Responsible Tourism and Global Awareness

Generations Touring Companysm practices responsible tourism through the ethic of global awareness. Tour companies have an obligation to exercise sensitivity when traveling. The best practice of this concept benefits both host community and traveler, as it respects the environment, values different cultures and supports local economies.

We implement our philosophy of global awareness through careful tour planning and through education with our Generations Touring Companysm field guides. GTC believes every destination is a combination of systems—social, economic, political and environmental — all of which have a specific role in shaping the past, present and future. Our tours are designed to develop an understanding of these concepts through personal experience. GTC offers the traveler the opportunity to know and appreciate a country through the eyes of its local people, thereby building awareness through respect, knowledge and understanding.

GTC recognizes, however, that its first priority is to ensure the well-being of our guests and the unique needs they present as intergenerational travelers.  Peace of mind is essential! We also recognize that wherever possible we will measure our efforts against these four guiding principles:

l	Be Culturally Sensitive – Be Culturally Sensitive—Travel to meet, interact to learn, and experience to understand. We encourage our travelers to be aware of feelings, values, customs and beliefs of the people in our host destination. Sensitivity to others helps our travelers interact appropriately in a new social setting with unfamiliar customs, traditions, religions, dress codes, photographic restrictions, etc.
l	Understand Cultures in Their Own Context – Understand Cultures in their Own Context—Our destinations introduce the unique and must-see that can only be experienced first hand. Interaction with the local people conveys a sincere desire to learn and will honor your host community. Realize that people often have different values and thoughts than yours, not inferior, just different.
l	Be Environmentally Friendly – Be Environmentally Friendly—Tourism can promote national and international understanding as well as economic development. However, it can also destroy cultures and environments. Our tours make every practicable attempt to use energy, water and other resources efficiently, lessening the impact on the environment.
l	Be Economically Supportive – Be Economically Supportive—Spend your money to support the community and economy of the place you visit. We believe you should reciprocate the hospitality of new friends by using local services, staying in locally owned accommodations and buying local products.

This statement is based on similar statements from the personal contributions of David Mozer, Chris Mackay and others whose organizations make every effort to "Walk Their Talk" and the Evergreen School in Shoreline, WA.


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Call your travel professional, or GTC at 1-888-415-9100