The Retour Foundation was founded in 1987 to promote what was known then as responsible tourism (REsponsible TOURism). For Retour this is tourism that is in line with the idea of sustainable development, safeguarding the preservation of ecological, social and economic resources needed by future generations.

This idea of tourism over the years has been covered under many headings, e.g. alternative tourism, ethical tourism, acceptable tourism, community tourism, eco-tourism and/or sustainable tourism. The main thrust of Retour is to promote tourism that contributes to sustainable development with special attention for the empowerment of local communities in tourism destinations.

Information is made available to other groups through information campaigns, workshops, lectures, a website and publications in the ‘Montezuma’ series.