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Sustainable Mass Tourism:

Toward Unequal Convergence of Paradigms & Scales

Presented at The Business of Sustainable Tourism Symposium

Curtin University February 18, 2013

By

Professor David Weaver Dept. of Tourism, Sport and Hotel Management

Griffith University

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>1945 Mass Tourism

Technical/managerial Large-scale

>1980 Alternative Tourism

Ethical Small-scale

<1990 ‘pre-sustainability’ era ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>1990 ‘sustainability’ era

Thesis Antithesis

Sustainable Tourism

Synthesis?

Dialectical approach

Resolution-based dialectics = extract the best from each (evolution)

Conflict-based dialectics = one overthrows the other (revolution)

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>1945 Mass Tourism

Technical/managerial Large-scale

>1980 Alternative Tourism

Ethical Small-scale

Thesis Antithesis Contradictions

1. ‘Prime contradiction’ -laissez-faire tourism expands beyond destination carrying capacities (Butler)

1. False hopes: unrealistic & unrealised expectations

2. Incompleteness

3. Growth paradox of success

4. Non-reciprocal accommodation

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>1945 Mass Tourism

Technical/managerial Large-scale

>1980 Alternative Tourism

Ethical Small-scale

Thesis Antithesis Contradictions

asymmetrical synthesis

mass tourism enlightened

Paths to enlightened mass tourism convergence

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Circumstantial Alternative Tourism (CAT)

Scale

Unsustainable Mass Tourism (SMT)

Deliberate Alternative Tourism (DAT)

regulation

Enlightened Mass Tourism (EMT)

Organic path

Induced path

Incremental path

Weaver, D. (2012). Organic, incremental and induced paths to sustainable mass tourism convergence. Tourism Management, 33, 1030-1037.

Enhancing DAT ‘flavours’ in enlightened mass tourism

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Sustainable Mass Tourism (SMT)

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) = normative status of ethics (industry-driven)

Enhancing DAT ‘flavours’ in sustainable mass tourism

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Sustainable Mass Tourism (SMT)

Corporate social responsibility (CSR)

Behavioural transformation of mass tourists (consumer led) - associations with effective interpretation & ‘awe’-inducing experiences

Enhancing DAT ‘flavours’ in sustainable mass tourism

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Sustainable Mass Tourism (SMT)

Corporate social responsibility (CSR)

Behavioural transformation of mass tourists (consumer led)

Niche diversification of destination attractions - e.g. small group study on large cruise ship

Enhancing DAT ‘flavours’ in sustainable mass tourism

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Sustainable Mass Tourism (SMT)

Corporate social responsibility (CSR)

Behavioural transformation of mass tourists (consumer led)

Niche diversification of destination attractions

Indigenous tourism model, Stage 6 - extension of Aboriginal influence to all parts of a settlement country

Enhancing DAT ‘flavours’ in sustainable mass tourism

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Sustainable Mass Tourism (SMT)

Corporate social responsibility (CSR)

Behavioural transformation of mass tourists (consumer led)

Niche diversification of destination attractions

Indigenous tourism model, Stage 6

East Asian cultural influences - Buddhist respect for all living things - yin/yang principle (Taoism) - harmony principle

Enhancing DAT ‘flavours’ in sustainable mass tourism

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Enlightened Mass Tourism (SMT) Corporate social responsibility (CSR)

Behavioural transformation of mass tourists (consumer led)

Niche diversification of destination attractions

Indigenous tourism model, Stage 6

East Asian cultural influences

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Thank you!