Influencing tourism at the grassroots level: the role of NGO Tourism Concern

The campaigning ngo Tourism Concern has grown from a minor irritant in the flesh of the service sector's largest industry to an acknowledged presence able to hit its mark. One of the younger members of an international network of organisations founded to raise awareness of the impacts of tourism on the marginalised, it looked to the development rather than the business paradigm in its emphasis on giving a voice to the people of the South. This article charts the evolution of Tourism Concern and describes the kind of work it does, highlighting specific campaigns on displacement in East Africa and Burma and on labour conditions among mountain porters. Some notable successes have been achieved and there is evidence that the public is taking the issues Tourism Concern raises into account in its holiday-taking behaviour. Nevertheless, progress is not assured (as demonstrated in East Africa) and current political-economic trends suggest that there is still a long way to go to end exploitation in tourism.