Topic 3 Sustainable Tourism Development
1. How does tourism development help achieve sustainable development?
1. Economic sustainability
a) tourism development should continually provide employment opportunities and income growth
b) tourism development should result in more social services that raise local standards of living
2. Social and environmental sustainability
a) tourism development should respect authenticity of local communities, practices and art forms; and contribute to intercultural understanding and tolerance
b) tourism development should maintain essential ecological processes and conserve natural heritage and protect biodiversity
3. Sustainable tourism development
a) achieved when sustainability principles are applied to the economic, social and environmental aspects of tourism development
b) all three dimensions are balanced to guarantee tourism’s long-term sustainability
2. How effective are stakeholders in influencing sustainable tourism development?
1. Governments and international organisations
a) governments establish policies, create plans and enforce regulations to manage tourism development
b) international organisations offer consultancy, financial assistance and raise public awareness
2. Businesses, local communities and tourists
a) businesses and local communities could seek advice from others and participate in decision making
b) tourists could develop genuine interest in tourist destination regions and interact responsibly
3. Challenges faced by stakeholders
a) stakeholders may have conflicting priorities and needs
b) stakeholders have differing amounts of control over resources and may view how sustainability is measured differently from other stakeholders
3. How effective are the approaches in achieving sustainable tourism development?
1. Ecotourism
a) comprises diverse approaches that lie on a spectrum from hard to soft ecotourism
b) limitations include uncertainty over continuity of efforts in conserving nature and involving local communities
2. Community-based tourism
a) innovative small-scale tourism managed by local communities including homestays and agricultural tourism
b) limitations include the potential loss of local culture and competition from larger-scale tourism operators
3. Pro-poor tourism
a) focused on improving livelihoods of the poor through training and access to micro-finance
b) limitations include the inability to significantly reduce poverty as compared to direct investment in social services
4. How might tourism continue to develop sustainably?
1. Sustainable tourism production
a) when demands on ecosystem services do not exceed the supply of resources
b) when different stakeholders adopt a long-term, responsible and coordinated approach instead of short-term profit
2. Sustainable tourism consumption
a) when destination regions manage demand and tourism is consumed responsibly by tourists
b) when policies give local communities primary attention while considering needs of tourists
3. Equitable distribution of tourism benefits
a) effective tourism management to ensure benefits are enjoyed by all
b) minimising negative trade-offs within or between economic, social and environmental dimensions
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