The Consumption of Tourism - Tourism and Development: Concepts and Issues - page 362

7. Instead of the Western practice of
knowing all the answers, cultivate the
habit of asking questions.
8. Remember that you are only one of
the thousands of tourists visiting this
country and do not expect special
privileges.
9. If you really want your experience
to be 'a home away from home', it is
foolish to waste money on travelling.
10. When you are shopping, remember
that the 'bargain' you obtained was
only possible because of the low wages
paid to the maker.
11. Do not make promises to people
in your host country unless you are
certain to carry them through.
12. Spend time refl ecting on your daily
experiences in an attempt to deepen
your understanding. It has been said
that what enriches you may rob and
violate others.

1. Travel in a spirit of humility and with a
genuine desire to learn more about the
people of your host country.
2. Be sensitively aware of the feelings
of other people, thus preventing what
might be offensive behaviour on
your part. This applies very much to
photography.
3. Cultivate the habit of listening and
observing, rather than merely hearing
and seeing.
4. Realise that often the people in the
country you visit have time concepts
and thought patterns different from
your own; this does not make them
inferior, only different.
5. Instead of looking for that 'beach
paradise', discover the enrichment of
seeing a different way of life, through
other eyes.
6. Acquaint yourself with local customs -
people will be happy to help you.

Figure 12.1 A code of ethics for tourists
Source: O'Grady (1980).

demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of the meaning of tourism
as a form of consumption. At the same time, it defies commercial reality. For
example, following the decision of The Gambia's tourism authorities to ban
all-inclusive holidays in 1999, some tour operators reported a significant
fall in bookings whilst more recent research in that country revealed that,
despite the continuing popularity of its mass winter sun-sea-sand products,
government policy was focused on promoting small ecotourism develop-
ments (Sharpley, 2009a). Nevertheless, there is also no doubt that, in many
instances, there is a need for an aware, responsive or responsible approach on
the part of tourists if tourism is to make an effective contribution to the devel-
opment of destination areas (Goodwin, 2011). As already observed and as
suggested in Chapters 1 and 2, sustainable tourism development requires the
adoption of sustainable tourism consumption practices, reflecting the need
for a new social paradigm of sustainable lifestyles as a fundamental element
of sustainable development (IUCN, 1991; Sharpley, 2000a, 2009b).
The issue, then, is not about the need for appropriate tourist-consumer
behaviour, but whether this is a realistic aspiration. In other words, can it be
assumed that tourists are willing or able to adapt their consumer behaviour