Declaration of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) and the World Federation ofFriends of Museums (WFFM) for worldwide Sustainable Cultural Tourism. (December2007)
ICOM and WFFM have made it their self-imposed ethical mission to ensure that tourism interacts respectfully
with cultures around the world, and that attitudes and approaches take into consideration not only tangible
andintangibleheritage,
but
theculturalpresentaswell.
Knowledge of tourist destinations, of their surrounding cultures, their natural -historic heritage and their areasof special scientific importance and beauty should increase understanding amongst the local population thus
strengthening their self-confidence and cultural identity
Sustainable Cultural Tourism affects many groups, such as tourists, local population, museums, archaeologicalsites, landscapes, tourism agents and authorities.
Therefore, it is necessary to raise awareness on this matter among all groups and advise them on goodmanaging practices. Sustainable Cultural Tourism does not affect only tourists visiting foreign countries as it ishinted on the document "The responsible tourist and traveller". There is also a great number of domestictourists (scholars, associations....) that affect museums and monuments in the same way.
In order to achieve these aims, museums need to address tourists more directly than they have done to date. A
museum’s educational content should contribute to history, culture and the environment by promoting
increased knowledge, changes in attitudes and greater tolerance. Ultimately, this leads to respect for otherways of life, religions, views and social conditions, while also making tourism more environmentally friendly.
ICOM and WFFM believe that tourists who are more knowledgeable and skilful in dealing with cultures andnatural reserves contribute to sustainable, positive development as well as to protecting landscapes andsocieties. It is thus important to impart such knowledge and skills to tourists. This is particularly true since,
frequently, as tourists, they behave in ways that compensate for their daily lives, thereby reflecting societal andeducational models that do not necessarily meet the expectations or views held by those who live in the places
they are visiting.
Consequently, ICOM and WFFM encourage travellers – as well as the native populations of tourist destinations– to learn about how mass tourism can lead to a “touristification” of land and societies that frequently reflects
the tourists’ desires (holiday culture) and affects the destination’s service culture as well as its local culture ingeneral. Travellers should be aware of the impact of tourism in economic terms; however, they also need tounderstand how certain tourist expectations and attitudes can threaten land and nature management, inaddition to potentially causing changes in the behaviour of the populations visited.
“Enjoy, not destroy” should be the ultimate aim of all those involved in tourism.
ICOM and WFFM deem that changes in attitudes and greater understanding lead to new, holistic ways ofpreserving ecosystems in tourist destinations, and contribute to protecting the cultural uniqueness of thevisited communities as a whole (and not just of that segment of the population directly involved in tourism).
ICOM and WFFM firmly believe that museums and friends of museums can make a significant educational,
cultural and political contribution to the sustainable development of tourism, thereby also helping to advance
UNESCO’s goals for 2005-2014, the “Decade of Education for Sustainable Development”.

1ICOM and WFFM consider the “Proposal for a Charter of Principles for Museums and Cultural Tourism”,
formulated by ICOM during a conference in Bolivia and Peru in 2000, a shared framework for future efforts onbehalf of Sustainable Cultural Tourism. Some paragraphs should be taken into special consideration:
Introduction" Cultural heritage cannot become a consumer product nor can its relationship with the visitor be superficial. If
the tourist is able to identify with the heritage, he can appreciate its value and the importance of preserving it
and therefore become an ally of the museums. "Principle nº 3
" In regards to cultural tourism, museums should encourage the active participation of the local communities in
the planning of both heritage management and the operations of tourist venues""Museums should encourage the communities to manage their cultural heritage, for which they should
encourage suitable training."
Principle nº 4
" It is important to plan tours using temporary programmes which are restricted to satisfy both the leisureperiods of the local inhabitants and offer alternatives for foreign tourist.
Museums and cultural tourism should encourage the interaction between visitors in a framework of respect
towards the values and the hospitality that are offered."
ICOM and WFFM also recognise the documents drafted by the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) in 1999(“Code of Ethics for Tourism”, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2001) in which it is stated “thatTourism policies and activities should be conducted with respect for the artistic, archaeological and cultural
heritage, which they should protect and pass on to future generations; particular care should be devoted topreserving and upgrading monuments, shrines and museums as well….” and in 2005 (“The Responsible Touristand Traveller”).
Both organizations firmly believe as does the “International Cultural Tourism Charter” of the International
Councilon
Monuments
andSites(ICOMOS),that“conservation and Tourism Planning for Heritage Places should ensure that the Visitor Experience will beworthwhile, satisfying and enjoyable”
UNESCO, ICOMOS, the World Tourism Organisation have all crafted tourism charters. These documents areimportant but appear more or less almost exclusively to focus on the host country and its institutions,highlighting what needs to be done and taking a defensive stand to protect historical and cultural assets.
But who addresses the tourists themselves? Who tries to make them part of the process? Too often the codesand strategies appear as a series of top-down statements – and treat the tourist visitor as a passive agent –indeed they make no attempt to engage the visitor. That is not to say that there are no codes of conduct forvisitors.
As the third largest economic factor in the world, tourism, both domestic and international, has a global reach.
Museums, which exist worldwide, affect people both in the regions where tourism originates as well as in its
destinations. This gives museums a strong chance of succeeding in their educational efforts to replace rigid
ideas about culture and land use with a dynamic notion of culture and environmentally sustainable naturemanagement.
Museums should be integrated increasingly into concepts of tourism, to ensure that they have a measure ofinfluence over economic and governmental decision-makers in planning processes, and to allow them to reachtourists more directly.
ICOM and WFFM are committed to raising the awareness of museums and of friends of museums around theworld on the topic of Sustainable Cultural Tourism through the associations’ global activities, including anInternational Museum Day.

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