Qyer Signs the Initiative of Tourism Industry Voluntary Code of Practice to Refuse Illegal Wildlife and Products and Sets a Good Example as a Responsible Traveler

On March 23rd, with the approval of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, the initiative for the tourism sector to fight against illegal wildlife trade was jointly launched by the World Tourism Alliance(WTA), China Wildlife Conservation Association(CWCA), TRAFFIC and WildAid in Beijing. Then WTA and CWCA together published the Initiative of Tourism Industry Voluntary Code of Practice to Refuse Illegal Wildlife and Products(hereinafter referred to as the Initiative). Qyer was among the 8 on-site enterprises that have signed the Initiative. It intends to play its role in promoting environmentally-friendly travel, conserve the biodiversity and contribute to ecological protection of China. At the event, the co-founder of Qyer Cui Li delivered a speech on behalf the enterprises. She stated that Qyer always advocates being a responsible traveler and has done a lot for this core concept. In the future, Qyer will, with the guidance and support of the government, alliances and non-profit organizations, encourage and help more to become responsible travelers.

The UN research has shown the value of illegal wildlife trade reaches 23 billion US dollars per year and that it is the fourth largest illegal international trade only after drug sales, arms trade and human trafficking. In recent years, China's Customs have, in many cases, caught citizens carrying illegally back home items made of body parts of endangered species like ivory. Illegal wildlife trade has become a headache for the tourism sector. Hence, the industry has, while witnessing rapid growth, encouraged the act of being a responsible traveler. This concept is crucial for the sustainable development of tourism and the human society at large. The event also highlighted how to respect and protect nature as well as the need to avoid buying illegal items made of body parts of wildlife.

As a global platform for sharing the tourist life , a platform in close contact with the public, Qyer always focuses on environmental protection and ecological preservation. It encourages the travelers to be responsible for the sustainable development of the sector and wildlife protection is an integral part of the relevant projects. As early as 2011, Qyer brought up the concept of being a responsible traveler. Tourists shall show respect for what is around and get to know about the residents and culture of the destinations in an environmentally-friendly way. Moreover, the updated rules and regulations in the website community forbid publishing content on damaging the ecological environment or historical and cultural sites, inciting tourists to touch marine life and inviting travelers to ride on elephants or watch animal performances.

Like Qyer, TOP-WORLD is also part of JNE Group. In 2017, it interpreted the concept of being a responsible traveler in a manual for tourists and specifically pointed out the 3 dimensions of the responsibility(social, cultural and environmental). Besides, it published China's first book explaining volunteer tourism and established the Alliance of Responsible Travelers together with the tourism authorities including Tourism New Zealand, Tourism Australia and Switzerland Tourism as well as multiple enterprises such as U-Tour and DJI. The alliance has benefited a lot from the great support of non-profit organizations like the World Wildlife Fund(WWF), TRAFFIC, the Forest Stewardship Council(FSC) and the World Animal Protection(WAP).

In the same year, Qyer joined the Internet Business Alliance against Online Illegal Wildlife Trade. In 2018, Qyer signed the Elephant-Friendly Tourism Commitment with WAP and joined the Initiative of Tourism Industry Voluntary Code of Practice to Refuse Illegal Wildlife and Products initiated by the organization, being the first and the only Chinese enterprise to join the group. In 2019, Qyer published the second book on volunteer tourism.

For many years, Qyer is always devoted to the concept of being a responsible traveler. It has joined hands with multiple partners and held various offline activities centered on wildlife protection, including the themed presentation "Fighting Illegal Wildlife Trade and Being a Responsible Traveler" and group meetings on showing love to the marine wildlife. Tens of hundreds of viewers were present and more than 120,000 people watched the live broadcast.

In the years to come, Qyer will continue to be a responsible traveler and encourage more enterprises and travelers to show their commitment. Cui Li said: "The world's diversity connects us all and gives us chances to learn about the charm of different culture and integrate with different groups of nice people. As travelers, we shall respect the world we live in and what makes us different since it will greatly improve our traveling experiences. We can assure you that being a responsible traveler will add lots of joy to your travel."