Is there a right to tourism?

Abstract

There are many calls for tourism rights. An influential example is the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics for Tourism (WTO, 1999) which explicitly declares 'The Right to Tourism' in its Article 7. But are such calls legitimate? And if they are, what are the implications for governments and the tourism industry? What duties correlate with this alleged right? Are these duties legally obligatory, or are they merely moral duties? And who are the duties imposed upon? Such questions interweave with the more fundamental philosophical question: is the right to tourism ethically justified? This review article critically engages with this question. It considers the presence of the right to tourism in the major international human rights treaties, before turning to enlightenment political theorists Locke, Jefferson and Mill to develop philosophical arguments for the right. In making this case for the right to tourism, we overview what we see as its five key layers, and describe what we argue is its fundamental nature: the human right to pursue tourism.