2021.03.23
On March 23, 2021, the initiative activity for the Self-Discipline Convention of the Tourism Industry against Illegal Trade in Wildlife was successfully held in Beijing. World Tourism Alliance (WTA) and China Wildlife Conservation Association (CWCA) jointly released the Self-Discipline Convention of the Tourism Industry against Illegal Trade in Wildlife (hereinafter referred to as the “Self-Discipline Convention”). Eight WTA member enterprises, including Airbnb China, Meituan, Trip.com Group, China CYTS Tours Holding Co., Ltd. (CYTS), Kaisha Tongsheng Travel Agency (Group) Co., Ltd., Tuniu.com, QYER, and Utour Group Co., Ltd., signed the Self-Discipline Convention on site. More than 80 participants from government agencies such as the National Forestry and Grassland Administration and the Anti-Smuggling Bureau of the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China, international organizations such as TRAFFIC and WildAid, as well as WTA member enterprises and media representatives attended the event.
With the rapid development of tourism, Responsible Tourism has become an indispensable part of practicing the sustainable lifestyle and driving healthy development of the industry. In recent years, Chinese customs authorities have detected citizens who illegally brought ivory and other products of endangered species into China for many times. Trade in illegal wildlife has quietly become one of the legal risks of tourism, with a negative impact on the image of Chinese citizens overseas. The event held on that day was themed on how to respect and protect nature during the trip and refuse to consume illegal wildlife products.
Liu Shijun, Secretary-General of the WTA, said in his speech, “today’s tourism continues to influence and change the world in a powerful way”. Instead of limiting our vision to the tourism industry itself, tourism practitioners should have a higher pattern and sense of responsibility, and make more people realize the role and potential of tourism in promoting social justice and sustainable development. Tourism under the “new normal” will place more emphasis on responsibility.
China’s tourism has long been strongly aware of wildlife protection. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China has always required travel agencies and tour guides to actively guide tourists to care for wildlife, issued travel tips to remind tourists not to bring illegal wildlife products when entering or leaving China and introduced specific measures to regulate the operation activities of tourism enterprises and guide tourists’ civilized travel. In March 2016, under joint planning of the Endangered Species Import and Export Management Office of the P. R. China and TRAFFIC, several tourism enterprises including China International Travel Service Limited (CITS), China Travel Service Head Office Co., Ltd. (CTS), CYTS, Tuniu, U-TOUR and Kaisha released a joint initiative, making a commitment of zero tolerance to illegal trade and smuggling acts of rare animals and plants and their products, including tigers, elephants, rhinos, agalwood and pangolins, which set a good example for the industry to crack down on illegal trade in wildlife and protect endangered wildlife. In the future, WTA will work with CWCA, TRAFFIC and WildAid to strengthen the training for practitioners and the guidance for tourist groups, jointly promote science popularization of wildlife protection, and help raise public awareness of wildlife protection.
On the afternoon of March 23, a training exchange was organized for tourism enterprises. Experts from the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, the Anti-Smuggling Bureau of the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China, CYTS and TRAFFIC respectively gave lectures on wildlife laws and regulations, typical cases of travelers bringing endangered species products into China, policies and requirements related to civilized tourism, as well as endangered wild animals and plants and their products commonly seen in tourism. Moreover, the enterprise representatives made exchanges and interactions with experts and jointly discussed the difficulties encountered in practical work and the countermeasures. All the participating enterprises promised that they would actively implement the Self-Discipline Convention, advocate civilized tourism, reject illegal wild animals and plants and their products, and jointly build a harmonious and beautiful homeland.
This event was jointly sponsored by WTA, CWCA, TRAFFIC and WildAid.
* This activity was approved by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.
Self-Discipline Convention of the Tourism Industry Against Illegal Trade in Wildlife of China Wildlife Conservation Association and World Tourism Alliance
Chapter I General Provisions
Article 1 In order to further improve the self-discipline and restraint mechanism in tourism, maintain the order of the tourism market, drive healthy development of tourism, effectively safeguard biodiversity and ecological balance and advance ecological progress, this Convention is hereby formulated as per relevant provisions of the Tourism Law of the People’s Republic of China, the Wild Animal Conservation Law of the People’s Republic of China and the Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China.
Article 2 For the purpose of this Convention, “member organizations of the Convention” refer to enterprises, tourism-related organizations or individuals engaged in tourism business that have signed this Convention on a voluntary basis.
Article 3 An initiative is released to encourage industry-wide practitioners to join this Convention voluntarily, fully observe and implement this Convention, and build a social environment in which the whole industry and society protect wildlife and resist the illegal trade in wildlife and its products.
Chapter II Self-Discipline Clause
Article 4 The member organizations of the Convention shall strictly observe and implement the laws and regulations on wildlife protection and relevant provisions of the international convention.
Article 5 The member organizations of the Convention shall strictly abide by the provisions of the State on the prohibition of illegal hunting/gathering, killing, selling and purchase of wildlife and their products, and put an end to illegal trade in wildlife and its products according to law.
Article 6 The member organizations of the Convention shall enhance training for staff/employees, improve their capability to detect and identify illegal trade in wildlife and its products, and prevent staff/employees from engaging in illegal trade in wildlife and its products.
Article 7 The member organizations of the Convention shall value and encourage ecological tourism project activities, guide tourists/consumers in civilized tourism and ecological tourism and lead the new trend of ecological tourism.
Article 8 The member organizations of the Convention shall take the initiative to report the persons suspected of illegal production and sales of wildlife and its products to relevant law enforcement authorities, and actively cooperate in follow-up law enforcement work.
Article 9 The member organizations of the Convention shall take the initiative to carry out publicity activities to raise the awareness of wildlife protection of tourists/consumers, and guide tourists/consumers to combat the illegal purchase, transportation and consumption of wildlife and their products.
Article 10 The member organizations of the Convention shall supervise and support each other, and jointly combat illegal trade in wildlife and its products.
Chapter III Enforcement of the Convention
Article 11 China Wildlife Conservation Association (CWCA) and World Tourism Alliance (WTA), as the joint promulgators of this Convention, shall disseminate and interpret the laws, regulations and policies regarding wildlife protection to the public, provide training opportunities, operation guides and self-discipline information, and urge the member organizations of the Convention to implement self-discipline clauses.
Article 12 CWCA and WTA shall provide support to the member organizations of the Convention in terms of species information, identification methods, operation guide, publicity materials, etc.
Article 13 The member organizations of the Convention shall be subject to the administrative supervision of the government and self-discipline management of the industry, and implement the decisions and rules on administrative supervision and self-discipline management.
Chapter IV Supplementary Provisions
Article 14 This Convention is jointly released by CWCA and WTA.
Article 15 After this Convention enters into force, CWCA and WTA may propose suggestions for amendments to the Convention, and amend the Convention within three months after extensive consultation.
Article 16 This Convention shall enter into force on the date of signing.