Human Rights in Tourism: Conceptualization and Stakeholder Perspectives

Abstract

The present paper is an attempt to integrate the concept of human rights into the mainstream tourism discourse. In the name of development, human rights are often neglected while there are definite long-term advantages to be gained by actively promoting it. The paper examines the human rights perspectives of the major stakeholder groups in tourism to finally arrive at a comprehensive picture. Implications of some of the general principles and proclaimed guidelines of human rights for tourism are discussed. It is concluded that sustainable development of tourism is not possible until human rights as a relevant category is recognized by all the stakeholders. In addition, a case study is provided as an account to make the readers understand the ways in which tourism practice can potentially violate the human rights of a destination community.