This literature review is written by Soutchay Khounlabvisaed Akhom as part of his NHTV Master in Tourism Destination Management.

Tourism is a global phenomenon with its characteristic as a large and complex business industry. Therefore, planning, developing and managing the tourism industry for a long-term success is a very difficult task. In order to achieve long-term success of tourism development, however, sustainable principles are required and necessary applied to strategic planning of tourism development processes. This involves various participations of all kinds of stakeholders from global to national and local levels respectively. To encourage the best practices of sustainable tourism development, voluntary initiative and codes of conduct are considerably as an effective tool on preventing or reducing negative impacts caused by tourists. This aims to influent tourists’ behavior in a more responsible way.

Based on this, the article focused mainly on the implementation of voluntary initiatives and codes of conduct in the process of achieving sustainable tourism development in ecotourism context. The introduction of these measures aims to protect tourism resources in terms of natural, cultural, historical and other resources from the increasing numbers of tourists in a tourist destination. Consequently, the negative impacts of tourists on the destination can be minimized by the way of educating and changing their behavior with sustainable approach. To carry out these tasks more effectively in the planning tourism development, among all parties actively involved in tourism such as investors, local authorities and tourists, marketing plays a significant role of not only attracting tourists to the destination, but also delivering a appropriate message to potential tourists on raising their awareness of sustainability before, during and after their visits in a tourist destination. The creation of the rules of conduct is particularly for tour operators, hotels and tourists who are directly participated in tourism industry. As the result, tourism industry can be kept as a main driver for economic growth of a country, the destination competitiveness is enhanced and other positive benefits are maximized while the negative impacts are minimized. The article also exemplified Croatia as an empirical case study in which these rules of conduct are existing and using as an integrated part in the process of the tourist destination management of Croatia to protect national parks and other nature protected areas such as ‘Regulation on Compensation for Damages Caused by Unlawful Actions on Protected Animal Species’ as a regulated legal document and codes of conduct for tourists.

Approach

In order to get a clear picture, the relevant perspectives are taken into account such as identification of the codes of conduct and their application in tourism contexts, and the relationship between the codes of conduct and sustainable tourism.

The different definitions of code of conduct are critically analyzed such as the general definition of code of conduct presented by Song (2000), and in tourism form such as in ecotourism based on the definition of Weaver (2001). Two examples of the codes of conduct in ecotourism activities used by TIES and by the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators are exemplified to support for the case.

Furthermore, explores the evolution of the concepts of ‘sustainability’ and ‘sustainable development’, and their integration into tourism industry namely ‘sustainable tourism’. This will be based upon the early works and the principles of the Brundtland Report in 1987 over the term ‘sustainability’, and then the principles of sustainable tourism development and guidelines introduced by UNWTO in 1998 which consists of the model of the 12 aims and the 3 pillars (social, environmental, and economic). The principles of sustainability are widely adopted by many countries to use as a guideline in the process of forming a strategy of sustainable tourism development in order to ensure of the best practices of sustainability.

Structure

Code of conduct and its application in tourism

According to Song (2000), a code of conduct is ‘a set of rules of behavior formulated as either a gentleman’s agreement, a social norm, or a rule of law sanctioned by enforcement authorities’. Thus, it acts as a set of guidelines or rules that related participants have to be compliant with. However, this is a general definition of code of conduct. But in tourism context, particularly in ecotourism, Weaver (2001) classified codes of conduct as one of the subsets in the quality control, besides accreditation and quality system, and the definition of codes of conduct is relatively vague, because it is based on an assumption of self-regulation, lack of any concrete time lines or commitments and absence of any penalties for non-adherence. Consequently, the code of conduct is roughly defined as codes of practice acted as an ‘industry-general guide to behavior and no requirement for participation by individual/organization’. Thus, it is more about moral commitment and voluntary adherence. If the industry cannot manage this on its own, then the government should intervene as a regulatory agent (Weaver, 2001).

Besides the promotion of responsible and sustainable tourism, in the first International Congress on Ethics and Tourism recently in Madrid (2011), the Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children Exploitation in Travel and Tourism was recognized and signed by business sectors. The aim is to protect children, eliminating of child prostitution, child pornography and the trafficking of children for sexual purposes. The Code is founded by ECPAT (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography, Child Sex Tourism and Trafficking in Children for sexual purpose), funded by United Nations Children Funds (UNICEF) and supported by UNWTO (UNWTO, 2011).

In a tourism context, especially tourists who have different value systems in terms of their backgrounds (social environment, cultural identity and way of live) such as people from Western countries travelling to Asian countries, they may cause conflicts with local customs and the natural environment in the process of encounters and interaction. Therefore, codes of conduct have been produced for tourists to educate them about societies they visit, and how to behave without causing offence (Cole, 2007). This means that the codes of conduct have been used as a visitor management tool and its aims are to prevent or minimize potential negative impacts of tourists on the destination they visit. To do this, a wide variety of codes of conduct have been produced aiming at the different stakeholder groups such as tour operators, travel agents, specific activity participants, host communities and tourists (Dubois, 2000, cited in Cole, 2007).

In addition, the codes of conduct, such as DO’s and DON’T’s, are able to act as a form of persuasive communication giving guidance to raise awareness of tourist of their impacts on host societies in terms of social, cultural, natural and environmental impacts.

The International ecotourism society (TIES) imposed code of the conduct on their ecotourism as a principle guideline for those participate in the activities to follow the following ecotourism principles:

  • Minimize impact
  • Build environmental and cultural awareness and respect
  • Provide positive experience for both visitors and hosts
  • Provide financial benefits and empowerment for local people
  • Raise sensitivity to host countries’ political, environmental, and social climate (TIES,2010).

Another good example of a voluntary code of conduct is in the case of ecotourism provided by the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO, 2000a, cited in Weaver, 2001) which includes a list of procedure expected to be followed by organizers and tour operators before, during and after their trip to Antarctica. The code of conduct includes elements such as;

  1. Comply with all requirements of the Antarctic Treaty system, and relevant national laws, and ensure that visitors are aware of requirements that are relevant to them.
  2. Reconfirm arrangements to visit stations 24-72 hours before their arrival and ensure that visitors are aware of any conditions or restrictions established by the station.
  3. Ensure that visitors are supervised by a sufficient number of guides who have adequate experience and training in Antarctic conditions and knowledge of the Antarctic Treaty system requirements.
  4. Monitor environmental impacts of their activities, if appropriate, and advise the competent national authorities of the appropriate Party or Parties of any adverse or cumulative impacts resulting from an activity, which were not foreseen by their environmental impact assessment.
  5. Operate ships, yachts, small boats, aircraft, hovercraft, and all other means of transport safely and according to appropriate procedures, including those set out in the Antarctic Flight Information Manual (AFIM).
  6. Dispose of waste materials in accordance with Annex III and IV of the Protocol. These annexes prohibit, among other things, the discharge of plastics, oil and noxious substances into the Antarctic Treaty Area; regulate the discharge of sewage and food waste; and require the removal of most wastes from the area.
  7. Cooperate fully with observers designated by Consultative Parties to conduct inspections of stations, ships, aircraft and equipment under Article VII of the Antarctic Treaty, and those to be designated under Article 14 of the Environmental Protocol.
  8. Cooperate in monitoring programs undertaken in accordance with Article 3(2)(d) of the Protocol.
  9. Maintain a careful and complete record of the activities conducted.

The code has been claimed to be successful in changing the behavior of operators and tourists (abstracted from Weaver, 2001, p 157). This is because the code of conduct provides very useful information needed to know by tourists and tourism-related sectors prior to conducting tourism activities in the areas, hence raising awareness among the participants is enhanced as well as negative impacts are minimized.

Sustainable tourism

The term ‘sustainable tourism’ is derived from the more general concept of ‘sustainable development dated back in 1987 of World Commission on Environment and Development Report (also known as the Brundtland Report) under the title of Our Common Future. This brings together the concept of economic development and environmental conservation. The most widely used definition of ‘sustainable development’ is ‘development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’ (Garrod & Fyall, 1998, p 200).

Towards the concept of sustainable tourism, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO by now) defined sustainable tourism as early as 1988 as ‘leading to management of all resources in such a way that economic, social and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity and life support systems’ (Ashley, Roe & Goodwin, 2001, p 2). Furthermore, van Egmond (2008) defined sustainable tourism development as ‘development meets the needs of present tourists and host regions while protecting and enhancing opportunities for the future’ (van Egmond, 2008, p 184). The all definitions are based on the Brundtland’s concept of sustainable development that sustainable tourism should be operated in harmony with the local environment, community and cultures, so that these become the permanent beneficiaries and not a victim of tourism developers. The figure 1 below shows the triple bottom line of environmental, economic and social sustainability surrounded by the twelve aims for an agenda for sustainable tourism. This is the way to keep balance between 3Ps (People, Planet, and Profit).

Relationship-between-the-12-aims-and-the-pillars-of-sustainability- 2

Figure 1: Relationship between the 12 aims and the pillars of sustainability (UNEP & WTO, 2005, p 20)

The code of conduct in tourism and their impact on sustainable tourism

Obviously, the codes of conduct are mostly aimed at reducing negative impacts of tourists on social, cultural and environmental heritages in a tourism destination in which it can contribute to sustainable tourism context. Consequently, it can help tourists adapt themselves to the local environment easier and behave properly during their visit. But as several researchers have pointed out, there has been very little analysis of their effectiveness (Holden, 2000; Malloy & Fennell; Mason, 2005 cited in Cole, 2007). Thus, it is quite unsecure to rely on. However, code of conduct approach has been so far widespread acceptance as a useful tool, and it has generally potentials to minimize negative impacts of tourists on a tourist destination (CSD, 2005, cited in Cole, 2007). This is, to more or less extent, coherent with the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism of UNWTO which acts as a frame of reference for the responsible and sustainable tourism development among the member countries of UNTWO, especially for business sectors. The aim is similarly to help minimize the negative minimize the negative impacts of tourism on the environment and cultural heritage against the predicted increasingly growth numbers of tourist arrivals in the 21st century, the international tourism forecast of arrivals in 2020 is 1.6 billion (UNWTO, 2011).

Conclusion

All in all, the code of conduct can be a useful tool on modifying tourists’ behavior in a more responsible way on their visiting to a tourist destination as it can provide necessary information for tourists on how to behavior in accordance with local rules in order to prevent other negative impacts on both environment and host society. But yet regarding to its effectiveness, it is very difficult to measure, because it depends on individual voluntary and the legal framework of the code of conduct itself which is issued and enforced by an organization or a government. The major aim of code of conduct is relatively indifferent from the principles of sustainable tourism; it is to minimize negative impacts of tourists on environment and host community of a tourist destination while maximize the positive ones. Thus, it is related to each other or it can say that the code of conduct is a subset of the tools created for the purpose of implementing sustainable tourism development.

References

Caroline Ashley, Dilys Roe, Hardold Goodwin. (2001). Pro-Poor Tourism Strategies: Making Tourism Work for The Poor. The Russel Press, Nottingham.

Cole, S (2007). Implementing and evaluating a code of conduct for visitors. Tourism management, 28(2), 443-451

Garrod, B & Fyall, A. (1998). Beyond the rhetoric of sustainable tourism?. 19 (3), 199-212

Song, Y. (2000). Codes of conduct in the South China Sea and Taiwan’s stand. 24(6), 449-459

The International Ecotourism Society (TIES). (2010). TIES CODE OF CONDUCT. Retrieved on November 19, 2011, from http://www.ecotourism.org/site/c.orLQKXPCLmF/ b.4875111/k.68EF/TIES_Code_of_Conduct.htm

United Nations Environment Programme & World Tourism Organization. (2005). Making Tourism More Sustainable – A Guide for Policy Makers. Joint Publication of UNEP & WTO. Paris.

UNWTO. (no year). Leading business commit to Global Code of Ethics for Tourism. Retrieved on November 19, 2011, from http://media.unwto.org/en/press-release/2011-09-19/leading-businesses-commit-global-code-ethics-tourism

Van Egmond, T. (2008). The Tourism Phenomenon – Past, Present, Future. TeorBoek. 3rd Edition. Leiden.

Weaver, D. (2001). Ecotourism. John Wiley & Sons Australia Ltd. Sydney.