1,210
Views
17
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Sustainability Series

Sustainability ethics in tourism: the imperative next imperative

Pages 117-130 | Received 29 Oct 2018, Accepted 05 Nov 2018, Published online: 02 Dec 2018
 

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this article is to provide a summary of Christian Becker’s (2012) model of sustainability ethics, and secondly, to indicate what sustainability ethics would look like in tourism, using this model. Becker's primary focus is recognition of the inherent ethical dimension in sustainability. What underlies all of the various issues, problems, and challenges in sustainable development, therefore, is the belief that we are really faced with is a series of ethical challenges both in research and practice. Three main elements of this model are discussed. These include (1) relations to other contemporaries, i.e. people of the present day, future generations, and our relationship with nature; (2) finding the right type of ethics that fits with the demands of ethical beings and systems now and in the future; and (3) a discussion of the broad and complex social and global systems, meta-structures, that play an important role in how people relate to each other and the natural world. The case of the Upper Navua River, Fiji, is used as an example of how Becker's model can be used in tourism practice.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

David A. Fennell researches mainly in the areas of ecotourism, tourism ethics, and moral issues tied to the use of animals in the tourism industry. A major thrust of his research involves the use of theory from other disciplines (e.g., biology, philosophy) to gain traction on many of tourism’s most persistent issues and problems. Fennell is the founding Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Ecotourism and is an active member on editorial boards of many academic journals.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.