Author(s)
Vasiljevas, AleksandrasKeywords
LithuaniaBusiness ethics
Business social responsibility
Sustainable development
Sustainable development, sustainable tourism, business ethics, business social responsibility
Sustainable tourism
Full record
Show full item recordAbstract
The present article analyses the concept of sustainable development and its influence on tourism industry. Sustainable development idea's introduction was resulted in various international initiatives, projects and special research institutions. It also determines new ethical approaches to business (performance) assessment, including tourism. The article emphasizes responsibility of business as a new quality criteria in tourism industry. It is also maintained that in spite of the fact that ethical awareness of tourism stakeholders is globally forming in some retardation on comparison with that of the other profession or forms of business activity, ethical approach to tourism is an inevitable way to ensure its sustainable development initiatives. Such situation in its dynamics may be extrapolated to the reality of modem Lithuania in general, however the peculiarities of Lithuania must be considered. Author considers definitions of sustainable tourism, responsible tourism, ethical tourism and some other issues that reflect today global practice of tourism industry. It is maintained that ethical considerations of tourism business problems cover both its "pure" economics aspects (management, marketing etc), and also issues of ecology, social-cultural issues. It means that tourism business globally become more and more responsible for the consequences of its activity, more ethically oriented.Such ethical orientations of different social groups is stipulated by different background: fighting for human rights, for new equitable economic order among nations, struggle against poverty in developing countries, concern about natural environment, historical and cultural heritage preservation, religious human principles and others lead them all to the common denominator. With regard to the problems of tourism in Lithuania it is essential that this branch is rather new like all the other forms of business in this transitional country. There are no long-standing traditions in the branch, lack of applied and theoretical scientific researches as well as a lack of highly qualified professional, especially in tourism management, complicate its development and sustainability within the social economical structure of modem Lithuania. In spite of active steps towards the European integration Lithuania still remains aside from modern global social initiatives and events related to tourism. Ignorance of modem methods of ethical management is typical for local tourism professionals and public executives from appropriate state institutions. Our tourism companies, our tourists and local communities demonstrate it obviously. Proceeding from such a situation one should regard the ways of improvement situation in Lithuanian tourism. It is offered to promote the process of ethics institutionalization that is now taking place in different spheres of social life, since it may be extrapolated to tourism industry. This way is less expensive, but gives better results. World tourism experience to a great extent is applicable to the realities of Lithuania, especially in rationalizing and humanizing business relations in this important industry.
Date
2002Type
info:eu-repo/semantics/articleIdentifier
oai:lituanistikadb.lt:LT-LDB-0001:J.04~2002~1367186255825https://vb.lituanistikadb.lt/LDB:TLITLIJ.04~2002~1367186255825&prefLang=en_US