There has been a shift away from an instrumental ethic as a basis of conduct for the use of nature, to a more conservation based ethic give the paradigm shift in winder development policy to sustainable development. This shift from instrumentalism to conservation, however, remains rooted in an anthropocentric context, based upon the realization that laissz-faire tourism development causes environmental problems remain as a scientific and externalized entity, largely devoid of any spiritual value. To govern our inaction with nature, would at this juncture seem unlikely in the immediate future. The acceptance of such a construct would require a conceptual shift in the belief system upon which decision making currently made, notably away from rationalized, scientific and externalized view of nature, to a more inclusive and spiritual one. In summary, there is no simple answer to the question of whether tourism needs a new environmental ethic. On the evidence of policy and management statements since the 80s, there is a strong argument to suggest that a new ethic of conservation now governs many tourism stakeholders’ interactions with the environment.