Analysis of the Content and Implementation of Ethical Codes of Tourist Destinations: a Practical Approach

Abstract

The main objective of this article is to explore the role of the codes of ethics in the tourism context. For this, an analysis of the application of codes of ethics in the tourism sector is carried out by examining and categorizing the content and management system of existing tourism ethical codes in the Spanish state. Next, a focus group and in-depth interviews with tourism academics and professionals are carried out to obtain a critical approach to the contents and the management system of codes of ethics applied to tourism. This qualitative methodology aims, on the one hand, to review the content of the codes of ethics in tourism and, on the other hand, to assess its management. Considering these results, a series of bases and recommendations for elaborating a Code of Ethics in the context of a tourist destination is offered.