Critical omissions and new directions for sustainable tourism: A situated macro-micro approach

Tazim Jamal, Blanca A. Camargo, Erica Wilson

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

39 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This paper traces the history and evolution of sustainable tourism and identifies some critical issues and omissions in this and related approaches such as responsible tourism, ecotourism and pro-poor tourism. The academic, institutional and practical intersections of sustainable tourism and responsible tourism are examined. It reveals that important theoretical and practical considerations around well-being, inclusion, and sustainability have been omitted. A critical look at ecotourism reveals additional concerns, such as a cornucopia of guidelines and principles, without clear ethical justifications to support them. At the same time, academics in this domain have been slow to consider the modernist and neoliberal influences shaping ecotourism and sustainable tourism development, such as through the discourse of ecological modernization. We identify some key omissions, such as the missing 'body' in sustainable tourism discourse, lack of critical analysis of postcolonial and dependency issues, and propose re-situating 'sustainable tourism' within a micro-macro, local-global systems approach informed by a clear framework of justice and ethics.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)4594-4613
Number of pages20
JournalSustainability (Switzerland)
Volume5
Issue number11
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2013

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Geography, Planning and Development
  • Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
  • Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law

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