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Save precious natural resources. Try not to waste water. Switch off lights and air-conditioning if you go out.

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Support the local trades and crafts people. Buy only locally-made souvenirs where possible. But do help safeguard nature by avoiding souvenirs made from ivory, skins or other wildlife.

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Recognise land rights. Tribal peoples' ownership of the lands they use and occupy is recognised in international law. This should be acknowledged irrespective of whether the national government applies the law or not. (Governments are amongst the principal violators of tribal rights.) When in tribal lands, tourists should behave as they would on private property. (From Survival International's code.)

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Always ask before taking photographs or video-recordings of people. Don't worry if you don't speak the language – a smile and a gesture will be understood and appreciated.

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Please don't give money or sweets to children – it only encourages begging and demeans the child. A donation to a recognised project, heath-centre or school is a more constructive way to help. (If you have a guide, ask for details.)

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Respect for local etiquette earns you respect. In many countries, loose and lightweight clothes are preferable to revealing shorts, skimpy tops or tight-fitting wear. Similarly, kissing in public is often culturally inappropriate.

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Learning something about the history and current affairs of a country helps you understand the attitudes and idiosyncrasies of its people and help prevent misunderstandings and frustrations.

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Protect the natural environment.

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Limit deforestation. Make no open fires and discourage others from doing so on your behalf. Where water is heated by scarce firewood, use as little as possible. When possible, choose accommodation that uses kerosene or fuel-efficient wood stoves.

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Remove litter. Burn or bury paper and carry out all non-degradable litter. Graffiti is a permanent form of environmental pollution.

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Keep local water clean Avoid using pollutants such as detergents in streams or springs. If no toilet facilities are available, make sure you are at least 30 meters away from water sources, and bury or cover wastes.

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Plants should be left to flourish in their natural environment. Taking cuttings, seeds and roots is illegal in many parts of the Himalayas.

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Help your guides and porters to follow conservation measures.

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As a guest, respect local traditions and cultures, and maintain local pride.

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When taking photographs, respect privacy. Ask permission and use restraint.

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Respect holy places. Preserve what you have come to see. Never touch or remove religious objects. Shoes should be removed when visiting temples.

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Giving to children encourages begging. A donation to a project, health centre or school is a more constructive way to help.

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You will be accepted and welcomed if you follow local customs. Use only your right hand for eating and greeting. Do not share cutlery and cups, etc. It is polite to use both hands when giving or receiving gifts.

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Respect local etiquette. Loose, light-weight clothes are preferable to revealing shorts, skimpy tops and tight-fitting "action-wear". Hand-holding or kissing in public are disliked by local people.

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Observe standard food and bed charges but do not condone overcharging.

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Remember, when you're shopping, that the bargains you buy may only be possible because of low income to others.

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Visitors who value local traditions encourage local pride and maintain local cultures. Please help local people gain a realistic view of life in western countries.

Do...

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Recognise land rights: tribal people's ownership of the lands they use and occupy is recognised in international law. This should be acknowledged irrespective of whether the national government applies the law or not (governments are amongst the principal violators of tribes' rights). When in tribal lands, tourists should behave as they would on private property.

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Pay properly: tribespeople should be properly recompensed for their services and the use of their territory. Payment should be agreed in advance with their legitimate representatives. (Bribery should never be used.) Where profits arise from using tribal areas, this should be properly explained to the tribes, who may want a share. Anyone who is not able to accept tribal peoples' own terms for payment should not be there.

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Be respectful: tourist companies should insist their staff and clients behave respectfully towards tribal peoples. (In practice, many tourists who visit tribal areas simply have their false stereotypes reinforced.)

Don't...

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Bring in disease: Care must be taken in areas where tribal peoples' immunity to outside diseases may be poor. Some contagious diseases (colds, influenza, etc) which affect tourists only mildly can kill tribes people. Please also remember that AIDS kills.

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Demean, degrade, insult or patronise: All tourism and advertising which treats tribal people in an insulting, degrading or patronising manner (for example, references to 'stone-age cultures' ' untouched by time' etc) should be opposed. They are demeaning and wrong.

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Travel in a spirit of humility and with a genuine desire to learn more about the people of you host country. Be sensitively aware of the feelings of other people, thus preventing what might be offensive behaviour on you part. This applies very much to photography.

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Cultivate the habit of listening and observing, rather than merely hearing and seeing.

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Realise that often the people in the country you visit have time concepts and thought patterns different from your own. This does not make them inferior, only different.

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Instead of looking for the "beach paradise", discover the enrichment of seeing a different way of life, through other eyes.

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Acquaint yourself with local customs. What is courteous in one country may be quite the reverse in another – people will be happy to help you.

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Instead of the Western practice of "knowing all the answers", cultivate the habit of asking questions.

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Remember that you are only one of thousands of tourists visiting this country and do not expect special privileges.

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If you really want your experience to be a "home away from home", it is foolish to waste money on travelling.

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When you are shopping, remember that the "bargain" you obtained was possible only because of the low wages paid to the maker.

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Do not make promises to people in your host country unless you can carry them through.

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Spend time reflecting on your daily experience in an attempt to deepen your understanding. It has been said that "what enriches you may rob and violate others".

We, the responsible host population...

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Tourism should supplement our economy. It also represents a danger to our culture and environment. We therefore want to control its development.

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We encourage community participation in decision-making.

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We will cease development if it leads to an intolerable burden for our population and environment. We want to avoid the pitfall of economic imperatives.

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We limit tourism development targets to what is desirable, not what is feasible.

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We want to keep control over our land. We pursue an active planning and land-use policy. We decline to sell land to non-locals. We limit new construction by zoning policies and the use of existing buildings and infrastructure.

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We want to protect nature with careful land management, nature reserves for valuable eco-systems and the participation of environmentalists in planning and construction.

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We will avoid overdependence on tourism by strengthening agriculture and small-scale trade.

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We will try to improve the quality of jobs in tourism.

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We want our local culture to remain alive.

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We shall useÊ tourism marketing to promote socially and environmentally responsible behaviour.

I, the tourist...

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I look forward to my holidays, but I (and others) will get more out of them if I do not use them thoughtlessly.

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It is tempting to do things I would never do at home: I shall avoid this danger. I want to enjoy myself without offending or harming others.

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I am a tourist like any other. I accept this and shall not try to stand apart from other tourists.

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I want to learn more about the country and it's people. I shall adjust to my hosts instead of demanding the opposite.

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I shall try to learn from new experiences.

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Leisure for tourists means work for our hosts. I shall not exploit this situation.

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I accept some responsibility for the environment in which I travel. I shall be content with what is offered and shall not continually demand more comfort. I shall use environmentally-friendly transport and walk wherever I can.

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I will take my time and observe, meet other people, etc.

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I choose travel offers which produce the greatest benefit for the host population. Bargaining for lower prices may mean exploitation.

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I occasionally choose to stay at home. There is much to be discovered in my neighbourhood. Travel should not become routine.

We, the travel business...

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We shall promote tourism which is economically productive, socially responsible and environmentally friendly.

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We shall encourage interested, considerate and environmentally-conscious travel among our clients.

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We shall bear in mind the rights of the local population, and respect local laws and customs.

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We shall collaborate with the host population.

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We shall continuously train our staff.

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Our advertising must be honest and responsible. We shall avoid erotic enticements.

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Our guides have a responsibility to promote tourism with insight and understanding to our clients.

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We shall not organise trip to ethnic groups who live apart from our western civilisation.

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The activities of our business partners must meet the same high environmental and social standards.

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In our professional associations, we will formulate principles encompassing the ethics of tourism.

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