and the hosting population, are always unsustainable. The international tourism which has as an objective the establishing of sexual relations with minors, which "destructures" societies, families and the process of logical growth of the personality, or mass tourism or luxury tourism which presupposes the overuse of natural resources or the diversion of their traditional use, are well-known examples of touristic models which are always unsustainable.

At the same time, others which are labelled “alternative” are also unsustainable: “ethnic” types of tourism developed in areas outwith the classic touristic routes where the indigenous population does not participate in the management of the resource, only receives a tiny proportion of the benefits and has a passive role, as just one more element of the landscape; sporting and adventure tourism which make unsustainable use of the natural resources; etc. Likewise, unsustainable tourism is that which does not respect the workers‘ rights or which does not offer them dignified working conditions.

Responsible Tourism also presupposes the reporting of these touristic models and support for the people, social organisations and/or institutions of the destination places that fight against them.

c) The acceptance of responsibility of the tourists, tour-operators and
companies, institutions and hosting population when it comes to favouring
sustainable touristic models

The third field of work for Responsible Tourism is that of the sensitisation of all the agents who participate in the touristic activity. The tourists should know that they are not innocuous agents, but that their presence makes an impact on the societies and destinations and that, therefore, their attitude is important for the sustainability or not of the activity developed. As consumers, moreover, they have the ability to exert an influence on the touristic offers available on the market.

Likewise, the tour-operators and touristic companies, as well as the public institutions, establish or participate directly in the establishment of touristic models, sufficient reason for which their responsibility is essential. As well as accepting the responsibility, it is also necessary, in these areas, to generate a culture that does not only value the resources (natural, human and technical) for their short term exploitation.

Finally, the hosting population has a very important role in the touristic activity when it comes down to reclaiming the right to their own participation in the management of an activity that uses their own resources. What is equally important is the sensitisation against the expectations that tourism, as an activity that generates benefits without valuing its repercussions, and which facilitates the speculative processes of local resources, very often generates.

Actions in favour of Responsible Tourism from the NGOD

Traditionally, the Spanish NGOD, unlike other countries, have not paid excessive attention to the phenomenon of touristic development. It hasn’t been until recent years that, in an incipient way and through different means, they have begun to work on it. Some have initiated co-operation projects. Others have been obliged to reflect on the phenomenon, at the request of the local communities with whom they work in countries in the south, who saw how tourism had an increasing influence on their daily life. There have been cases in which the collaboration with other European NGOD has opened up workspaces in the incidence on the tourist sector. A separate case is that of solidarity trips or stays. In spite of the volume and implementation in the sector, there are very few NGOD that have reflected on the relation between this type of activity and tourism.

Nonetheless, the NGOD cannot remain on the sidelines of the touristic phenomenon or only intervene on an isolated and occasional basis. On the contrary, we have a specific space for social action in the shaping of a movement that favours Responsible Tourism. This work could, amongst others, be articulated around the following topics:

- To support, through co-operation projects, tourism experiences in southern countries which are managed and controlled by the local population, especially the rural population, as a means of diversification and complementarity of their income, and not in a substitutive way.


- To support study and evaluation initiatives on the impact of the touristic activities.


- To generate and systematise theoretical and technical instruments of analysis, management and execution of co-operation interventions in the touristic field.


- The carrying out of trips on a small scale, which presuppose a contribution to touristic activity initiatives, managed by collective groups or local groups pertaining to the most disadvantaged sectors.



In relation to the reporting of the negative impact that tourism generates and solidarity action with collective groups affected:

- Incrementing the control of touristic investments with Catalan and Spanish capital in southern countries such that they are carried out in accordance with the criteria of sustainability on a global level (from environmental, socio-work points of view etc)


- Supporting the lobbying initiatives carried out by civil society before unsustainable practices and undertaking information campaigns, reporting and solidarity campaigns in facing unsustainable tourism situations like, for example, situations of “sexual tourism” or of the infringement of working rights.


In relation to the acceptance of responsibility of the different sectors present in the touristic activity:

- Sensitising the tourists as much as the different sectors implicated in the touristic activity in the criteria of sustainability and responsibility.


- Taking advantage of the trips organised by the NGOD themselves as spaces for tourist sensitisation.


- Supporting debate and communication initiatives between the touristic sector, administration and NGOD.


The fight against HIV-AIDS in a touristic context

The “responsible tourism” proposal offers organisations centring our attention on the fight against HIV-AIDS, a global action strategy in this field. Our commitment cannot be limited to the reporting of “sexual tourism”, no matter how important it is and that it must be continued, but should rather intervene in the touristic activity as a whole, because it is through its global nature that the epidemic prevention work makes greater sense. And in this sense it is also important to help construct touristic development alternatives of a sustainable nature, from different points of view, for impoverished countries within the framework of global development strategies.



Managua-Barcelona, August 2004

* Ernest Cañada is the Co-ordinator of the International Co-operation Area of the Associació Ciudadana Anti-Sida de Catalunya (ACASC - The Catalonian Anti-AIDS Citizens’ Association). Since the beginning of the year 2003 ACASC has formed part of the Red por un Turismo Responsable (Network for Responsible Tourism) together with SODEPAU and the Red de Consumo Solidario (Network of Consumer Solidarity). One can consult the webpage of the Network for Responsible Tourism at: www.turismo-responsable.org.

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