Sustainable Tourism Development
Write an essay that 1) critically discusses the available definitions of Sustainable Tourism Development; 2) provides a list of possible policy interventions and guidelines designed to induce the tourist industry to adhere to the principles of Sustainable Development; 3) illustrates, using real world examples, the practical implementation of such policies and guidelines.
Tourism is one of the world 's largest industries and has a multitude of impacts, both positive and negative, on people 's lives and on the environment (1). For society to continue developing in the way it has done in the past, it is important to pay more attention to our environment. How this is best achieved is often a matter of opinion rather than fact, dependent upon different perspectives of the environment and views of nature. Recently, a concept has emerged that has attempted to bring together the best aspects of these different viewpoints, and to harmonise the development of mankind with the protection of nature. This is the concept of "Sustainable Development" (2). One of the most common understandings of this concept is that it involves maintaining our current rate of development whilst still leaving a suitable quantity and quality of resources behind for later generations to continue to develop. As one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy, tourism has a key contribution to make to sustainable development. For many countries tourism is an industry of great economic significance and is seen as a main instrument for regional development, as it stimulates new economic activities (Amedeo Fossati et al., 2000: 9). When it is broken down, it is generally agreed that tourism has a positive economic impact on the balance of payments, on employment, and on gross income and production. However, it is then vital to acknowledge the negative effects, namely on the environment. Problems in this area must be tackled by considering their relationship with the state of the economy and the
Tourism is one of the world 's largest industries and has a multitude of impacts, both positive and negative, on people 's lives and on the environment (1). For society to continue developing in the way it has done in the past, it is important to pay more attention to our environment. How this is best achieved is often a matter of opinion rather than fact, dependent upon different perspectives of the environment and views of nature. Recently, a concept has emerged that has attempted to bring together the best aspects of these different viewpoints, and to harmonise the development of mankind with the protection of nature. This is the concept of "Sustainable Development" (2). One of the most common understandings of this concept is that it involves maintaining our current rate of development whilst still leaving a suitable quantity and quality of resources behind for later generations to continue to develop. As one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy, tourism has a key contribution to make to sustainable development. For many countries tourism is an industry of great economic significance and is seen as a main instrument for regional development, as it stimulates new economic activities (Amedeo Fossati et al., 2000: 9). When it is broken down, it is generally agreed that tourism has a positive economic impact on the balance of payments, on employment, and on gross income and production. However, it is then vital to acknowledge the negative effects, namely on the environment. Problems in this area must be tackled by considering their relationship with the state of the economy and the
Bibliography: Text Books Fossati, A., and Panella, G., (2000) Tourism and Sustainable Economic Development, Kluwer Academic Publishers Jones, C., and Munday, M. “Exploring the Environmental Consequences of Tourism: A Satellite Approach” in Journal of Travel Research 46(164), 2007, pages 164-172 Websites