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[TIRANA, 19 November 2007] - Twenty two tour and hotel operators in Albania have signed the Code of Conduct for Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation. The signing ceremony was organised as a joint event with the Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Interior and tour operators in the country.
The ceremony took place at Tirana Hotel International, a signatory party itself, and was attended by Governmental officials, civil society organisations and tour operators. The signing of the Code of the Conduct was welcomed by the OSCE vice-Ambassador in Tirana, vice-minister of Tourism, the National Anti-Trafficking Coordinator, Representative of OSCE/OCEEA office in Vienna, Representative of WTO Code Secretariat and UNICEF representatives in Albania. This is the first time ever in Albania that tour operators have signed such a code. The signing was accompanied by a national awareness campaign, and the preparation of a Training Manual for the Code and awareness materials. In the next few days OSCE will organise training courses for hotel and tour operators that have signed the Code in order to improve implementation. Some background information about the Code: One of the most sensitive issues that the tourism industry faces in the last years refers to the phenomenon of commercial sexual exploitation of children, mainly in developing countries, by tourists from developed countries. The travel and tourism industry responded by cooperating with a non-governmental organisation, ECPAT, in creating Between 1997 and 2004, the Code developed as a project implemented through national ECPAT groups, with an international Steering Committee financially supported by ECPAT Sweden, working on a voluntary basis. Further information
The Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Commercial Exploitation in Travel and Tourism