Ethical and responsible tourism: Consumer trends in the UK

Abstract

Responsible tourism is emerging as a significant market trend in the UK as wider consumer market trends towards lifestyle marketing and ethical consumption spread to tourism. This paper reviews recent survey evidence about consumer attitudes towards the responsible and ethical aspects of the tourism they consume, and places this in the context of campaigns by Voluntary Service Overseas and Tearfund. Between 1999 and 2001 the percentage of UK holidaymakers aspiring to be willing to pay more for an ethical holiday increased by 7 per cent from 45 per cent to 52 per cent. The evidence for increasing consumer demand for responsible tourism is reported and the paper concludes with a discussion of the implications.

Keywords

responsible tourism ethical consumers tour operators market trends

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References

King, J. (2002) ‘Destination marketing organisations — Connecting the experience rather than promoting the place’ , Journal of Vacation Marketing, Vol. 8, No. 2, pp. 105-108 .

Krippendorf, J. (1987) ‘The Holiday Makers’, Butterworth Heinemann, Oxford .

Ibid, p. 105.

King, ref. 1 above.

Doane, D. (2001) ‘Taking Flight: The rapid growth of ethical consumerism’, The Ethical Purchasing Index 2001, New Economics Foundation, London .

Datamonitor, 18th October, 2002, www.datamonitor.com.

Krippendorf, ref. 2 above, p. 107.

Voluntary Service Overseas (1998) ‘Travelling to a Fairer World’, Voluntary Service Overseas, London .

Voluntary Service Overseas (1997) ‘Every Holiday Has Hidden Extras Below the Surface’, Voluntary Service Overseas, London .

10.

VSO, ref. 8 above.

11.

Voluntary Service Overseas (1999) ‘Travelling in the Dark’, Voluntary Service Overseas, London .

12.

Ibid.

13.

www.aito.co.uk/v2home/responsibletourism.html.

14.

An evangelical Christian relief and development agency working through local partners to bring help and hope to communities in need around the world.

15.

Tearfund (2000) ‘A Tearfund Guide to Tourism: Don’t Forget Your Ethics’, Tearfund, London .

16.

Ibid, p. 14.

17.

Ibid, p. 3.

18.

Ibid, p. 15.

19.

Ipsos-RSL undertook the research of a nationally and regionally representative sample of 2,032 adults (weighted to 2,043) aged 15+. Interviews were conducted in the period 26th-30th November, 1999; dataset accurate to +/-3 per cent at 95 per cent confidence level.

20.

Tearfund (2000) ‘Tourism an Ethical Issue, Market Research Report’, Tearfund, London .

21.

Ibid. — 42 per cent said that it would make no difference; 13 per cent said no.

22.

Ibid.

23.

Respondents could nominate more than one answer.

24.

Ipsos-RSL asked a nationally and regionally representative sample of 927 adults in their own homes in the period 30th November-10th December, 2001.

25.

A sample of 963 respondents surveyed face to face by MORI in the street in the period 2nd-24th September, 2000, in 107 constituency-based sampling points; data weighted to reflect the profile of British holidaymakers. In 2002 the same methodology was used with 713 respondents; the fieldwork dates were 10th-25th September, 2002.

26.

Tearfund (2001) ‘Tourism Putting Ethics into Practice’, Tearfund, London .

27.

Ibid.

28.

Weeden, C. (2002) ‘Ethical tourism: An opportunity for competitive advantage’ , Journal of Vacation Marketing, Vol. 8, No. 2, pp. 141-153 .

29.

Krippendorf, ref. 2 above.

30.

Francis, J. (2000) ‘Can the internet be used to expedite the growth of more responsible forms of tourism by creating an online marketplace of pre-screened and monitored products/services’, unpublished MSc dissertation, University of Greenwich.

31.

Weeden, ref. 28 above.

32.

Josephides, N. (2001) ‘Ethic’s don’t interest client’, Travel Trade Gazette, 4th February.

33.

For examples of responsible tourism trips see www.responsibletravel.com, and for examples of responsible tourism policies in destinations see www.responsibletourismpartnership.org.