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Tourism Code of Ethics (Directive No. 472/2020)

Ministry of Culture and Tourism472/2020

Summary

This directive establishes the Tourism Code of Ethics in Ethiopia, outlining ethical obligations for various stakeholders in the tourism sector to promote responsible and sustainable tourism, enhance service quality, and protect cultural and natural resources. It specifies principles, objectives, and measures for implementation and violation handling.

Who's affected

Tourist service providing enterprises, employees, private guides, and tourists operating within Ethiopia.

Action required

Review the directive to understand and adhere to the specified ethical obligations relevant to your role in the tourism sector.

Key points

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  • Establishes a Code of Ethics for the tourism sector.
  • Applies to tourist enterprises, employees, guides, and visitors.
  • Aims to promote responsible and sustainable tourism.
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    • Outlines ethical obligations for communities, enterprises, employees, guides, visitors, and public servants.
    • Specifies measures for implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.
    • Details penalties for violations, ranging from warnings to license termination.

Requirements

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  • Abide by Federal, regional and local laws, regulations and guidelines.
  • Render quality service reflecting natural and historical values in an environmental and historical friendly manner.
  • Provide accurate and updated information about services.
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    • Respect all agreements reached with visitors, customers and guests.
    • Take care of the welfare of guests and the safety of their properties.
    • Inform customers in advance about prices and accommodate prices with quality and standard of service delivery.
    • Hire skillful and experienced employees with adequate knowledge.
    • Provide capacity-building and training in the field.
    • Inform employees about formal procedures of hiring, promotion, transfer, penalty, leave, training, dismissal and apply them accordingly.
    • Ensure the working environment is healthy and conducive to employees' well-being and free of partiality.
    • Treat guests politely, respectfully and equally.
    • Serve guests professionally, honestly and according to job ethics.
    • Satisfy visitors and guests by providing quality, standardized and consistent service.
    • Discharge the obligation in safeguarding the safety of life and property of visitors and employees.
    • Refrain from drinking alcohol, eating chat and taking drugs while on duty.
    • Acquire and implement necessary skills and knowledge for guiding activities.
    • Be knowledgeable about historical and cultural values of local peoples and features of attractions.
    • Serve guests in a polite, respectful, and non-discriminatory manner.
    • Reflect Ethiopian hospitality for guests.
    • Maintain personal hygiene and wear suitable clothes.
    • Serve visitors honestly and truthfully with positive behavior.
    • Inform customers in advance about the details and price of services offered.
    • Refrain from tempting guests to do something illegal.
    • Comply with the country’s immigration, health and other laws and regulations.
    • Obtain information about tourist destinations, travel and visit related activities from the relevant body.
    • Respect the cultural values of the visited region and host community.
    • Refrain from visiting prohibited areas and taking photographs or videos.
    • Refrain from illegal hunting of wildlife.
    • Refrain from illegal drugs, human and heritages trafficking.
    • Refrain from illegal money exchanging activities.
    • Respect laws and regulations enacted to protect and maintain cultural and natural resources at tourist attraction areas, and refrain from causing damage to these resources.
    • Maintain and protect environment hygiene and refrain from any activity that may spoil it.
    • Refrain from all kinds of activities that may adversely affect natural and cultural resources.
    • Respect laws and regulations enacted with regards to entry points, destinations, and service giving centres.
    • Maintain and protect the environment hygiene and refrain from any activity that may spoil it.
    • Respect the rights of employees in tourist service providing enterprises and that of professionals in the sector as well as the citizens.

Rights and permissions

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  • Right to appeal to the licensing authority for reconsideration if a license is suspended.
  • Right to appeal to the Grievance Handling Committee and subsequently to the Court if not content with a decision.
  • Right of employees to a healthy and conducive working environment.

Restrictions

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  • Refrain from requesting money from tourists without providing any service.
  • Avoid forcing or irritating tourists by demanding for gifts.
  • Refrain from any activity that jeopardizes the well-being of tourists and their properties.
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    • Refrain from violating human rights and the physical well-being of members of society, especially from any type of sexual exploitation of women, children and youth.
    • Refrain from trafficking heritage as well as drugs.
    • Refrain from illegal activities.
    • Refrain from drinking alcohol, eating chat and taking drugs while on duty.
    • Refrain from visiting prohibited areas and taking photographs or videos.
    • Refrain from illegal hunting of wildlife.
    • Refrain from illegal drugs, human and heritages trafficking.
    • Refrain from illegal money exchanging activities.
    • Refrain from causing damage to cultural and natural resources.
    • Refrain from any activity that may spoil the environment.
    • Refrain from all kinds of activities that may adversely affect natural and cultural resources.
    • Refrain from giving money or anything to people for free without receiving some kind of service in return.
    • Refrain from tempting guests to do something illegal.

Penalties

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  • Written warnings for first-time violations by an enterprise or guide.
  • A final warning stating that the license will not be renewed for second-time violations.
  • Termination of license for one year for third-time violations.
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    • Permanent cancellation of license for subsequent violations after reinstatement.
    • Serious violations may be dealt with directly based on the extent of damage to the sector and country's image, without necessarily following the initial steps.

Objectives

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  • To enhance the multidimensional benefits of tourism and significantly reduce the negative impacts in a sustainable manner.
  • To create awareness among investors, employees, and professionals in the tourism industry about the principles of this Code of Ethics of Tourism and to make those who fail to observe the Code accountable according to relevant law.
  • To create awareness among investors, managers, employers, and customers about the appropriate behaviour and moral obligations that they should comply with.
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    • To significantly reduce the level of ethical misconduct that may arise between employees of Enterprises and tourists and take appropriate measures to prevent and solve problems.

Organizations

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  • Ministry of Culture and Tourism
  • Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission of Ethiopia
  • Regional and City Administrative Culture and Tourism Bureaus
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    • Tourist Service Providing Enterprises
    • Tourism Training Institutions
    • Ethiopian embassies and consulates
    • Ministry of Foreign Affairs
    • Federal and Regional Government institutions
    • Grievance Handling Committee

Legal references

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  • Proclamation No 691/2010
Original sourcehttps://justice.gov.et/en/directives/tourism-code-of-ethics-directive-no-472-2020/
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