‘I’m not your toy’: rejecting a tourism boycott

Abstract

As tourists become more politically conscious, the number of boycotts grows. Despite their proliferation, tourism boycotts rarely succeed. This study explores why tourists reject boycotts in the context of mega-events that are often subject to boycott calls. The paper focuses on the attempted boycott of the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv, Israel, by the Palestinian activist group BDS. Qualitative and quantitative insights from a questionnaire sent to tourists who attended the event provide several reasons for boycott rejection. Tourists were antagonistic to the boycott and shared concerns about its rationale, deeming it unnecessary and unwarranted. This was motivated by a desire to keep the Eurovision free of the contested politics of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The findings highlight the potential risks of using boycotts in tourism, where boycott demands of non-consumption rub against the innate desire for consumption (or self-gratification) in tourism. Based on these findings, the paper suggests alternative ways of working for peace through tourism in settings of intractable conflict.