Introduction
Decent work and the four pillars of the ‘Decent Work Agenda’ of the International Labour Organization (ILO) – employment creation, social protection, rights at work, and social dialogue – are integral elements of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Goal 8 calls for the promotion of sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all – which are also (or should be) essential objectives from the perspective of the tourism industry.
In target 8.9, the 2030 Agenda specifically addresses the need of sustainability in tourism with regard to job creation, both directly in the tourism sector and indirectly, by focusing on local products: “By 2030, devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products”.
Tourism-related job creation is one of the main reasons put forth by the business sector and international bodies such as the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) to defend public authorities’ favourable treatment for these activities. However, less has been discussed and far less researched regarding the quality of tourist employment. The ability to measure the evolution and impact of Goal 8 is one of the current major challenges.
Contextualising decent work in tourism
In quantitative terms, the positive contribution of tourism to job creation is undeniable. However, what tourism entails for places and people living in areas that become tourist destinations is normally not considered. The measures and policies that have provoked a crisis in rural areas, forcing the exodus of millions of people to seek alternative employ- ment to be able to survive, are equally ignored. It is necessary to place this debate in a wider and more complex context than the simple measurement of the jobs created.
In recent decades, many coastal towns in impoverished countries have been transformed by specialising on tourism, thus becoming incorporated into the new “tourist peripheries”. The jobs created by tourism are usually precarious and are located at the lowest runs of the job ladder, especially in the construction sector and in services provided to tourists (cleaners, housekeepers, receptionists, cooks, gardeners, security staff and entertainment workers). Integral to the precarious nature of employment, workers are usually subjected to conditions of labour exploitation: low wages, irregularities in pay, subcontracting, police harassment, and labour insecurity and risks. At the same time, the ministries of labour and trade unions have weak protection structures, and workers systematically suffer from harassment by the business sector, thus making it difficult to form trade unions in tourist destinations.
This type of economic dynamics also attracts people who aim to “get by” in the informal economy, offering products and services directly to tourists (food, drinks, souvenirs, handicrafts, massage, etc.). Yet, their access to tourists is not always easy due to the restrictions and privatization dynamics created by a type of excluding tourism, which has meta- phorically been labelled the “beach-sun bunker”.
An example of this type of situation was made clear in the 1st March 2010 protest in front of the Hotel Riu, organised by local inhabitants near the Matapalo Beach in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. They protested against the company prohibiting free access to the beach in front of the hotel, thus preventing itinerant vendors from getting access to the tourists. The protest was convened by the Guanacaste Brotherhood (Confraternidad Guanacasteca), the Conservation Federation (FECON) and the Student Federation of the Central American University.