Ethical and Sustainability Code for I-DEST Travellers

As a responsible traveller, it’s worth learning about the basic characteristics of your destination before you set off: local customs, transport options, conservation rules, cultural sensitivities, opening hours, seasonal restrictions, and safety information.

Choose services that communicate transparently about their sustainability, accessibility, and community commitments. On the I-DEST platform, sustainability labels, SDG links, accessibility information, and service provider details help you make decisions based not only on price or attractions but also on values.

A destination is not a stage set but a home for its people. While travelling, ensure your presence does not disrupt the daily lives of locals. Respect private properties, religious and cultural sites, cemeteries, residential areas, markets, traditional events, and local celebrations.

Before taking photos or videos, ask for permission if people, private homes, religious ceremonies, children, or sensitive community situations are involved. Don’t treat local residents as tourist attractions. Respectful curiosity is valuable; intrusive behaviour is not.

One of the simplest forms of sustainable tourism is ensuring that as much of your spending as possible stays local. Choose locally-owned accommodations, restaurants, producers, artisans, guided tours, and cultural programmes. Try dishes made from local ingredients, buy genuine local products, and avoid mass-produced, originless souvenirs.

A fair price is not just a consumer issue but an ethical one too. Avoid unfair bargaining with small businesses, artisans, or local producers. Quality, local, and sustainable services have real value.

A significant part of tourism’s environmental impact comes from travel itself. When possible, choose trains, buses, bicycles, walking, public transport, or shared mobility solutions. For shorter distances, don’t automatically opt for a car. For city tours, nature walks, and lakeside relaxation, walking, cycling, or public transport often provide the best experience.

If you arrive by car, park responsibly, avoid entering protected, restricted, or pedestrian zones, and don’t occupy more space than necessary. Even when using an electric car, remember that traffic congestion, parking pressure, and overcrowding are not just emission issues.

At accommodations, baths, campsites, restaurants, or activity venues, use resources sparingly. Turn off lights, turn off taps, avoid unnecessary towel or linen changes, and steer clear of single-use packaging.

Water is a particularly sensitive resource. At thermal baths, natural lakes, riversides, and waterfront destinations, preserving water quality is a shared responsibility. Avoid using pollutants in water, don’t wash with soap or shampoo in natural waters, and follow bathing, fishing, boating, and conservation rules.

Bring a reusable water bottle, refillable container, your own bag, box, or cutlery if practical. Avoid single-use plastics, unnecessary printouts, and over-packaged products. Separate waste where possible.

Whether in nature, cities, bathing areas, lakesides, ski slopes, or cultural sites, the same principle applies: take away what you brought. Don’t leave behind litter, cigarette butts, food scraps, tissues, animal waste, or any other trace.

When visiting cities, remember that historic districts, monuments, churches, museums, cemeteries, castles, palaces, and public spaces are not unlimitedly resilient. Stick to visitor routes, don’t climb on monuments, don’t touch prohibited objects, don’t vandalise, don’t graffiti, and don’t take anything as a souvenir.

Cities are not just daytime attractions. They have residents at night too. Avoid making noise, littering in public spaces, irresponsible alcohol consumption, causing disturbances outside residential buildings, and any behaviour that diminishes the quality of life for locals. A good city visitor not only enjoys but also respects the city.

In ecotourism sites, national parks, nature trails, forests, wetlands, caves, geoparks, and protected natural areas, always use designated paths. Don’t stray off trails, trample vegetation, collect protected plants, rocks, minerals, animals, or eggs, and don’t disturb nesting, resting, or feeding animals.

Silence is also valuable in nature. Don’t make noise, use drones without permission, feed wildlife, or try to get too close for a photo. Responsible wildlife encounters are based on maintaining distance.

At natural lakes, rivers, oxbows, and reservoirs, follow bathing, boating, fishing, conservation, and shoreline rules. Don’t enter reed beds, bird nesting areas, or restricted shorelines. Avoid using motorised or noisy equipment where it disturbs wildlife or other visitors.

Sunscreen, cosmetics, chemicals, food scraps, and waste should not end up in the water. A lake is not a swimming pool but a living ecosystem. The lakeside experience will last longer if visitors don’t overburden the shore, water, and habitats.

In thermal baths, spas, wellness facilities, and beaches, follow the house rules, hygiene guidelines, and pool usage regulations. Shower before using pools, don’t bring food or drinks into prohibited areas, and respect the peace of other guests.

Thermal water, spa water, and pool water require significant energy, water, and professional oversight. Don’t waste water, damage facilities, pollute pools, and report accidents, pollution, or dangerous situations to staff.

On ski slopes, mountain resorts, hiking trails, and alpine environments, stick to designated routes, avalanche and weather warnings, and slope rules. Don’t ski or snowboard in closed areas, don’t endanger others’ safety, and always choose routes suitable for your skill level.

Mountain tourism is particularly sensitive to climate change, water use, energy demand, and habitat pressure. Prioritise ski areas accessible by public transport, local service providers, energy-efficient accommodations, and programmes that don’t unnecessarily increase environmental impact.

Don’t participate in programmes where animals are forced into unnatural behaviour, kept in poor conditions, brought excessively close to visitors, or used solely for photo opportunities. Don’t pet, feed, chase wildlife, or buy products made from protected species.

A responsible animal experience prioritises the animal’s welfare, natural behaviour, habitat protection, and visitor education. If in doubt, choose conservation, observation, or guided programmes instead.

Sustainable tourism is also a social issue. Be mindful of children, the elderly, people with disabilities, families with young children, visitors with assistance dogs, those from different cultural backgrounds, and anyone with different needs.

Don’t occupy accessible parking spaces, ramps, lifts, or priority seats without entitlement. Don’t obstruct movement with photography, luggage, or group stops. Accessibility is not a luxury but a basic condition for participation.

I-DEST’s maps, filters, sustainability labels, routes, audio guides, surveys, and interactive features help you make more informed decisions. Use them to gather information, but remember: digital information does not replace on-site rules, staff instructions, or common sense.

Don’t share content that humiliates, endangers, misleads, or disrespects local communities. Avoid encouraging overcrowding at sensitive, small-capacity, or environmentally vulnerable locations.

Popular destinations often suffer not because a visitor intends harm but because too many arrive at once. If possible, visit during less crowded times, choose alternative routes, smaller towns, lesser-known attractions, or off-season programmes.

Sustainable travel doesn’t necessarily mean choosing fewer experiences. Often, it means travelling at a better pace, to better places, and with greater care.

Feedback from responsible visitors is valuable. If you see good practices, appreciate and recommend them to others. If you encounter problems, report them respectfully to the service provider or destination manager. Sustainability is a continuous learning process, and guest feedback can help improve it.

Avoid unnecessarily harsh public reviews, but don’t withhold genuine concerns either. Accurate, objective, and respectful feedback improves services, guest experiences, and local community interests.

Never support services, programmes, or situations that exploit children, young people, women, the elderly, people with disabilities, minorities, workers, or any vulnerable groups. Don’t take or share photos of children without permission, especially in sensitive or poverty-related situations.

If you notice signs of exploitation, harassment, human trafficking, child endangerment, or serious abuse, report it to the appropriate authorities, service provider, or official destination contact.

Don’t buy illegal, counterfeit, or items made from protected species, archaeological finds, cultural heritage objects, or dubious materials. Don’t take home rocks, plants, animal remains, archaeological artefacts, or any souvenirs that diminish the natural or cultural value of the place.

A souvenir is sustainable when it doesn’t harm the place it comes from.

Sustainable tourism isn’t just about reducing harm. It’s also an opportunity for visitors to make a positive impact. You can join local initiatives, donate to credible conservation or community programmes, participate in litter picking, support local producers, or choose to visit less-known but valuable places.

A good traveller is not just a consumer but a partner too.

As a member of the I-DEST community, I pledge that during my travels:

• I will show respect towards local communities;
• I will protect natural and cultural heritage;
• I will prioritise local, responsible, and sustainable service providers;
• I will reduce my waste, water, and energy usage;
• I will be considerate of the dignity of other visitors, locals, and vulnerable groups;
• I will follow on-site rules, especially in protected, cultural, waterfront, spa, and mountain areas;
• I will leave no damage, waste, or disrespect behind;
• and I will strive to leave a positive impact with my presence.

Travel is an experience. Responsible travel is a value. Sustainable travel is part of our shared future.