Sustainable Tourism – An Introduction Tourism is a fast growing economic sector and one of the world’s largest industries. Sustainable tourism is responsible tourism that is both ecologically and culturally sensitive. The aim of sustainable tourism is to ensure a low impact on the environment, the local culture and to provide a positive experience for local people, tourism companies, and tourists themselves; while helping to generate income, employment, and the conservation of local ecosystems. It supports integrity of the place while emphasising its character, architecture, cuisine, heritage, aesthetics, and ecology. Marketing sustainable tourism is about “Promoting responsible travel and ecotourism, supporting sustainable development, and helping travellers and travel providers protect the cultures and environments they visit” (Sustainable Travel International, Undated). The tourism industry consists mainly of three types of businesses: the primary trades related directly to tourism; the secondary trades that support tourism; and the tertiary trades that provide the basic infrastructure and support for the industry. The World Tourism Organization defines sustainable tourism as tourism development that "meets the needs of present tourists and host regions while protecting and enhancing opportunities for the future…leading to management of all resources in such a way that economic, social, and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity, and life support systems" (WTO, 1998). Sustainable Tourism Principles and Concepts Sustainability principles refer to the environmental, economic, and socio-cultural aspects of tourism development, and a suitable balance must be established between these three dimensions to guarantee its long-term sustainability (UNEP, 2006). Achieving sustainable tourism is a continuous process and it requires constant monitoring and introducing the necessary preventive and/or corrective measures whenever necessary. The two core concepts in sustained tourism are “Quality” & “Continuity”. Sustained tourism should provide a quality experience for tourist while ensuring the continuity of the natural and cultural resources it uses. It should also contribute towards maintaining and enhancing the quality of the destination environment with the goal to maintain continuity of tourist demand (Sustainable Tourism CRC, 2007). Continued business for the destination can be achieved by ensuing travellers’ satisfaction; excited visitors bring new knowledge home, talk to their friends and relatives, which in turn may decided to try the same experience. Sustained tourism also strives for quality and not quantity; quality efficiency is not measured through the numbers of visitors but rather by the traveller’s length of stay, money spent, and quality of experience. Environmental and Socio-Cultural Impacts and Benefits The quality of the environment, both natural and man-made, is essential to tourism. The efficient use of environmental resources constitutes a key element in sustainable tourism development. Any negative impacts due to tourism development can gradually destroy the environmental resources on which it depends. Environmentally aware travellers favour travel destinations that minimize pollution, waste, energy consumption, water usage, loss of natural landscape due to the construction of general infrastructure such as roads and airports, tourism facilities, resorts, hotels, restaurants, shops, golf courses and marinas. If well planned the negative impacts are reduced and locals can benefit from the upgraded infrastructure thanks to improvements in health and transport, sport and recreational facilities, public spaces, better commodities and food. Tourism has the potential to create beneficial effects on the environment by contributing to environmental protection and conservation. Raising awareness of the environmental values can serve as a finance tool in the protection of natural areas and at the same time increase their economic importance (Commission for Environmental Cooperation, Undated) & (United Nations Environment Programme - UNEP, 2002). |
