Responsible Tourism is about "making better places for people to live in and better places for people to visit." Responsible Tourism requires that operators, hoteliers, governments, local people and tourists take responsibility, take action to make tourism more sustainable.

This forum has been established to enable businesses, national and local governments, destinations, NGOs and individuals to share information and identify and debate best practices - its purpose is to advance Responsible Tourism.

The World Travel Market has adopted the Cape Town Declaration definition of Responsible Tourism for its World Responsible Tourism Day which encourages the industry to take responsibility for making tourism more sustainable and demonstrate their responsibility.

The Cape Town Declaration recognises that Responsible Tourism takes a variety of forms, it is characterised by travel and tourism which:

1. "minimises negative environmental, social and cultural impacts;
2. generates greater economic benefits for local people and enhances the wellbeing of host communities, by improving working conditions and access to the industry;
3. involves local people in decisions that affect their lives and life chances;
4. makes positive contributions to the conservation of natural and cultural heritage and to the maintenance of the world’s diversity;
5. provides more enjoyable experiences for tourists through more meaningful connections with local people, and a greater understanding of local cultural and environmental issues;
6. provides access for physically challenged people; and
7. is culturally sensitive and engenders  respect between tourists and hosts.”

Behaviour can be more or less responsible and what is responsible in a particular place depends upon environment and culture.

The Artyfroum provides a space where businesses and individuals can report there initiatives, share best practice and engage in discussion.
Each year the International Centre for Responsible Tourism publishes Advances in Responsible Tourism
The forum contains links to many documents hosted on websites around the world – follow the hotlinks in the forum listings.

The Kerala Declaration on Responsible Tourism in Destinations March 2008