E-Book Overview
Tourism is no longer an innocent pleasure. It has been interpreted and reinterpreted as an activity which is ultimately damaging to receiving cultures and the environment. 'New' forms of tourism, such as ecotourism, alternative tourism, community tourism and ethical tourism, have been presented as morally superior alternatives to the package holiday, yet ironically, even advocates of these new, ethical tourism brands are increasingly subject to criticisms, not dissimilar to those they themselves level against package holidays. Using a host of international examples from the industry, the media and non-governmental organisations, this intriguing book examines what the advocates of 'new tourism' see as being wrong with mass tourism, looks critically at the claims made for the new alternatives and makes a case for guilt-free holidays. The only book on the market to provide a sustained critique of conventional mass tourism’s own critics, Butcher offers a counterpoint to the moral rhetoric steadily turning travellers into guilty tourists.
E-Book Content
111 The Moralisation of Tourism 011 111 0111 0111 0111 5111 Tourism is no longer simply an innocent pleasure, but has been reinterpreted as damaging to cultures and to the environment. ‘New’ forms of tourism, such as ecotourism, alternative tourism, community tourism and ethical tourism, have been presented as morally superior alternatives to the package holiday. Ironically though, even advocates of the new, ethical tourism brands are increasingly subject to criticisms, not dissimilar to those that they themselves level against package holidays. The Moralisation of Tourism puts today’s critique of tourism in historical context, and outlines a distinctly moral conception of modern tourism, identifying a ‘New Moral Tourist’, by drawing on a range of contemporary examples. It is a wide-ranging critique, looking at both the effect the New Moral Tourism has on the holidaymaker, and the effect it has on the host societies in terms of development opportunities. Travel that is ‘nonintrusive’ and ‘low impact’ is seen as a way of reconnecting with nature and rediscovering lost truths. However, not only does this deference to the destination create new barriers between people – people who are defined by their differences rather than what they have in common – but it also has a negative impact in the field of development. The Moralisation of Tourism critiques a number of assumptions that are rarely challenged – that the package tourism boom has been destructive and that nature-based tourism is somehow ‘ethical’. It argues that eco-friendly and culturally concerned tourism is based on the false premises of environmental and cultural fragility, and of a surfeit of individual freedom for tourists. Using a host of international examples from the industry, the media and non-governmental organisations, Jim Butcher examines what the advocates of ‘new tourism’ see as being wrong with Mass Tourism, looks critically at the claims made for the new alternatives and makes a case for guilt-free holidays. Jim Butcher lectures at Canterbury Christ Church University College in Kent. Contemporary Geographies of Leisure, Tourism and Mobility Series editor: Professor Michael Hall is Associate Professor at the Centre of Tourism, University of Otago, New Zealand. The aim of this series is to explore and communicate the intersections and relationships between leisure, tourism and human mobility within the social sciences. It will incorporate both traditional and new perspectives on leisure and tourism from contemporary geography, e.g. notions of identity, representation and culture, while also providing for perspectives from cognate areas such as anthropology, cultural studies, gastronomy and food studies, marketing, policy studies an