Evolution in Tourism: The Theory of Reciprocal Altruism and Tourist–Host Interactions

Abstract

Although cooperation in tourism has been studied for some time in regional development, alliance, and marketing contexts, missing is a focus on cooperative relationships which are not based solely on an economic agenda. In this study, the sociobiological theory of reciprocal altruism is explored to explain why cooperation should not take place in tourism. Cooperation is premised on the emergence of long-term, stable relationships based on reciprocity and altruism. The nature of tourism, i.e. limited interactions based on restricted periods of time, stands in the way of cooperation with implications at the micro scale (tourist–host interactions) and at the macro scale (collective interactions within the region as a whole). Ethical and educational strategies are discussed as important intervening variables which may help to stabilise relationships for mutual benefit and symbiosis.

Keywords:

• reciprocal altruism
• cooperation
• evolution
• ethics
• symbiosis
• cheating