Understanding the Problematic Behavior of Tourists

• Published in: Tourism Studies Review Vol. 10; no. 2; pp. 131 - 146
• Main Author: YAKUSHIJI, Hiroyuki
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: Japan Society for Tourism Studies 2022; 観光学術学会
• Subjects: ethics; hedonism; problematic behavior; tourist; value; 価値; 倫理; 問題行動; 快楽; 観光者
• ISSN: 2187-6649; 2434-0154
• DOI: 10.32170/tourismstudies.10.2_131

This article investigates the problematic behavior of tourists from multiple perspectives, including by assessing its ethical aspects, providing a theoretical framework for human problematic behavior, clarifying the contents of tourists’ problematic behavior, and determining the background and reasons for this behavior. Here, problematic behavior is defined as undesirable behavior that contradicts social norms. The study of problematic behavior exhibited by tourists is a subject within the broader field of tourism ethics. Tourism ethics research seeks to understand, solve, and even alleviate problems related to tourism by entering into discussions on right and wrong. The academic understanding of tourists’ problematic behavior is limited. Asking tourists to behave ethically may change "tourism as enjoyment" into self-perceived ethical and moral tourism. Moreover, it may replace pleasurable enjoyment with sin and coercion. The difficulty in dealing with the topic may be a reason for the lack of accumulated research on the subject. Tourists’ pleasure-seeking motivation, which is the essence of tourism, is closely related to their problematic behavior. This implies that resolving or alleviating problematic behavior is not a simple matter. The need to build a sustainable society has been receiving greater acknowledgment in recent years. Responsible tourist behavior is needed now more than ever before. While it is important to educate tourists on responsible behavior, it is also necessary to address their problematic behavior.