Ethical considerations are not relevant for research in tourism

Ethics in Tourism Research

Introduction

Tourism is an industry that is considered as one of any country ‘s biggest income contributors . This is acknowledged by most and believed by all tourism professionals . The magnitude of the impact and coverage of the industry is shown in the World Trade Organization Facts Figures Tourism 2020 Vision , which forecasts that international arrivals are expected to reach over 1 .56 billion by the year 2020 , and from these 1 .2 billion will be intra-regional and 0 .4 billion will be long-haul travelers

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, governments exert their best efforts to ensure that the industry continues to bring in the tourists and through planning and development efforts , put their destinations in the global map . With the industry steadily growing and developing over the years , some serious concerns have been raised about whether certain ethical standards should be observed . The following general questions , among many others , are reflective of these concerns

Should tourism , broad as it is , be guided by certain codes of conduct or behavior

How can tourism help in the preservation of the environment

How can tourism help protect culture and heritage

Do tourism practices ensure the respect for basic human and animal rights

In to be able to put this in its proper perspective , it is important to define the terms . Among the available Web definitions of ethics , the most common one is that which says it is what motivates one into doing what is right and staying away from what is wrong . The dictionary definitions state it this way

From the Oxford Dictionary : the moral principles governing or influencing conduct the branch of knowledge concerned with moral principles (Oxford dictionaries

available at the AskOxford Web site

From the Merriam-Webster Dictionary : the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation the principles of conduct governing an individual or a group a guiding philosophy a consciousness of moral importance

Based on this , this essay will provide some background on the issue of ethics in tourism , specifically on whether tourism should observe some standards or guidelines like other disciplines . There is discussion about business ethics , marketing ethics , ethics in the medical sciences and applied sciences , environmental ethics , consumer ethics , among a long list of almost all disciplines observing certain guidelines . How about tourism ethics ? Will tourism also need a Code of Ethics

Then it will be concluded with a position of agreement or non-agreement with the statement Ethical considerations are not relevant for research in tourism . The essay will be presented following this outline

Introduction : This will include a statement of the issue and the definition of

ethics

Background : The origins of discussions about the issue of ethics in tourism and a review of available literature on the research about ethics in tourism

Conclusion : My Stand on the Issue

Background

Discussions about formulating some standards for the tourism industry started to be documented through a resolution of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO ) General Assembly in 1997… [banner_entry_footer]