Can tourism ‘pledges’ keep visitors on their best behavior?

Drink tap water. Stay on marked paths. Respect locals. Don’t feed the wildlife.

These are just a sample of the pledges that global destinations from Aspen to New Zealand are seeking from visitors, all in the name of easing the burden of mass tourism. Although the promises largely come without any enforcement tool, some experts believe they are valuable for setting expectations for travelers and spelling out the moral burden of tourism.

“I think there is, without a doubt, a strong and valuable education element,” says Gregory Miller, executive director of the Center for Responsible Travel. “Related to that is just a general awareness of the tremendous natural, cultural, historical values of a particular destination.”

Another element, he says, is “an important commitment – and that’s one of making choices and showing good behavior.”

Iceland – which has become a case study for the rapid rise of mass tourism – introduced the Icelandic Pledge in mid-2017, urging tourists to be responsible by heeding several rules. They include not venturing off roads, using designated campsites if staying outdoors, parking in approved areas and practicing safe selfies.

“I will take photos to die for, without dying for them,” one line says. Another gets down to business: “When nature calls, I won’t answer the call on nature.”

Sigridur Dogg Gudmundsdottir, public relations manager for Visit Iceland, says nearly 70,000 people have signed so far. They can do so online or at the airport, where they can press a button at a display and see the number of pledges increase in front of them.

“We’re trying to speak to the honor code in tourists that are coming to Iceland, and we don’t want to forbid too much,” she says. “We’d much rather send the message in a benign way and ask people to join us in this venture to be responsible and preserve the beautiful nature of Iceland.”

Other destinations followed, including Bend, Oregon; Big Sur, California; the island of Hawaii with its

Pono Pledge; and New Zealand with its Tiaki Promise. Finland introduced its Sustainable Finland Pledge last month. Aspen, Colorado, launched its own pledge last year, and the Aspen Chamber Resort Association has tied it in to a campaign to “tag responsibly” by not using geotags on Instagram photos of sites that are at risk of becoming trampled by tourists.

Many of the pledges include common themes: treat the destination respectfully, don’t leave trash behind, stay on marked paths and sleep at official campsites. Safety over social media is another constant. (“I won’t risk life or limb [human or sapling] for more likes,” reads Bend’s pledge.)

And some are extremely specific to their destinations. Hawaii’s Pono Pledge notes: “Molten lava will mesmerize me, but I will not disrupt its flow.”

Palau, a Pacific Ocean archipelago, says it is the first country to change its immigration laws to require all visitors to sign a promise in their actual passports – addressed to the nation’s children – when they enter the country. More than 239,000 people have signed on since the Palau Pledge was im

plemented in late 2017.

“The Pledge was deemed necessary after careless behavior from visitors started to erode Palau’s pristine environment and have a negative impact on its culture,” the initiative’s website says. It notes that the government passed policies that subject visitors who break the pledge’s conditions to fines up to $1 million. No other pledges appear to carry a threat of a fine, though some warn against behavior that is against the law. The Icelandic Pledge, for example, includes this promise: “I will follow the road into the unknown, but never venture off the road.” Gud

mundsdottir said people can get fined for driving off the road, but that’s not connected to the pledge.

“That’s just the law of the country,” she says.

Likewise, in Finland, littering can result in a fine or up to two years in prison, according to Liisa Kokkarinen, the project manager at Visit Finland responsible for Sustainable Travel Finland. And people might face fines or other legal ramifications for unknowingly violating Finland’s “everyman’s rights” by fishing without a permit, leaving marked paths or taking natural resources from protected areas.