Integrating Orphanage Tourism Ethics in Hospitality and Tourism Education: A Call for Curriculum Inclusion

Abstract

Tourism faces growing ethical scrutiny, prompting responsible tourism frameworks focused on sustainability, fair labour and ethical consumerism. However, orphanage tourism, a subset of voluntourism, remains largely unexamined, despite its harmful consequences. Positioned as ethical travel, it commodifies vulnerable children, akin to slum and wildlife voluntourism. Rather than alleviating harm, it sustains institutionalisation and exploits children for profit. This article examines orphanage tourism through hospitality ethics, sustainable tourism and corporate social responsibility (CSR), revealing gaps in hospitality curricula that overlook the industry’s complicity. It proposes a pedagogical framework to integrate orphanage tourism ethics into education, equipping future professionals with critical skills to challenge exploitative tourism models. By situating orphanage tourism within the broader responsible tourism debates, this article calls for industry-wide reform to prioritise child welfare over commercial gain.