Responsible tourism

Responsible tourism is an important avenue to achieving the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly with a focus on SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and SDG 14 (Life Below Water) and SDG 15 (Life on Land). It's a strategy aimed at maximizing the benefits of tourism while minimizing its potential negative impact on the environment, society, and economy.

Firstly, tourism contributes significantly to economic growth (SDG 8). It generates jobs, supports local businesses, and stimulates local economies. Responsible tourism further enriches this by ensuring jobs are fairly paid and conditions are safe and secure, contributing to decent work for all. Moreover, responsible tourism prioritizes local suppliers, artisans, and producers, helping promote sustainable economic growth.

Responsible tourism also aligns with the principles of responsible consumption and production (SDG 12). Tour operators who operate responsibly are careful to minimize waste, use resources efficiently, and avoid overconsumption. They encourage tourists to respect local customs, traditions, and regulations, which helps sustain ecosystems and cultures.

Furthermore, responsible tourism plays a key role in conserving and sustainably using the oceans, seas, and marine resources (SDG 14) as well as protecting, restoring, and promoting sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems (SDG 15). Many responsible tourism initiatives include actions that protect wildlife and ecosystems, such as avoiding activities that harm marine life or disturb animals in their natural habitats. By limiting the environmental impact of tourism, these actions protect biodiversity and support conservation efforts.

Finally, responsible tourism can also support SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) by ensuring that the benefits of tourism are shared equitably and that tourism development is integrated into planning that meets community needs and protects cultural heritage.

This study investigates the factors that influence travelers' intentions toward animal ethics in tourism and makes a significant contribution to methodological approaches and the body of knowledge in animal ethics in tourism.
Elsevier,

Trends in Ecology and Evolution, Volume 38, September 2023

Conservation scientists often aim to modify animal behaviour for management. However, there are ethical/welfare issues associated with this. The authors provide a decision support tool to assess the ethical considerations of modifiy animal behaviour against alternative options
World Tourism Day

World Tourism Day 2024

World Tourism Day 2024 beckons! As we stand on the brink of another celebration of the myriad wonders of global travel, it's crucial to recognise the significant role of SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals).

Since its inception, World Tourism Day has been an emblematic moment for travel enthusiasts. But this World Tourism Day 2023 isn't just another tick on the calendar. It represents an alignment of the global journey with SDGs.

The Importance of SDGS

According to this study, multimorbidity was highly prevalent and dying in hospital during a palliative care admission is common for Indigenous Australians. These data can inform end-of-life care and health service planning for Indigenous Australians living with heart failure and cardiomyopathy.
Elsevier,

Annals of Tourism Research, Volume 96, September 2022

Research indicates that tourists continue to have difficulty assessing animals' welfare at wildlife tourism attractions, and so there is an immediate need for more education on such impacts. The purpose of this paper is to fill this education knowledge gap by introducing an environmental literacy framework, i.e., “what an environmentally literate person should know and be able to do,” in progressing from animal welfare illiteracy in tourism to literacy.
Building and Environment will host a series of free webinars on COVID-19 Control, with the first webinar featuring 2 presentations from experts in the field: 1. Risk of Airborne COVID-19 Virus Transmissions in Airliner Cabins, presented by Qingyan “Yan” Chen, James G. Dwyer Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, USA 2. Mitigating COVID-19 at Public Spaces, presented by John Zhai, Professor of Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder and Keith Trace, Senior Director, Global Operations Services, Engineering and Facilities Management, Marriott International
RX,

October 2020

Proud Experiences hosts a series of podcasts to connect the LGBTQ+ travel community. In the series they explore the modern family, representation and intersectionality. The podcast series advances SDG 10.
Elsevier, International Journal of Hospitality Management, Volume 88, July 2020
The hospitality industry struggles with problems with staff motivation, commitment and retention, whilst also having an entrenched glass ceiling that limits career opportunities for many women. Mentoring is a useful function to support and develop staff, and may be particularly important for helping women overcome gendered barriers to progression. This paper reports on a year-long qualitative study of a women's mentoring programme in the hospitality industry in the UK.
Elsevier, Tourism Management Perspectives, Volume 34, April 2020
Women represent a majority of the tourism workforce globally, yet they remain under-represented in management roles and over-represented in part-time/casual work and low paid jobs. Prior research suggests women in employment, generally, and in tourism employment, specifically, experience gender discrimination, labour market and workplace segregation, work/family conflict, and other barriers to their employment and career progression.
Elsevier, International Journal of Hospitality Management, Volume 81, August 2019
Over the last years, the lodging industry started to implement a wide spectrum of green practices to mitigate its pressure on the environment and to respond to the growing consumers’ environmental concerns. Recently, scholar's attention to guest perception of hotels green practices has been grown. This paper through a PLS-SEM analysis, presents the results of a survey targeted to the guests of an ecolabel-awarded hotel, investigating how consumers perceive the actions implemented by hotels to reduce their environmental impacts.

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