Abstract:
The purpose of this exploratory investigation was to provide a more precise
understanding and basis from which to assess the potential role of the precautionary
principle in tourism. The precautionary principle, analogous to the ideal of sustainable
development, is a future-focused planning and regulatory mechanism that emphasizes
pro-action and recognizes the limitations of contemporary scientific methods. A total of
100 respondents (80 tourism academics, 20 regional government tourism officials) from
Canada, United States, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand completed the webbased
survey between May and June 2003. Respondents reported their understanding of
the precautionary principle, rated stakeholder involvement and education strategies,
assessed potential barriers in implementation, and appraised steps of a proposed
fi-amework for implementation. Due to low sub sample numbers, measures of central
tendency were primarily used to compare groups, while inferential statistics were applied
when warranted. Results indicated that most respondents (79%) felt the principle could
be a guiding principle for tourism, while local and regional government entities were
reported to have the most power in the implementation process. Findings suggested close
links between the precautionary principle and sustainability, as concern for future
generations was the most critical element of the principle for tourism. Overall, tourism
academics were more supportive of the precautionary principle in tourism than were
regional government tourism officials. Only minor variation was found in responses
among regional groups across all variables. This study established basic ground for
understanding the precautionary principle in tourism and has been effective in
formulating more precise questions for future research.
