Tourism destination boycotts–are they becoming a standard practise?

Abstract

Destinations have been boycotted for deviating from acceptable norms and engaging in egregious behaviour. Such events can have an adverse impact on the tourism industry of a destination, highlighting the need to understand this phenomenon. To help initiate research on tourism boycotts, this research note collated and analysed information about all destination boycotts. One hundred and forty-six boycotts were identified as having started between 1948 and 2015. More than 90% of the boycotts were initiated between 2003 and 2015. This research note suggests that the increase in destination boycotts may be a result of a combination of factors: [1] innovation of new technology, specifically social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter; [2] the increase in social movements; [3] emphasis on ethical consumerism; and [4] the use of tourism as a vehicle for social change.