Environmental Ethics and Tourism Development: A Normative Analysis

Tourism development has emerged as a global economic powerhouse, driving economic growth, destination competitiveness, and job creation. But with the mushrooming of tourism, especially in ecologically sensitive and culturally significant regions, ecological degradation, biodiversity loss, resource depletion, and increased vulnerability to climate change have worsened. The study discusses the development of tourism in relation to environmental ethics by analysing it based on normative approaches. The paper uses qualitative concepts in environmental ethics, such as anthropocentrism, biocentrism, ecocentrism, stewardship ethics, and intergenerational justice, to critically challenge the dominant growth-focused tourism paradigms that prioritize profit-driven, short-term objectives over environmental integrity and long-term sustainability. We found that existing tourism policies do not fully meet ethical requirements regarding responsibilities towards the ecosystem and future generations and therefore consider sustainability a tactical or administrative challenge rather than a moral obligation. The study posits that to realize truly sustainable and fair tourism development, environmental ethics should be incorporated into tourism planning, policymaking, and governance. The study helps develop the theoretical context of tourism ethics by re-caring for the concept of sustainability in tourism as a moral duty. It helps offer value-based solutions to policymakers, destination managers, and tourism developers seeking ethically viable, responsible tourism solutions.