A country where tourists must take an oath

Tourism is flourishing worldwide, but, no matter how much profit it brings, many countries, especially smaller ones, are concerned, as large numbers of visitors have a negative impact on the environmental balance.

A small country, the 13th smallest state in the world, Palau, has found a way to counter the problem. As they have only 20,000 residents and are visited by many more tourists, sometimes over 160,000 a year, negative effects on the environment have already been noticed, and the local authorities have therefore decided to include something that might put a stop to that in their law.

Each visitor to Palau will from now on be getting a printed-out oath they will have to sign prior to being allowed to enter the country.

– Children of Palau, I take this pledge as your guest, to preserve and protect your beautiful and unique island home. I vow to tread lightly, act kindly and explore mindfully. I shall not take what is not given. I shall not harm what does not harm me. The only footprints I shall leave are those that will wash away – the oath says.

Palau has thereby become the first country in the world to introduce this type of oath in its law. The oath is based on their long-term efforts to prevent excessive destruction and exploitation of natural resources.

The residents hope that the oath will help tourists understand that they play a key role in preserving the island for future generations, as most of them are not aware of the impact they have on the environment.

Although the initiative is primarily oriented towards reducing the damage to the environment as a consequence of an excessive number of tourists, the residents also honor it. Children will start learning about ecology and environmental preservation in schools, whereas adults will be provided with special programs for learning how to have a responsible relation to the environment.

That the authorities take the oath very seriously is shown by the penalty for failure to honor it, which amounts to a million dollars.

Palau is in fact an archipelago consisting of around two hundred natural volcanic and limestone islands, located in the Pacific Ocean, between Japan and Australia. These islands are full of gorgeous, clean beaches and forests that tourists find so attractive. They also have a shark sanctuary the size of California and a ban on oil drilling and commercial fishing.

Palau

ecology

oath for tourists

tourists oath

Pacific Ocean