John Swarbrooke Professor of Tourism Manchester Metropolitan University
WHAT
ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT ETHICAL CHALLENGES WE FACE IN TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY,TODAY?
The
carbon footprint of tourists Over – development and environmental degradation Local people not benefitting from tourism revenue Salaries Discrimination in employment Dishonest marketing practices Tipping or gratuities Sex tourism Dark tourism Ecotourism - and so on …
Investigative
journalism and the rise of the global media Pressure groups such as Tourism Concern The work of the WTO and national governments. Tourism
and Hospitality are also being affected by factors that are operating in the business world as a whole …
Business Loss
scandals – examples?
of confidence by investors.
Fear
of government or supra – government regulation
Risk
of losing consumers who want to trust the organisations they buy goods and services from.
Little
overt direct consumer interest in these issues.
Ethical
issues have traditionally been seen as a threat by tourism and hospitality organisations
Most
have reacted defensively…
Problem
denial Responsibility denial Putting the other side of the case Taking action if it will save money Tokenistic gestures Legal compliance. All
are defensive responses to a perceived threat. But this attitude is changing …
The
rise of Corporate Social Responsibility or CSR Examples from other industries eg the Body Shop A growing segment of consumers who want to buy more ethical products Investors want to invest in sound businesses Most of the best staff want to work for decent , moral enterprises
Hotel
`greening´ and the International Hotels Environmental Initiative
The
Green Tourism Business Scheme
Tourism
Industry Carbon Offsetting Scheme or TICOS
The
Tour Operators Initiative
Accor
Earth Guest policy
The
Association of Independendent Tour Operators in the UK
What
they do – Responsible Tourism committee , star scheme , awards , workshops for members
Why
do they do it ?
Customer
loyalty
Attract
satisfaction and brand
new market segments
Differentiation Positive
from competitors
image
Retain
good staff
Easier
to attract investment
However
doing the `right thing´ is not always easy.
Lets
have a look at a hypothetical scenario.
What
would you do in these situations?
Why
would you act in this way?
You
are a specialist tour operator
The
government of a very large island with an unspoilt rain forest ecosystem invites you to start offering tours there
What
do you do?
You
decide to start offering the tours
A
major newspaper in your own country criticises your decision
What
do you do?
You
stop offering the tours.
Because
of this loss of business you have to make two longserving loyal staff redundant
What
do you do?
You
re-start the tours
Then
a guest dies from a tropical disease
What
do you do?
Inspite
of this you continue to offer the tours.
Then
a competitor sets up a similar product at a lower price
What
do you do?
Family
Investors Staff
Customers Suppliers
Intermediaries Local
communities Society Etc etc etc The
Hierearchy of Responsibility
CSR
is about trying to be more ethical than you are now For it to work in business terms you have to be seen to be more ethical or responsible than your competitors And you have to communicate what you are doing But it must be reality not hype or you will suffer competitive disadvantage Thank
you !
J.Swarbrooke@mmu.ac.uk