The Iberostar Group has signed its adherence to the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism of the UNWTO and the Code for the Protection of Children and Adolescents against Commercial Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism of ECPAT, at the I International Congress on Ethics and Tourism held this week in Madrid.

By signing the Code of Ethics for Tourism of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Iberostar Group undertakes to respect 10 principles covering the economic, social, cultural and environmental impacts of travel and tourism.

This code establishes a global framework for responsible and sustainable tourism and has been defined by the UNWTO to help maximise the benefits of tourism and minimise its negative impact on the environment, cultural heritage and society.

For its part, the Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children and Adolescents against Commercial Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism has been developed jointly by UNWTO and ECPAT, a network of organisations and individuals working against child prostitution, child pornography and the trafficking of children and adolescents for sexual purposes.

The Iberostar Group has agreed to implement this Code of self-regulation and Corporate Social Responsibility that strengthens the protection of small children against sexual exploitation in travel and tourism.

According to the Corporate Director of Human Resources and Corporate Social Responsibility at Iberostar, Joan Vargas, "We are very proud to have joined the ECPAT (Code of conduct for the protection of children against sexual exploitation in tourism and travel industry).  Unicef, an organisation we have been working with for a long time, contacted us, told us about this code and invited us to adhere to it. We immediately saw that it was a project that fitted very well with both the Foundation's activity and the Group's CSR policy. We therefore undertook to promote different actions to prevent sexual exploitation of children, including dissemination of the principles and objectives of the ECPAT code among employees, customers and suppliers.
The idea then arose of publishing a children's story, "The Book of Dreams", to convey the message and educate our customers about this problem without introducing a bitter pill on their holidays. The story seemed like a nice initiative, not to mention striking alongside the brochures and magazines usually found in the rooms; what's more it involves the whole family. We consider it essential to raise awareness among children and adults, because we have in our hands the opportunity to help eradicate a problem that affects us all. For us, the possibility of 200,000 families leaving our hotels with a notion that this problem exists and that you have to fight against it is the reward.

"The Iberostar Group joins the commitment to promote, stimulate and raise awareness of the principles of these two Codes throughout its entire value chain, ensuring the highest standards of quality, service and sustainable development," he stated.