Is There a Right to Tourism?

With international tourist numbers surpassing 1 billion in 2012, the increasing consideration of the ethical issues in the Tourism Studies literature, and the investigation of “rights” in the broader context, it is surprising that the right to tourism has remained a relatively unexamined philosophical question. Indeed, even broader rights, such as the right to leisure, the right to freedom of movement, and the right to the pursuit of happiness, have little philosophical treatment—compared to the well-trammeled ground of rights of property, free speech, and suffrage, for example. While it is not possible (in a short review article) to mount a comprehensive case, in this review article Noreen and Hugh Breakey position their argument in the context of the international law of human rights, and offer a prima facie justification of the right to tourism on a number of ethical grounds, and present what they argue to be the philosophical right to pursue tourism. (Abstract by the Reviews Editor) [Readers of this journal who may wish to respond to these views (emanating from the east coast of Australia) are encouraged to send their short critiques to The Review Editor of Tourism Analysis, viz., to Prof. Keith Hollinshead at khdeva@btopenworld. com. The editors will be particularly pleased to receive critiques/commentaries/challenges to Is There a Right to Tourism? that are under 1,000 words.]