By Alien Spiller, Head of Tourism Watch
For Tourism Watch at Brot für die Welt, the responsibility of companies and travellers regarding social sustainability and the protection of human rights is at the centre of sustainable development. However, the tourism sector continues to focus predominantly on ecological sustainability. It is far easier to communicate how many tonnes of CO2 or waste have been saved through travel products. Social aspects, by contrast, are more difficult to measure and integrate into indicator systems.
Protecting our environment and ensuring climate and resource justice are of great importance. Equally essential is understanding and actively shaping the social impacts of tourism along supply chains. This field of action will remain highly relevant for critical tourism work in the future. Through targeted measures that respect and strengthen the rights of workers and local communities, tourism can contribute positively to sustainable development in destination areas. In this context, we work closely with the multi-stakeholder organisation Roundtable Human Rights in Tourism. Together, we strive to uphold and strengthen human rights along the entire tourism value chain.
Human Rights Impact Assessment South Africa
A key project at present is the Human Rights Impact Assessment (HRIA) conducted in South Africa in January 2025, implemented jointly with the Roundtable Human Rights in Tourism, Fair Trade Tourism South Africa and three European tour operators. The assessment focused on central social risks along the classic round trip route between Cape Town, Johannesburg and the Greater Kruger region – particularly within the mid-range group travel segment, where complex and highly outsourced supply chains intersect.
In 31 on-site consultations with more than 80 stakeholders – including workers, local initiatives and tourism service providers – important insights were gained into working conditions, income situations, participation opportunities as well as risks for potentially vulnerable groups. These findings form a relevant basis for identifying areas for future action, strengthening human rights due diligence and developing recommendations for responsible tourism products in cooperation with the industry.
Key Risks Along Tourism Supply Chains
Although South Africa has comprehensive labour and child protection legislation, the assessment showed that implementation in tourism practice is often inconsistent. Structural unemployment – particularly among young people – increases the vulnerability of many workers and creates conditions in which human rights violations are more likely to occur.
Against this backdrop, the HRIA identified several key risk areas. Shortcomings in job creation and youth skills development were particularly evident. Working conditions are also problematic: drivers, rangers, guides and service staff report extremely long working hours, partial lack of contracts and low wages. Risks affecting children arise especially in the context of school visits or cultural performances involving minors. Additional challenges relate to fair pricing and contracting between tour operators and local suppliers, water and energy scarcity, insufficient involvement of local communities in tourism planning, and cultural dynamics regarding gender roles.
Challenges for International Cooperation
The analysis highlights several structural tensions that are central to a human-rights-based approach to tourism development. Western expectations of clear and formalised structures encounter complex realities in South Africa, characterised by fragmented supply chains and informal employment. At the same time, there is a strong national recognition of progressive legislation, which should be acknowledged as an essential basis for corporate responsibility actions.
The gap between requirements from European tour operators and practical implementation remains evident: human rights principles are sometimes perceived as abstract or externally imposed. Awareness-raising therefore needs to be more strongly aligned with cultural contexts and everyday realities. In addition, tensions emerge between development objectives such as job creation and the responsibility to uphold social and child protection standards.
Next Steps: Working with Tour Operators
The assessment points to several specific areas for action that the Roundtable Human Rights in Tourism will pursue together with tour operators. Priority is given to strengthening minimum labour standards along itineraries – for example by designing realistic daily schedules that prevent excessive working hours for drivers, rangers or guides, and by setting clear requirements for safe working conditions and the exclusion of children from tourism performances. European tour operators have sufficient leverage to communicate these requirements effectively to subcontractors in destination countries.
Furthermore, tour operators are to be supported in integrating local realities more consistently into their due diligence processes, for instance through training on human rights, child protection connected to “just transition” approaches. Another key focus is the systematic involvement of workers, communities and civil society actors in monitoring and decision-making processes to identify social risks early and develop workable solutions. A more long-term goal is shared responsibility between companies, government and NGOs to make progress measurable and close protection gaps – enabling tourism to advance with stronger social safeguards.
