sustainable tourism

• Sustainability


  A process of planning and management that brings together interest and concerns of a diverse group of stakeholders in a sustainable and strategic way
• Sustainable tourism development


  • Requires a planning approach that is multidimensional and purposely integrative
  • Requires an acceptance of the definition of sustainable development and the guiding values for promoting sustainable tourism
• What's required for sustainability?


  1. Communities are made sufficiently aware of the tourism industry and enabled to understand its impacts

  2. Various processes to integrate and stakeholders to engage in participatory planning, consensus building and conflict resolution among stakeholders
• Tourism not properly planned can leave permanent footprints on the physical, social, cultural and economic environments
• Tourism development can be alienating for local residents, overcrowded, noisy, architecturally tasteless, and places pressures on infrastructure
• Inappropriate types of developments may arise due to a lack of national, regional or local planning and regulation
• Reasons why sustainable tourism has been hard to achieve

  • Economic growth prioritised
  • Misconceptions about value of investment and foreign exchange in sustainability
  • Limited funds for maintenance
  • Limited sustainable development frameworks
  • Inadequate control mechanisms
  • Insufficient rural planning
  • Tourism in the wrong place and reason
  • Limited awareness
  • Lack of commitment
  • Limited local community influence
• The expected outcome from sustainable tourism planning is development that is sensitive to the environmental, social and cultural attributes of a destination, provides quality tourism and leisure experiences valued by visitors and residents, and is valued by business, government and the community
• Guiding Principles for Sustainable Development

  • Responsibility - Recognition to the importance of continuity of natural resources and the continuity of culture and the balances within the culture
  • ECONOMY - Compatible with Nature
  • ECOLOGY - Natural Ecosystem Capacity
  • EQUITY - Societal Well-Being for All People
  • EDUCATION - Life-long Learning, Awareness, & Training
  • EVALUATION - Measuring the making of a Difference
• Positive economic impacts of tourism development

  • Generates FX
  • Stimulates income generating activities
  • Rasises household income
  • Increase employment opportunities
  • Increase tax revenues
  • Assist with the development of remote areas
  • Improve infrastureal development
  • Employs high number of women-decrease gender based uneloyment
• Negative economic impacts of tourism development

  • Economic dependency on tourism
  • Decline in other industries
  • Local employment low level low, low skills, low wages, part-time/contract labour, little opportunity for advancement
  • Artificial inflation and shortages of goods and services
  • Hike in land and house value
  • Increase demand on basic public provisions
• Positive environmental impacts of tourism

  • Relatively clean industry
  • Fosters conservation/preservation of natural resources
  • Revitalizes communities
  • Encourages beautification
  • Establishment of administrative and planning controls to maintain environmental quality
• Negative environmental impacts of tourism

  • Substantial carbon footprint (aviation)
  • Coastal tourism development
  • Adverse effects on water quality, quantity and use
  • Impact on air quality
  • Waste production, recycling practices, efficiency of resources
  • Degraded quality of natural sites
  • Introduction of non-native species and pollutants
  • Habitat destruction
• Positive social impacts of tourism

  • Can lead to the removal of social and national prejudices
  • Can promote better understanding of positive social change
  • May encourage civic involvement and local pride
  • Can play a supportive role for peace
  • Fosters pride in social/cultural traditions
  • Improve quality of life of locals
  • Increases availability of recreational facilities
• Negative social impacts of tourism

  • Increased prostitution
  • Increased drug trafficking and crime
  • Promotes migration of workers and create attendant problems
  • Competition and conflict between tourist and residents (for available resources)
  • Intrusive visitor behaviour
  • Locals resent of visitors who disrespect their morals/traditions etc.
• Positive cultural impacts of tourism

  • Facilitates intercultural understanding and global communication
  • Promotes cultural exchange
  • Provides cultural identity for the host population
  • Increases demand for historical and cultural exhibits
  • Leads to preservation and revitalization of local cultural identity (food, music, dance, language, art, craft,etc)
• Negative cultural impacts of tourism

  • Commodification
  • Commercialization and bastardization
  • Standardization
  • Staged authenticity
  • Cultural deterioration
• Characteristics of tourists


  • Number of tourists
  • Length of stay
  • Quantity
  • Relative economic status of residents and tourists
  • Visibility and activities of tourists
  • Yield
• Carrying capacity


  Maximum number of people who can use a destination without unacceptable alteration to the physical environment, an unacceptable decline in the living environment of the community, and an unacceptable decline in the visitor experience
• Types of tourism development

  • Nodal resources (specific sites that draw tourists to particular localized places. Attracts large numbers, high potential for commercial development. Fragile and can be easily overdeveloped)
  • Linear resources (danger of resource deterioration/concentrated development)
  • Extensive resources (cannot cater to large numbers)
• Short-run profit maximising behaviour vs. long-run environmental considerations
• Fully integrated resorts (tourism enclaves)-local social impacts vs. alienation of locals from sites and core resources
• Accommodation type influences economic impacts, degree of local involvement, critical sustainability and environmental factors
• A holistic view of the future and the society: Tourism, an important economic resource must be protected, pay attention to key S/T elements, create a habit for intellectual transformation, meet the needs of visitors, meet the needs of hosts, protect the attractions, enhance the attractions
• Tourists/travellers attracted to uniqueness, controls must be in place to preserve
• Nodal resources


  • Specific sites that draw tourists to particular localized places. Attracts large numbers, high potential for commercial development. Fragile and can be easily overdeveloped.
• Linear resources


  • Danger of resource deterioration/concentrated development
• Extensive resources


  • Cannot cater to large numbers
• Short-run profit maximising behaviour


  vs. long-run environmental considerations
• Fully integrated resorts (tourism enclaves)

  Local social impacts vs. alienation of locals from sites and core resources
• Accommodation type


  Influences economic impacts
• Degree of local involvement

  Critical sustainability and environmental factors
• A holistic view of the future and the society is important for tourism, an important economic resource that must be protected
• Pay attention to key short-term and long-term elements of tourism
• Create a habit for intellectual transformation
• Meet the needs of visitors
• Meet the needs of hosts
• Protect the attractions
• Enhance the attractions
• Tourists/travellers are attracted to uniqueness, controls must be in place to preserve what exists now for future generations