Ecofeminism in the Tourism Context: A Discussion of the Use of Other-than-human Animals as Food in Tourism

Abstract

Uses of animals in tourism range widely, including their consumption as food. This paper explores the use of animals as food in tourism, drawing on the work of ecofeminist theorists for insights into the issue. It begins by identifying some core tenets of ecofeminist philosophy. It then demonstrates its relevance to the tourism context—specifically to the use of animals as food in tourism—by discussing several examples from the industry and drawing on existing theoretical applications of ecofeminism to animal food production and consumption. The overarching aim of this paper is to encourage the incorporation of this rich and textured theory into tourism discourse to help us reflect on what we currently consider to be acceptable behaviour.