Afro-Caribbean  Dance and Music workshops  in Dominican Republic A two weeks odyssey into traditional, ritual and popular cultural expressions of the Caribbean...

Workshop Home Program and Activities Dates and Prices Special student package A Quick look at Afro Dominican Rhythms and Dances (under construccion) Code of conduct  and  Code of ethics Dominican Republic and Real life experiences Book now!  Kalalú-Danza About Kiskeya Alternativa Contact us

Code of Ethics of Kiskeya Alternativa  Concerning communities Concerning local culture Concerning natural environment Concerning visitors Our Certification program Code of conducts for the visitors Natural environment and cultural sites About Prostitution and Discotheques Cultural and social travelling tips Introduction: Kalalú-Danza that is a non for profit organization focusing on Afro-Caribbean identity revaluation, and conducts research and training activities as artistic performances and projects involving marginal communities and children.  It has created  Kiskeya Alternativa as a program to use the Internet tools to enhance alternative tourism social, economical, cultural and environmental sustainability in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. By generating income out of tourism activities, Kiskeya Alternativa supports its activities and the projects of its umbrella organization Kalalú-Danza. As a tour operator,  Kiskeya Alternativa  creates packages with different aspects, as culture  nature and community. Community integration is a big issue in our developing of tourism products. We conceive alternative tourism as a conscious way of travelling, wherein open-minded travellers and host communities meet each other with mutual respect. In this meeting, traveller and host learn about each others social, cultural and environmental background. Alternative tourism is a personal search for real experiences and original entertainment away from the crowd in luxurious isolated resorts. It is about building paths oneself, while the traveller chooses where to stay and what to do and always looks for harmony with the hosting space. To point out what we really stand for and to realize sustainable tourism development and community participation, we created a code of ethics for Kiskeya Alternativa and other collaborating organizations and a code of conducts for visitors.

Concerning communities

Concerning local culture

Concerning natural environment

Concerning visitors

Concerning communities, our intentions are to:

• Respect, valorize and not degrade the social, cultural, human and environmental background and values of the hosting community.
• Promote involvement and active participation by community members in the project.
• Empower community members to be actors of their own development process.
• Bring direct financial benefit to the community or bring resources for community development (infrastructure, education, organization skills, etc.).
• Keep social structure of host population intact by our activities and we avoid improper intrusions into their private lives.
• Try to use local supplies of accommodation, food and beverages and additional necessities as much as possible.
• Condemn any form of prostitution, vandalism or criminality.

• Protect the integrity of the culture and try to avoid visitor contribution to a decline of cultural values.
• Avoid using local culture and traditional expressions as a form of commercial merchandise but maintain and stimulate their original sources and authentic values.
• Enhance visitor understanding of the local culture and traditions and stimulate cross-cultural exchange between tourists and local residents so they learn about one another.

• Avoid degradation and threatening of biological diversity, natural beauty and resources and landscape.
• Participate in efforts to protect and recover natural environment.
• Work with small groups at a time to reduce visitor impacts on the carrying capacity of the environment.
• Keep wildlife and habitats in (protected) natural areas intact.
• Use safe waste disposal in such content it doesn't damage natural environment.

• We prepare travellers before departure, to minimize their negative impacts and maximize their positive impacts while visiting natural areas and local communities. We offer educational material to inform them about social structures, culture, history and environment. We have also a Code of Conduct for visitors.
• We maintain small groups of visitors to minimize group impact on the destination.
• We provide general travel ethics addressing standards for behaviour in natural areas and towards local culture.
• We encourage interaction between visitors and local communities while overseeing contact to avoid cultural errors.
• We give quality interpretation at all times in order to give visitors the proper background information.

 

Certification program

Kiskeya Alternativa has developed a Tourism Sustainability Certification Program  program with the objectives of (a) develop a tool to be sure to integrate in our project only partners (tourism operators) that meet minimal levels of sustainability on the environmental, social and cultural aspects (unfortunately in Dominican Rep. and Haiti anyone can today label itself as "ecotourism"); (b) develop and continue the process in collaboration with other institutions (environmental Ngos, academic, official) to build real and complete tool for establishing a National Certification Program; (c) Establish mechanisms for permanently monitor our integrated partners on their activities sustainability and "product quality".

A first tool was build up: The Tourism Sustainability Identification Questionnaire that you can access on line starting at our Tourism Sustainability Certification Program pages.

Kiskeya Alternativa is a local, responsible ecotour operator. We treat the environment, the culture and her members with the highest respect as stated in our Code of Ethics.

The Dominican Republic is a beautiful country with a great diversity of animals, flora and fauna and cultural sites. We ask you to help us to establish a harmony between people and the natural environment so that fragile habitats and places of cultural importance are conserved for our future generations.

By observing the next travel tips and following them you could only help preserve the Dominican environment and culture and upgrade your own quality of life.

• Natural environment and cultural sites
• About Prostitution and Discotheques
• Cultural and social travelling tips

In the natural environment and the cultural sites

• Leave only footprints. Take only photographs, no litter and don't take away ‘souvenirs’ from historical and natural areas.
• Show your respect for nature: keep to the proper footpaths, don't feed wildlife, don't pick flowers or other vegetation and don't buy products made from endangered plants or animals
• Experience the environment by walking or other means and try to minimize the use of motorized transport.
• Move quietly and carefully as noise can disturb native birds, animals and reptiles, and in cultural places like churches.
• Put your litter in a bin or bring it home. Don't expect others to clean after you.
• Ask permission before photographing: at some historical and cultural places it is forbidden.
• Respect the privacy and dignity of others.
• Permission may be required to visit some cultural sites.
• Consider the privacy, cultural heritage, habits and traditions of the host community: dress properly before entering historical sites: suitable wear for women then should be a skirt beneath the knees or trousers and sleeveless shirts aren't desired. Haitians and Dominicans are used to dress conservatively: try to dress to these standards. Beachwear should never be worn away from the beach or poolside, skirts above the knee are considered risqué and men should wear a shirt away from the beachside.
• When taking pictures, respect the privacy of others: ask permission and use restraint.
• Remove litter and don't pollute
• Water is scarce in the country so practice conservation and avoid pollution
• The drain system here is different from which we are used to: try to avoid throwing toilet paper into the toilets.
• Place your litter in a dustbin or carry it home.
• Observe local fire restrictions and be careful with cigarettes butts and matches.
• Use energy efficiently

• Unfortunately sex tourism also appears in the Dominican Republic, and is mostly presented in the beach areas. To avoid any problems or encourage their business they are practising, don’t get involved with these people.
• The manners in discotheques are a bit different compared to western standards. It isn't common for Dominican women to go out alone. If they do, you can assume they are pleasure girls and want something of you. To avoid problems, always be careful if you ask  Dominican women to dance. When you go out with Dominican boys, always make clear that you want nothing more of them than just having a nice time.

• Learn about the geography, customs, manners and culture of the island. Take time to listen to the people and encourage local conservation efforts. Share your own stories, help them the locals to gain a realistic view of life in Western Countries.
• Support the local economy by buying local goods and services.
• Giving money to beggars only encourages their begging. If you really want to help them, give a donation to a project, school or health centre. It is a more constructive way to help.
• Get used to hearing ‘gringo/a’, ‘rubio/a’ shouted at you. Don’t take it as an insult; it is a generic term for ‘foreigner’ rather than a jibe at your colour. Most of the time it is intended as a greeting, and a smile is a welcome reply.
• Don’t get involved with any kind of illegal drugs, as a foreigner you are always at a distinct disadvantage. The local police will be very harsh on foreigners.
• By following these guidelines you will help to protect the environment, enjoy you stay at the utmost and we all pull together to preserve it for future visitors.

	important update on the project status
	Attention: Lisez cet avis sur la situation actuelle du projet
	Importante aviso sobre la situación actual del proyecto

Kiskeya  Alternativa Turismo sostenible y comercio electrónico, proyecto piloto de Fundación Taiguey, Inc. P.O.Box 109-Z Zona Colonial, Santo Domingo, Rep. Dominicana  Tel.: 1-809-537 89 77 E-mail: -- http://www.kiskeya-alternative.org

http://