The Consumption of Tourism - Tourism and Development: Concepts and Issues - page 377

supports the argument that the consumption of tourism represents a barrier
to effective development through tourism. Indeed, of the four categories of
consumption described here, only one - consumption as integration - allows
for tourists to consume tourism (to both purchase specific types of tourist
experience and to act in appropriate ways) in a manner which will contribute
to development. Here, those tourists who wish, in particular, to integrate
'self with object' will purchase holidays that permit them to integrate into
the destinational environment and culture and, more generally, will follow
the code of tourist ethics shown in Figure 12.1.
However, simply purchasing an ecotourism trip, for example, does not
imply appropriate behaviour. Ecotourism tends to be expensive, individual-
istic, adventurous and relatively exotic. Consequently, it may be consumed
for the purpose of classification ('ego-tourism'), play (the communal sharing
of adventure or the unusual), or experience as defined by the pursuit of fan-
tasy or the sacred experience of nature framed by a normal, urban existence.
In each case, the destination provides the foundation for the experience but
the primary focus of consumption is on the self - the tourist, and his or her
relationship with other tourists and the home environment and society -
rather than on the tourist's relationship with the destination.
The same may be said for most, if not all, types of tourism. That is, tour-
ists are simply consumers who, as in other forms of consumption, seek to
satisfy personal needs and to enjoy personal experiences. It matters little
whether the object of consumption is a holiday, a meal in a restaurant, a
house, a car or an item of clothing. The consumer seeks to optimise the
utilitarian and cultural benefits through the act of consumption and to single
out tourism as somehow different (and to expect tourists to modify their
behaviour as consumers) is both illogical and naïve.
However, while this suggests that tourists, who play an integral role in
the tourism production process, represent a barrier to effective and appropri-
ate development through tourism, it does not imply that such development
is unachievable. Rather, it points to the need to refocus the responsibility for
tourism planning and development. It is all too easy to 'blame' the tourist,
as in the blanket condemnation of mass tourism, for the challenges and prob-
lems facing tourism destinations, whereas the ultimate responsibility lies
with the destination. Once the nature of tourism consumption it is both
recognised and understood, then destinations can plan and develop tourism
accordingly to optimise their developmental benefits. This may be through
mass tourism or through localised, small-scale tourism, but the emphasis
surely must be placed upon planning and providing products to suit the
needs of both the consumer-tourist and the destination, rather than expect-
ing tourists to modify their behaviour to suit the destination.