ABSTRACT
The Global Code of Ethics for Tourism adopted 21 December 2001, by the 13th session of the General Assembly of the United NationsWorld Tourism Organization (UNWTO) outlines principles to guide tourism development. It also serves as a powerful frame of reference for the different stakeholders in the tourism sector ‘with the objective of minimizing the negative impact of tourism on the environment and on cultural heritage while maximizing the benefits of tourism in promoting sustainable development and poverty alleviation as well as understanding among nations’ (UNWTO, 2001, A/RES/56/212, p. 1). The Code further states that ‘provided a number of principles and a certain number of rules are observed’ it should be possible to reconcile tourism in its increasingly prominent role in the services industry with contending issues in international trade such that all stakeholders in tourism development – ‘with different albeit interdependent responsibilities rights and duties’ – will contribute collectively to this aim. This is envisioned through ‘genuine’ partnership and cooperation between public and private stakeholders in tourism development in an ‘open and balanced way’. In sum, the UNWTO calls upon all individuals involved in tourism-
related organizations – from local destinations to tourism generating and
receiving economies and their negotiations in global trade organizations – to develop and adhere to ‘a set of interdependent principles for the interpretation and application’ of the Code of Ethics for Tourism. This provides a business ethics framework for examining the effect of international tourism policy issues as they apply to contemporary local, state/provincial, regional, national and international affairs. In this light, following is a set of core tourism policy component
issues (identified in spring 2005 by Master of Tourism Administration candidates in The George Washington University Tourism Policy Analysis course – TSTD 262.10 – taught by Dr Ginger Smith, co-author, and Juan Luna-Kelser):
• Guidelines/set of rules/regulation for the common good/influence behaviour/education;
• Framework – participatory process; • Codes of conduct; • Philosophy – vision to make tourism ‘the sector’; • Dynamic change; • Collaboration/converging views = effective policy; • Consensus among key stakeholders; • Based on research – measurable. In consideration of these elements, the co-authors developed their
tourism policy definition as first framed in Chapter 1 to say tourism policy is ‘a progressive course of actions, guidelines, directives, principles, and procedures set in an ethical framework that is issues-focused and best represents the intent of a community (or nation) to effectively meet its planning, development, product, service, marketing, and sustainability goals and objectives for the future growth of tourism’.
