UN’s manual lists etiquette for tourists

Learn to speak a few words in the local language and make sure your purchase isn’t made with endangered plants or animals. These are some of the tips from the United Nations World Tourism Organisation’s new ‘Travel. Enjoy. Respect’ handbook. It is part of a global public awareness program that comes with a manual on how to be a responsible tourist.

The launch comes amid a tourism crisis in Europe this summer, where locals across Spain and Italy have been staging anti-tourism protests in response to unsustainable visitor numbers, and incidents of tourists behaving badly there. Visitors to Barcelona are being greeted with messages like “Tourists go home” and “Stop destroying our lives” pasted onto lamp posts and scribbled on walls.

In a bid to curb acts of hooliganism and restore civility in their streets, Italian cities like Rome, Turin, Florence and Milan have resorted to bans on everything from outdoor drinking after nightfall, food trucks and street hawkers to eating and drinking near historic fountains. “Whenever you travel, wherever you travel, remember to respect nature, respect culture, and respect your host. You can be the change you want to see in the world,” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai in a statement.

PHOTO: IMAGES BAZAAR