Sensitivity to cultural difference in tourism research: contingency in research design

This paper evaluates the process of devising a research design to investiga te tourism and an Australian indigenous group, the Djabugay. It demonstrate s the mutual benefits that can arise in a context of cultural difference wh en research is predicated on an ethic of responsibility to those who are be ing researched. In particular, it argues that sensitivity and responsivenes s to contingency are vital ingredients in the research design in order to a ccommodate the concerns of the researched. (C) 1999 Published by Elsevier S cience Ltd. All rights reserved.