define sustainable tourism essay

What Is Sustainable Tourism and Why Is It Important?

Sustainable management and socioeconomic, cultural, and environmental impacts are the four pillars of sustainable tourism

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What Makes Tourism Sustainable?

The role of tourists, types of sustainable tourism.

Sustainable tourism considers its current and future economic, social, and environmental impacts by addressing the needs of its ecological surroundings and the local communities. This is achieved by protecting natural environments and wildlife when developing and managing tourism activities, providing only authentic experiences for tourists that don’t appropriate or misrepresent local heritage and culture, or creating direct socioeconomic benefits for local communities through training and employment.

As people begin to pay more attention to sustainability and the direct and indirect effects of their actions, travel destinations and organizations are following suit. For example, the New Zealand Tourism Sustainability Commitment is aiming to see every New Zealand tourism business committed to sustainability by 2025, while the island country of Palau has required visitors to sign an eco pledge upon entry since 2017.

Tourism industries are considered successfully sustainable when they can meet the needs of travelers while having a low impact on natural resources and generating long-term employment for locals. By creating positive experiences for local people, travelers, and the industry itself, properly managed sustainable tourism can meet the needs of the present without compromising the future.

What Is Sustainability?

At its core, sustainability focuses on balance — maintaining our environmental, social, and economic benefits without using up the resources that future generations will need to thrive. In the past, sustainability ideals tended to lean towards business, though more modern definitions of sustainability highlight finding ways to avoid depleting natural resources in order to keep an ecological balance and maintain the quality of environmental and human societies.

Since tourism impacts and is impacted by a wide range of different activities and industries, all sectors and stakeholders (tourists, governments, host communities, tourism businesses) need to collaborate on sustainable tourism in order for it to be successful.

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) , which is the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of sustainable tourism, and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) , the global standard for sustainable travel and tourism, have similar opinions on what makes tourism sustainable. By their account, sustainable tourism should make the best use of environmental resources while helping to conserve natural heritage and biodiversity, respect the socio-culture of local host communities, and contribute to intercultural understanding. Economically, it should also ensure viable long-term operations that will provide benefits to all stakeholders, whether that includes stable employment to locals, social services, or contributions to poverty alleviation.

The GSTC has developed a series of criteria to create a common language about sustainable travel and tourism. These criteria are used to distinguish sustainable destinations and organizations, but can also help create sustainable policies for businesses and government agencies. Arranged in four pillars, the global baseline standards include sustainable management, socioeconomic impact, cultural impacts, and environmental impacts.

Travel Tip:

The GSTC is an excellent resource for travelers who want to find sustainably managed destinations and accommodations and learn how to become a more sustainable traveler in general.

Environment 

Protecting natural environments is the bedrock of sustainable tourism. Data released by the World Tourism Organization estimates that tourism-based CO2 emissions are forecast to increase 25% by 2030. In 2016, tourism transport-related emissions contributed to 5% of all man-made emissions, while transport-related emissions from long-haul international travel were expected to grow 45% by 2030.

The environmental ramifications of tourism don’t end with carbon emissions, either. Unsustainably managed tourism can create waste problems, lead to land loss or soil erosion, increase natural habitat loss, and put pressure on endangered species . More often than not, the resources in these places are already scarce, and sadly, the negative effects can contribute to the destruction of the very environment on which the industry depends.

Industries and destinations that want to be sustainable must do their part to conserve resources, reduce pollution, and conserve biodiversity and important ecosystems. In order to achieve this, proper resource management and management of waste and emissions is important. In Bali, for example, tourism consumes 65% of local water resources, while in Zanzibar, tourists use 15 times as much water per night as local residents.

Another factor to environmentally focused sustainable tourism comes in the form of purchasing: Does the tour operator, hotel, or restaurant favor locally sourced suppliers and products? How do they manage their food waste and dispose of goods? Something as simple as offering paper straws instead of plastic ones can make a huge dent in an organization’s harmful pollutant footprint.

Recently, there has been an uptick in companies that promote carbon offsetting . The idea behind carbon offsetting is to compensate for generated greenhouse gas emissions by canceling out emissions somewhere else. Much like the idea that reducing or reusing should be considered first before recycling , carbon offsetting shouldn’t be the primary goal. Sustainable tourism industries always work towards reducing emissions first and offset what they can’t.

Properly managed sustainable tourism also has the power to provide alternatives to need-based professions and behaviors like poaching . Often, and especially in underdeveloped countries, residents turn to environmentally harmful practices due to poverty and other social issues. At Periyar Tiger Reserve in India, for example, an unregulated increase in tourists made it more difficult to control poaching in the area. In response, an eco development program aimed at providing employment for locals turned 85 former poachers into reserve gamekeepers. Under supervision of the reserve’s management staff, the group of gamekeepers have developed a series of tourism packages and are now protecting land instead of exploiting it. They’ve found that jobs in responsible wildlife tourism are more rewarding and lucrative than illegal work.

Flying nonstop and spending more time in a single destination can help save CO2, since planes use more fuel the more times they take off.

Local Culture and Residents

One of the most important and overlooked aspects of sustainable tourism is contributing to protecting, preserving, and enhancing local sites and traditions. These include areas of historical, archaeological, or cultural significance, but also "intangible heritage," such as ceremonial dance or traditional art techniques.

In cases where a site is being used as a tourist attraction, it is important that the tourism doesn’t impede access to local residents. For example, some tourist organizations create local programs that offer residents the chance to visit tourism sites with cultural value in their own countries. A program called “Children in the Wilderness” run by Wilderness Safaris educates children in rural Africa about the importance of wildlife conservation and valuable leadership development tools. Vacations booked through travel site Responsible Travel contribute to the company’s “Trip for a Trip” program, which organizes day trips for disadvantaged youth who live near popular tourist destinations but have never had the opportunity to visit.

Sustainable tourism bodies work alongside communities to incorporate various local cultural expressions as part of a traveler’s experiences and ensure that they are appropriately represented. They collaborate with locals and seek their input on culturally appropriate interpretation of sites, and train guides to give visitors a valuable (and correct) impression of the site. The key is to inspire travelers to want to protect the area because they understand its significance.

Bhutan, a small landlocked country in South Asia, has enforced a system of all-inclusive tax for international visitors since 1997 ($200 per day in the off season and $250 per day in the high season). This way, the government is able to restrict the tourism market to local entrepreneurs exclusively and restrict tourism to specific regions, ensuring that the country’s most precious natural resources won’t be exploited.

Incorporating volunteer work into your vacation is an amazing way to learn more about the local culture and help contribute to your host community at the same time. You can also book a trip that is focused primarily on volunteer work through a locally run charity or non profit (just be sure that the job isn’t taking employment opportunities away from residents).

It's not difficult to make a business case for sustainable tourism, especially if one looks at a destination as a product. Think of protecting a destination, cultural landmark, or ecosystem as an investment. By keeping the environment healthy and the locals happy, sustainable tourism will maximize the efficiency of business resources. This is especially true in places where locals are more likely to voice their concerns if they feel like the industry is treating visitors better than residents.

Not only does reducing reliance on natural resources help save money in the long run, studies have shown that modern travelers are likely to participate in environmentally friendly tourism. In 2019, Booking.com found that 73% of travelers preferred an eco-sustainable hotel over a traditional one and 72% of travelers believed that people need to make sustainable travel choices for the sake of future generations.

Always be mindful of where your souvenirs are coming from and whether or not the money is going directly towards the local economy. For example, opt for handcrafted souvenirs made by local artisans.

Growth in the travel and tourism sectors alone has outpaced the overall global economy growth for nine years in a row. Prior to the pandemic, travel and tourism accounted for an $9.6 trillion contribution to the global GDP and 333 million jobs (or one in four new jobs around the world).

Sustainable travel dollars help support employees, who in turn pay taxes that contribute to their local economy. If those employees are not paid a fair wage or aren’t treated fairly, the traveler is unknowingly supporting damaging or unsustainable practices that do nothing to contribute to the future of the community. Similarly, if a hotel doesn’t take into account its ecological footprint, it may be building infrastructure on animal nesting grounds or contributing to excessive pollution. The same goes for attractions, since sustainably managed spots (like nature preserves) often put profits towards conservation and research.

Costa Rica was able to turn a severe deforestation crisis in the 1980s into a diversified tourism-based economy by designating 25.56% of land protected as either a national park, wildlife refuge, or reserve.

While traveling, think of how you would want your home country or home town to be treated by visitors.

Are You a Sustainable Traveler?

Sustainable travelers understand that their actions create an ecological and social footprint on the places they visit. Be mindful of the destinations , accommodations, and activities you choose, and choose destinations that are closer to home or extend your length of stay to save resources. Consider switching to more environmentally friendly modes of transportation such as bicycles, trains, or walking while on vacation. Look into supporting locally run tour operations or local family-owned businesses rather than large international chains. Don’t engage in activities that harm wildlife, such as elephant riding or tiger petting , and opt instead for a wildlife sanctuary (or better yet, attend a beach clean up or plan an hour or two of some volunteer work that interests you). Leave natural areas as you found them by taking out what you carry in, not littering, and respecting the local residents and their traditions.

Most of us travel to experience the world. New cultures, new traditions, new sights and smells and tastes are what makes traveling so rewarding. It is our responsibility as travelers to ensure that these destinations are protected not only for the sake of the communities who rely upon them, but for a future generation of travelers.

Sustainable tourism has many different layers, most of which oppose the more traditional forms of mass tourism that are more likely to lead to environmental damage, loss of culture, pollution, negative economic impacts, and overtourism.

Ecotourism highlights responsible travel to natural areas that focus on environmental conservation. A sustainable tourism body supports and contributes to biodiversity conservation by managing its own property responsibly and respecting or enhancing nearby natural protected areas (or areas of high biological value). Most of the time, this looks like a financial compensation to conservation management, but it can also include making sure that tours, attractions, and infrastructure don’t disturb natural ecosystems.

On the same page, wildlife interactions with free roaming wildlife should be non-invasive and managed responsibly to avoid negative impacts to the animals. As a traveler, prioritize visits to accredited rescue and rehabilitation centers that focus on treating, rehoming, or releasing animals back into the wild, such as the Jaguar Rescue Center in Costa Rica.

Soft Tourism

Soft tourism may highlight local experiences, local languages, or encourage longer time spent in individual areas. This is opposed to hard tourism featuring short duration of visits, travel without respecting culture, taking lots of selfies , and generally feeling a sense of superiority as a tourist.

Many World Heritage Sites, for example, pay special attention to protection, preservation, and sustainability by promoting soft tourism. Peru’s famed Machu Picchu was previously known as one of the world’s worst victims of overtourism , or a place of interest that has experienced negative effects (such as traffic or litter) from excessive numbers of tourists. The attraction has taken steps to control damages in recent years, requiring hikers to hire local guides on the Inca Trail, specifying dates and time on visitor tickets to negate overcrowding, and banning all single use plastics from the site.

Traveling during a destination’s shoulder season , the period between the peak and low seasons, typically combines good weather and low prices without the large crowds. This allows better opportunities to immerse yourself in a new place without contributing to overtourism, but also provides the local economy with income during a normally slow season.

Rural Tourism

Rural tourism applies to tourism that takes place in non-urbanized areas such as national parks, forests, nature reserves, and mountain areas. This can mean anything from camping and glamping to hiking and WOOFing. Rural tourism is a great way to practice sustainable tourism, since it usually requires less use of natural resources.

Community Tourism

Community-based tourism involves tourism where local residents invite travelers to visit their own communities. It sometimes includes overnight stays and often takes place in rural or underdeveloped countries. This type of tourism fosters connection and enables tourists to gain an in-depth knowledge of local habitats, wildlife, and traditional cultures — all while providing direct economic benefits to the host communities. Ecuador is a world leader in community tourism, offering unique accommodation options like the Sani Lodge run by the local Kichwa indigenous community, which offers responsible cultural experiences in the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest.

" Transport-related CO 2  Emissions of the Tourism Sector – Modelling Results ." World Tourism Organization and International Transport Forum , 2019, doi:10.18111/9789284416660

" 45 Arrivals Every Second ." The World Counts.

Becken, Susanne. " Water Equity- Contrasting Tourism Water Use With That of the Local Community ." Water Resources and Industry , vol. 7-8, 2014, pp. 9-22, doi:10.1016/j.wri.2014.09.002

Kutty, Govindan M., and T.K. Raghavan Nair. " Periyar Tiger Reserve: Poachers Turned Gamekeepers ." Food and Agriculture Organization.

" GSTC Destination Criteria ." Global Sustainable Tourism Council.

Rinzin, Chhewang, et al. " Ecotourism as a Mechanism for Sustainable Development: the Case of Bhutan ." Environmental Sciences , vol. 4, no. 2, 2007, pp. 109-125, doi:10.1080/15693430701365420

" Booking.com Reveals Key Findings From Its 2019 Sustainable Travel Report ." Booking.com.

" Economic Impact Reports ." World Travel and Tourism Council .

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Sustainable Tourism: Definition Essay

Sustainable tourism (or responsible tourism) is a real important concept. Find out the definition

This piece on sustainable tourism, its definition, principles, and types, is provided by Smart Writing Service , a professional essay writing service that cares about students. You may find out that the structure of this essay slightly differs from a standard one for a definition essay. That is done to include as many facts as possible in a condensed way. Feel free to use information you collect from this essay as you see appropriate.

The concept of “ sustainable tourism ” was formed relatively recently, along with the global concept of sustainable human development. The principles of sustainability in tourism, formulated by the UNWTO and the World Travel and Tourism Council, provide for:

• the conservation and enhancement of the natural and cultural potential of destinations, on the basis of a tourism approach aimed at sustainability;
• the ecological transition of tourism enterprises to resource-saving technologies, reduction of industrial waste;
• involvement of the population in the decision-making process on tourism development (a form of consultations);
• partnership in the relationship between the public and private sectors; promotion of tourism, socio-economic development of certain territories of states.

Many travel companies develop their own plans for the transition to the principles of sustainable development, implement environmental management systems, and apply environmental technologies.

The principles of sustainable development in the practice of tourism are spread under the influence of consumer demand . Given the awareness of the population about the state of the environment and the greening of people’s consciousness, the ecological situation becomes one of the decisive criteria for choosing a place or form of recreation.

This trend is reflected in the growing demand for alternative types of tourism , including eco-tourism.

The development of this relatively new type of tourism is based on three main principles:

• part of the income received from the service of tourists remains in place and goes to nature protection ;
• the content of the basic law is in compliance with environmental requirements;
• tourism is conceived as an experience of discovering places, cultures and traditions, as a moment of exchange and mutual enrichment.

Ecotourism encompasses a wide variety of visitors who want to see animals or plants with their own eyes. For example, in Central America and southern Africa, predator sightings are of particular interest. Places, where wild orchids grow, have recently been discovered in Greece.

Tourists accompanied by a guide can visit these protected areas to admire the plants in the wild. Such trips can rightly be classified as ecological, and the persons who take part in them should be considered ecotourists.

Diversification of ecotourism activities is accompanied by the convergence of ecological and other types of tourism. Nature coverage is also inherent in the participants of the mass tourist movement. Swimming and beach holidays, cruises, business trips, are often combined with visits to national or natural and ethnographic parks. The boundaries of ecotourism are losing their clarity, and its scale and socio-economic importance are growing.

Almost every country has the opportunity to organize “green” travel. Today, the main ecotourism flows are directed to the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Nepal, Ecuador, Brazil, Philippines and Kenya. In Europe some of the main Ecotourism destinations are Slovenia, Portugal, Croatia, Austria, Ireland. Ecological tourism is one of the most promising and dynamic forms of tourism.

With the growing requirements for the volume and quality of tourist services, with the emergence of new types and forms of tourist activity, the classification of tourism is changing.

Characteristics of sustainable tourism in 2021

You have probably heard of the term “ sustainable development “, which is closely linked to the green economy and means meeting the needs of present generations without compromising the future.

And what is sustainable tourism ? Let’s understand what we need to know and do to make our travels sustainable and our children able to see what we see now.

Sustainable tourism is:

• Availability . By supporting the tourism business, which allows you to get a full experience of travel, we stimulate economic development . This creates new jobs and increases the number of people who can use travel services and see the world.
• Animal safety and wellbeing . We must leave the wild alone . No elephant riding, no photoshoots with crocodiles, monkeys, and other animals. Just watch and don’t touch.
• Environmental protection . Minimization of damage in the process of tourist activity. Make sure that your trip does not have a negative impact on the environment . Even minimal. Just imagine what emotions would overwhelm you, if after a long trip to Norway instead of picturesque fjords you would be waiting for a huge dump…
• Controlled use of tourist services technologies . First of all, motor transport, energy, drinking water, etc. Tourism accounts for about 10% of all global carbon emissions . And this is 3.33 billion tons… They heat the planet, which leads to melting glaciers.
• Immersion in nature . The idea is to offer experiences that allow travelers to reconnect with nature.

Sustainable tourism vs popular and mass tourism

Features of the current stage of tourism development reveal the concept of “ mass tourism “, reflecting the process of democratization and expansion of tourism, especially in countries over the course, where more than half of the population are consumers of tourism goods and services. The concept of “mass tourism” was introduced and used as an alternative to aristocratic tourism of the XIX century, some expensive types of tourism aimed at selected audiences, and tourism in developing countries, where its development is limited due to low living standards.

Mass tourism should be distinguished from popular. The latter is a tourist activity that has gained wide recognition in society due to its attractiveness and accessibility. The definition of “mass” in the term characterizes the quantitative side of the concept, and the word “popular” – qualitative.

Mass tourism is in fact characterized by large numbers of tourists, who buy trips, such as cruises . This implies an overcrowding of places, a great impact on the environment, and a disadvantage for local populations. In fact, by involving thousands of tourists who go to the same place at the same time, mass tourism can generate Overtourism , damage the environment and upset the places.

On the contrary, sustainable tourism plays an important role in the economic development of places, giving it a boost. It contributes to the introduction and dissemination of new, higher standards of service and, consequently, to improve the quality of people’s lives .

In summary, sustainable tourism ensures that the environment will not be impacted by the arrivals of tourists and that the local community will take advantage of that.

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Sustainable tourism

Related sdgs, promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable ....

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Tourism is one of the world's fastest growing industries and an important source of foreign exchange and employment, while being closely linked to the social, economic, and environmental well-being of many countries, especially developing countries. Maritime or ocean-related tourism, as well as coastal tourism, are for example vital sectors of the economy in small island developing States (SIDS) and coastal least developed countries (LDCs) (see also: The Potential of the Blue Economy report as well as the Community of Ocean Action on sustainable blue economy).

The World Tourism Organization defines sustainable tourism as “tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities".

Based on General assembly resolution 70/193, 2017 was declared as the  International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.

In the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development SDG target 8.9, aims to “by 2030, devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products”. The importance of sustainable tourism is also highlighted in SDG target 12.b. which aims to “develop and implement tools to monitor sustainable development impacts for sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products”.

Tourism is also identified as one of the tools to “by 2030, increase the economic benefits to Small Island developing States and least developed countries” as comprised in SDG target 14.7.

In the Rio+20 outcome document The Future We want, sustainable tourism is defined by paragraph 130 as a significant contributor “to the three dimensions of sustainable development” thanks to its close linkages to other sectors and its ability to create decent jobs and generate trade opportunities. Therefore, Member States recognize “the need to support sustainable tourism activities and relevant capacity-building that promote environmental awareness, conserve and protect the environment, respect wildlife, flora, biodiversity, ecosystems and cultural diversity, and improve the welfare and livelihoods of local communities by supporting their local economies and the human and natural environment as a whole. ” In paragraph 130, Member States also “call for enhanced support for sustainable tourism activities and relevant capacity-building in developing countries in order to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development”.

In paragraph 131, Member States “encourage the promotion of investment in sustainable tourism, including eco-tourism and cultural tourism, which may include creating small- and medium-sized enterprises and facilitating access to finance, including through microcredit initiatives for the poor, indigenous peoples and local communities in areas with high eco-tourism potential”. In this regard, Member States also “underline the importance of establishing, where necessary, appropriate guidelines and regulations in accordance with national priorities and legislation for promoting and supporting sustainable tourism”.

In 2002, the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg called for the promotion of sustainable tourism development, including non-consumptive and eco-tourism, in Chapter IV, paragraph 43 of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation.

At the Johannesburg Summit, the launch of the “Sustainable Tourism – Eliminating Poverty (ST-EP) initiative was announced. The initiative was inaugurated by the World Tourism Organization, in collaboration with UNCTAD, in order to develop sustainable tourism as a force for poverty alleviation.

The UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) last reviewed the issue of sustainable tourism in 2001, when it was acting as the Preparatory Committee for the Johannesburg Summit.

The importance of sustainable tourism was also mentioned in Agenda 21.

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• January 2017 International Year of Tourism In the context of the universal 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the International Year aims to support a change in policies, business practices and consumer behavior towards a more sustainable tourism sector that can contribute to the SDGs.
• January 2015 Targets 8.9, 12 b,14.7 The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development commits Member States, through Sustainable Development Goal Target 8.9 to “devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products”. The importance of sustainable tourism, as a driver for jobs creation and the promotion of local culture and products, is also highlighted in Sustainable Development Goal target 12.b. Tourism is also identified as one of the tools to “increase [by 2030] the economic benefits to Small Island developing States and least developed countries”, through Sustainable Development Goals Target 14.7.
• January 2012 Future We Want (Para 130-131) Sustainable tourism is defined as a significant contributor “to the three dimensions of sustainable development” thanks to its close linkages to other sectors and its ability to create decent jobs and generate trade opportunities. Therefore, Member States recognize “the need to support sustainable tourism activities and relevant capacity-building that promote environmental awareness, conserve and protect the environment, respect wildlife, flora, biodiversity, ecosystems and cultural diversity, and improve the welfare and livelihoods of local communities” as well as to “encourage the promotion of investment in sustainable tourism, including eco-tourism and cultural tourism, which may include creating small and medium sized enterprises and facilitating access to finance, including through microcredit initiatives for the poor, indigenous peoples and local communities in areas with high eco-tourism potential”.
• January 2009 Roadmap for Recovery UNWTO announced in March 2009 the elaboration of a Roadmap for Recovery to be finalized by UNWTO’s General Assembly, based on seven action points. The Roadmap includes a set of 15 recommendations based on three interlocking action areas: resilience, stimulus, green economy aimed at supporting the tourism sector and the global economy.
• January 2008 Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria The Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria represent the minimum requirements any tourism business should observe in order to ensure preservation and respect of the natural and cultural resources and make sure at the same time that tourism potential as tool for poverty alleviation is enforced. The Criteria are 41 and distributed into four different categories: 1) sustainability management, 2) social and economic 3) cultural 4) environmental.
• January 2003 WTO becomes a UN specialized body By Resolution 453 (XV), the Assembly agreed on the transformation of the WTO into a United Nations specialized body. Such transformation was later ratified by the United Nations General Assembly with the adoption of Resolution A/RES/58/232.
• January 2003 1st Int. Conf. on Climate Change and Tourism The conference was organized in order to gather tourism authorities, organizations, businesses and scientists to discuss on the impact that climate change can have on the tourist sector. The event took place from 9 till 11 April 2003 in Djerba, Tunisia.
• January 2002 World Ecotourism Summit Held in May 2002, in Quebec City, Canada, the Summit represented the most important event in the framework of the International Year of Ecosystem. The Summit identified as main themes: ecotourism policy and planning, regulation of ecotourism, product development, marketing and promotion of ecotourism and monitoring costs and benefits of ecotourism.
• January 1985 Tourism Bill of Rights and Tourist Code At the World Tourism Organization Sixth Assembly held in Sofia in 1985, the Tourism Bill of Rights and Tourist Code were adopted, setting out the rights and duties of tourists and host populations and formulating policies and action for implementation by states and the tourist industry.
• January 1982 Acapulco Document Adopted in 1982, the Acapulco Document acknowledges the new dimension and role of tourism as a positive instrument towards the improvement of the quality of life for all peoples, as well as a significant force for peace and international understanding. The Acapulco Document also urges Member States to elaborate their policies, plans and programmes on tourism, in accordance with their national priorities and within the framework of the programme of work of the World Tourism Organization.

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Sustainable development

"Tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities"

Sustainable tourism development guidelines and management practices are applicable to all forms of tourism in all types of destinations, including mass tourism and the various niche tourism segments. 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.

Thus, sustainable tourism should:

• Make optimal use of environmental resources that constitute a key element in tourism development, maintaining essential ecological processes and helping to conserve natural heritage and biodiversity.
• Respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities, conserve their built and living cultural heritage and traditional values, and contribute to inter-cultural understanding and tolerance.
• Ensure viable, long-term economic operations, providing socio-economic benefits to all stakeholders that are fairly distributed, including stable employment and income-earning opportunities and social services to host communities, and contributing to poverty alleviation.

Sustainable tourism development requires the informed participation of all relevant stakeholders, as well as strong political leadership to ensure wide participation and consensus building. Achieving sustainable tourism is a continuous process and it requires constant monitoring of impacts, introducing the necessary preventive and/or corrective measures whenever necessary.

Sustainable tourism should also maintain a high level of tourist satisfaction and ensure a meaningful experience to the tourists, raising their awareness about sustainability issues and promoting sustainable tourism practices amongst them.

COMMITTEE ON TOURISM AND SUSTAINABILITY (CTS)  

Biodiversity

UN Tourism strives to promote tourism development that supports, in equal measure, the conservation of biodiversity, the social welfare and the economic security of the host countries and communities.

Climate Action

Tourism is both highly vulnerable to climate change while at the same time contributing to it. Threats for the sector are diverse, including direct and indirect impacts such as more extreme weather events, increasing insurance costs and safety concerns, water shortages,  biodiversity loss and damage to assets and attractions at destinations, among others.

Global Tourism Plastics Initiative

The problem of plastic pollution in tourism is too big for any single organisation to fix on its own. To match the scale of the problem, changes need to take place across the whole tourism value chain.

Hotel Energy Solutions (HES)

Hotel Energy Solutions (HES) is a UN Tourism -initiated project in collaboration with a team of United Nations and EU leading agencies in Tourism and Energy . 

Observatories (INSTO)

The UN Tourism International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories (INSTO) is a network of tourism observatories monitoring the economic, environmental and social impact of tourism at the destination level. 

When responsibly planned and managed, tourism has demonstrated its capacity to support job creation, promote inclusive social integration, protect natural and cultural heritage, conserve biodiversity, generate sustainable livelihoods and improve human wellbeing.  As the sector is experiencing tremendous growth, collective efforts to ensure its long-term sustainability are essential.

Resource Efficiency in Tourism

The report aims to inspire stakeholders and encourage them to advance the implementation of the SDGs through sustainable tourism.

Small Islands Developing States (SIDS)

Small Island Developing States face numerous challenges. For a significant number, their remoteness affects their ability to be part of the global supply chain, increases import costs - especially for energy - and limits their competitiveness in the tourist industry. Many are increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change - from devastating storms to the threat of sea level rise.

Travel facilitation

Travel facilitation of tourist travel is closely interlinked with tourism development and can be a tool to foster increased demand and generate economic development, job creation and international understanding.

UNGA Sustainable Tourism Resolutions

The UN Tourism is regularly preparing reports for the General Assembly of the United Nations providing updates on sustainable tourism policies both from UN Tourism member States and States Members of the United Nations, as well as relevant agencies and programmes of the United Nations system.

Sustainable Tourism

Sustainable tourism is the form of tourism that meets the needs of tourists, the tourism industry, and host communities today without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

According to The World Tourism Organization (WTO), sustainable tourism should:

1) Make optimal use of environmental resources that constitute a key element in tourism development, maintaining essential ecological processes and helping to conserve natural heritage and biodiversity.

2) Respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities, conserve their built and living cultural heritage and traditional values, and contribute to inter-cultural understanding and tolerance.

3) Ensure viable, long-term economic operations, providing socio-economic benefits to all stakeholders that are fairly distributed including stable employment and income-earning opportunities and social services to host communities, and contributing to poverty alleviation.

Definition of Sustainable Tourism

The World Tourism Organization defines sustainable tourism in the following manner:

“Sustainable tourism development meets the needs of present tourists and host regions while protecting and enhancing opportunities for the future. It is envisaged as 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.”

While tourism is welcomed almost universally for the benefits and opportunities it creates, there is a growing recognition of the need to see tourism in its environmental context, to acknowledge that tourism and the environment are interdependent, and to work to reinforce the positive relationship between tourism , the environment and poverty reduction.

Sustainable tourism means tourism which is economically viable but does not destroy the resources on which the future of tourism will depend, notably the physical environment and the social fabric of the host community.

According to Richards , “Sustainable tourism is tourism which develops as quickly as possible, taking account of current accommodation capacity, the local population, and the environment. The development of tourism and new investment in the tourism sector should not detract from tourism itself. New tourism facilities should be integrated with the environment.”

Butler defines environmentally sustainable tourism as , “tourism which is developed and maintained in an area (community, environment) in such a manner and at such a scale that it remains viable over an infinite period and does not degrade or alter the environment (human and physical) in which it exists to such a degree that it prohibits the successful development and well being of other activities and processes.”

Sustainable Tourism Development

The World Commission on Environment and Development (The Brundtland Commission) brought the term ‘sustainable tourism development’ into common use in its seminal report (1987) called ‘Our Common Future.’

“Sustainable Development is the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

The definition has within it two concepts:

• The concept of ‘needs’, especially the needs of the poor.
• Ability to meet the present and future needs.

Basically, when we talk about sustainable development, the easiest definition is what we, the present generation, have inherited a certain amount of ecology and environment surrounding in terms of land, water, and air; when we leave it to the next generation, we should leave it at least in the same condition, of not in a better condition than what we inherited. This is the sum and substance if sustainable development, putting it in elementary terms.”

Need for Sustainable Tourism Development

Until the beginning of last decade tourism was seen as a profitable sector of business with no obvious constraints to growth, few barriers to entry to the market, an almost, universal welcome from governments and, for the most part, entailing few effective regulatory requirements to take the environment into account.

Commercial organizations, large and small, act on the Dawkin’s principle of self-interest. They do not make significant changes to the way they do business, which could be because of exhortations or out of good intentions, except in response to the pressure of external factors that cannot be avoided or to seize a competitive advantage.

International tourism has brought in a phase in which the opportunities of making quick profits from exploiting what was regarded as freely available natural resources dazzled the eyes of government and businessmen, as well as many local residents.

As there are many economic, social, ecological and political limits to tourism development, sustainable strategies are necessary to eradicate these problems.

Principles of Sustainable Tourism

Tourism Concern, 1991 in association with the Worldwide Fund for Nature(WWF) gives 1 0 principles for sustainable tourism . These are following as:

1)  Using resources sustainably. The conservation and sustainable use of resources- natural, social and cultural – is crucial and makes long-term business sense.

2) Reducing over-consumption and waste. Reduction of over-consumption and waste avoids the costs of restoring long-term environmental damage and contributes to the quality of tourism.

3) Maintaining biodiversity. Maintaining and promoting natural, social and cultural diversity is essential for long-term sustainable tourism and creates a resilient base for the industry.

4) Integrating tourism into planning. Tourism development which is integrated into a national and local strategic planning framework and which undertake environmental impact assessments increases the long-term viability of tourism.

5) Supporting local economies. Tourism that supports a wide range of local economic activities and which takes environmental costs and values into account, both protects these economies and avoids environmental damage.

6) Involving local communities. The full involvement of local communities in the tourism sector not only benefits them and the environment in general but also improves the quality of the tourism experience.

7) Consulting stakeholders and the public. Consulting between the tourism industry and local communities, organizations and institutions are essential if they are to work alongside each other and resolve potential conflicts of interest.

8) Training staff. Staff training which integrates sustainable tourism into work practices, along with recruitment of personnel at all levels, improves the quality of the tourism product.

9) Marketing tourism responsibly. Marketing that provides tourists with the full and responsible information increases respect for the natural, social and cultural environments of destination areas and enhances customer satisfaction.

10) Undertaking research. Ongoing research and monitoring by the industry using effective data collection and analysis are essential to help solve problems and to bring benefits to destinations, the industry, and consumers.

Three Dimensions of Sustainable Tourism

Tourism has environmental, economic and social impacts. Sustainable tourism is about maximizing the impacts which are positive and minimizing the negative ones.

• Environmental

Environmental Dimension

To many people, sustainability is about the environment, primarily the natural, physical environment, and its protection. However, there is far more to the environment than just the natural landscape.

Let us now move on to look at the five aspects of the environment:

The Natural Resources

Tourism makes use of a range of natural resources, and in many cases, the core attraction of a destination’s product may be natural resources such as clean air, land, mineral waters, and the water in lakes and seas.

The Natural Environment

There are few natural landscape or wilderness areas left in the world. Almost all natural landscapes have been affected to some extent by the actions of man through the centuries. Tourism is only one industry or activity which changes landscapes.

The natural landscape represents the core of the tourism product in many areas including natural forests, mountains, and regions which attract tourists because of their rivers and lakes.

The Farmed Environment

The farmed environment can cover a diverse range of agricultural systems including agriculture landscapes, man-made forests, and fish farms.

Wildlife has a number of dimensions such as land-based mammals and reptiles, flora, birds, insects, fish, and marine mammals. Tourism can clearly be very harmful to wildlife through the destruction of habitats, affecting feeding habits, disrupting breeding patterns, fires in woodlands and people picking rare plants.

The Build Environment

We also need to recognize that, in term of tourism, there are several dimensions to the built environment such as individual buildings and structures, villages and townscapes, transport infrastructure, dams, and reservoirs.

Economic Dimension

In the debate over sustainable tourism, the economic dimension is often given relatively scant attention compared to the environmental issues. Tourism is an economic phenomenon because:

• It is a major industry and foreign currency earner.
• It is the basis of the growth of many transnational corporations.
• It accounts for a significant proportion of the annual disposable income.

Economic Benefits of Tourism

Tourism contributes to the economy of a country in various ways. Economic benefits of tourism are following as:

• Job creation
• Injection of income into the local economy through the multiplier effect.
• Helping keep the local business viable.
• Infrastructure development.
• Attracts the foreign direct investments.

Economic Costs of Tourism

There are many economic benefits of tourism as well as costs. Economic costs of the tourism are following as:

• Many jobs are low paid and seasonal.
• Opportunity costs.
• Congestion.
• The need to invest in expensive infrastructure which may only be required for part of the year.
• Over-dependence on tourism makes the host economy vulnerable.

Social Dimension

The social dimension of tourism has been given less attention in the sustainable tourism debates, than the environmental impacts of tourism. This is because the socio-cultural impacts of tourism usually occur slowly over time in an unspectacular fashion. They are also largely invisible and intangible.

The social impact of tourism is usually permanent with little or no opportunity to reverse the changes once it has taken place. When the social impact of sustainable tourism has been considered the focus has normally been upon the host community .

There are a number of factors that determine whether or not the balance of socio-cultural impacts will be positive or negative in a particular location including:

• The strength and coherence of the local society and culture.
• The nature of tourism in the resort.
• The level of economic and social development of the host population in relation to the tourists.
• The measures were taken by the public sector in the destination to manage tourism in ways which minimize the socio-cultural costs of tourism.

An Introduction to Sustainable Tourism

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Sustainable Tourism Analysis Essay

Introduction, why sustainability is important, belize – an example of sustainability, what can be learned from these cases, reference list.

Sustainable tourism implies great social responsibility, the fulfilment of obligations in relation to nature Sustainability is not possible without active participation of local population – they should act as a driving force behind the management of tourism activities. Therefore, it requires massive volumes of investment and discipline in order to make tourism sustainable. Perceived costs have made people wonder whether or not it is feasible to achieve sustainability in mass tourism. On the one hand, experts state that it is economically not possible to sustain tourism because of a lack of financial incentives. On the other hand, people claim the opposite – tourism can be sustainable and profitable at the same time, but rigorous work is required to accomplish this task. This paper will discuss three examples of sustainable tourism and explore whether or not mass tourism sustainability is achievable.

In recent decades, the tourism sector has demonstrated that it can stimulate economic development and help create new jobs. Modern tourism is an important socio-economic sector, accounting for about 10% of world GDP and 7% of world trade. 1 It also accounts for one of 10 jobs in the world. About 1.2 billion people annually travel and cross borders – because of this fact, tourism has become a means of intercultural dialogue, social integration, peace, reconciliation, and development. 2 The UN Assembly declared 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. 3 It included tourism to the list of 17 Sustainable Development Goals approved by leading countries of the world. At the same time, society is witnessing the industry’s diversification in terms of new directions and markets, the growing influence of new technologies, and a change in the structure of consumer needs. The desire for authenticity and unique experiences is among the ever-increasing motivations for travelling.

Because of the growing number of people that travel abroad and an increase in consumption, it has become necessary to consider attaining sustainable means of delivering tourism products. Without new methods and approaches, irreparable damage can be done to the environment and the biosphere. Instead of thinking of economic profit, countries should work on sustaining the environment to save the planet for future generations. However, individuals and companies always act in their self-interest and incentivizing the industry to consider sustainable approaches is becoming the most crucial topic. While the majority of the world is pondering how to accomplish this objective, however, some countries have successfully integrated the philosophy of sustainability into their tourism sectors. Among the notable examples are the islands of Belize, Norway and Bhutan.

Belize has doubled its commitment to tourism that protects the environment at all costs without offering massive and extensive services. With their meticulous offer of boutique hotels and the crystal-clear waters that every diver dreams of, the country is reducing waste and pollution. Belize’s Minister of Tourism Manuel Heredia unveiled a new campaign in Mexico City with an ambitious plan to promote the industry and attract Latin American and Mexican guests, due to their geographical proximity and cultural and historical similarities. 4 Located on the Yucatan Peninsula, between Guatemala and Mexico, Belize, with a population of just 400,000 people, receives one and a half million tourists from cruise liners. 5 Another 490,000 people come to Belize on their own, and most of them are from the United States, Europe and Canada. 6 Heredia emphasised the significance of sustainability for the Belizean tourism sector.

The fact that the country is working toward sustainability can be evidenced by several factors. More than 65% of the island’s area and waters are protected areas. 7 Also, in around 800 small boutique hotels, there are only 9000 rooms for living, and that all local restaurants belong to small entrepreneurs in the country. 8 There are no international food companies such as McDonald’s and Burger King on the island, which may contribute to pollution and waste. 9 Belize is demonstrating that sustainability can be reached if people will be satisfied with small profit margins and focus on serving a large population in small chunks. Therefore, the government does not allow the construction of large hotels.

This country also has made vital steps toward sustainability in tourism. Some regions show a little more concern for the environment than others. In Norway, they care about ecology, a unique culture, local way of life and the well-being of visitors. Norway’s strategy for sustainability is different than it is in Belize – instead of promoting a nation-wide campaign, the Norwegian government is focusing on its small regions in isolation. Therefore, different destinations may have varying levels of sustainability. 10 The certificate of environmentally sustainable destinations is the only Scandinavian certificate for travel destinations. Its goal is to support the development of initiatives and enterprises whose activities are related to ecology, concern for the local customs, cultural heritage and economy of the region. Although this certificate does not mean that the area is 100% environmentally friendly, it indicates that the region has already started its path to achieve this goal. 11 Destinations are evaluated every three years and are given recommendations if shortcomings are discovered.

Like Belize, Norway is not concentrating on providing massive services. Their perception of sustainability is limited to offering products aimed at smaller audiences. The Minister of Labour and Social Inclusion, Roe Isaksen, confirmed that Norway is not leaning toward scalability and large profits. Instead, the country will achieve its sustainability goals by limiting the number of visitors. As stated by many of the local guides, one of the primary issues is the tourists’ lack of knowledge of regional environmental characteristics. It is safe to assume that Norway will be willing to accept only those tourists that are prepared for such an environment. Necessary knowledge may include information on how to preserve local fauna and ecosystem. Local guides are instructed to inform tourists about implications regarding a region’s sustainability strategy.

Bhutan is one of the notable examples of sustainability in tourism. Untouched by colonialism, the country had the opportunity to keep local customs safe from external impact. This situation allowed the country to develop the tourism industry using the principles of sustainability. Despite being open to foreigners, the government is aware that tourists can influence the unique and almost untouched landscapes of Bhutan and its culture. Therefore, it has limited tourist activity from the beginning, preferring top-quality tourism. Since 1991, the Bhutan Tourism Corporation has been operating as a quasi-autonomous and self-financing organization that implements the government’s tourism policy. 12 The Bhutanese government, however, privatized the corporation in October 1991, promoting private investment and operations. As a result, in 2000, there were already more than 75 licensed travel companies in the country. 13 Each tourist must pay a high fee for each day of stay in the country.

The number of tourists entering the country is not limited and is determined by the number of places in hotels. However, the daily visitor tariff ensures that only a qualified audience enters the state. 14 The collected money is then used to invest in the modernization of the tourism facilities so that they meet contemporary requirements for sustainability. Much of the infrastructure, education and healthcare is financed from the funds attained from incoming tourists. 15 Like Norway and Belize, Bhutan is aiming toward sustainable but limited tourism. However, the government’s method is different from the strategies proposed by Norway and Belize. Because the current quantitative evidence is insufficient, it is not yet possible whether or not such measures are contributing to sustainability. 16 However, preliminary analysis and visitor reviews suggest that Bhutan is moving toward in the correct direction.

Belize, Norway, and Bhutan are proving that sustainable tourism is a feasible objective. However, there are also significant implications to consider, and each of these countries is providing their examples. Belize is not aiming at providing a wide range of tourist products. The country is concentrating on preserving its environment by limiting the diversification of the product portfolio. Food and beverage services and accommodation are delegated to small local companies. This approach is allowing the country to eliminate the presence of large organizations which may contribute to waste and pollution.

Norway has a different approach – it is going toward compliance and readiness. The country’s goal is to allow each region to have its own strategy and provide certificates to those who demonstrated compliance. This method may increase competitiveness between regions and improve the overall quality of tourist services while ensuring sustainability. Currently, there are differences between sustainability levels of varying regions. It can be expected that all areas of the country will achieve their objectives in the coming years, however.

Bhutan is aiming at providing high-quality tourism with a negligible impact on the environment by imposing tariffs. This approach limits the number of people visiting the country while still generating sufficient amount of profit. All three countries believe that only by limiting the number of tourists, it is possible to sustain tourism activities. These cases raise several questions, including whether or not it is possible to make massive tourism sustainable. According to the provided examples, however, massiveness contradicts to sustainability. Instead of being self-indulgent and pursuing economic prosperity, tourism companies should become more responsible. It is reasonable to conclude that despite the overall increase in revenues, tourism may become a privilege of only those who can afford it.

This paper provided several examples of how sustainable tourism is being implemented around the world. It is too early to discuss the environmental impact of these initiatives. In summary, sustainable tourism is only possible when the number of tourists is controlled and constrained. Despite differing approaches, Belize, Norway and Bhutan are ultimately aiming toward limiting the number of incoming tourists. Local companies, to compensate for the difference, may raise prices, which will impact the travelling potential of the majority of the population. In other words, sustainable tourism may become a luxury product for a minority that can pay for it.

Chow, M. J. T., Tourism in Belize: Ensuring Sustained Growth , Washington, International Monetary Fund, 2019.

Edgell, D., Managing Sustainable Tourism: A Legacy for the Future , New York, Routledge, 2020.

Hall, C. M., and Allan M. W., Tourism and Innovation , New York, Routledge, 2020.

Hall, C. M., and Stephen J. P. (eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Tourism in Asia , New York, Routledge, 2017.

Lyngnes, S., and Prebensen, N., ‘Sustainable Mountain Tourism in Norway’, CAUTHE 2020: New Perspectives on the Diversity of Hospitality, Tourism and Events , Auckland, New Zealand, University of Technology, pp. 522-524.

Mathou, T., ‘Bhutan in 2016: A New Era Is Born’, Asian Survey , vol. 57, no. 1, 2017, pp. 56-59.

• D. Edgell, Managing Sustainable Tourism: A Legacy for the Future , New York, Routledge, 2020, p. 10.
• D. Edgell, Managing Sustainable Tourism: A Legacy for the Future , New York, Routledge, 2020, p. 12.
• M. J. T. Chow, Tourism in Belize: Ensuring Sustained Growth , Washington, International Monetary Fund, 2019, p. 4.
• M. J. T. Chow, Tourism in Belize: Ensuring Sustained Growth , Washington, International Monetary Fund, 2019, p. 6.
• M. J. T. Chow, Tourism in Belize: Ensuring Sustained Growth , Washington, International Monetary Fund, 2019, p. 8.
• M. J. T. Chow, Tourism in Belize: Ensuring Sustained Growth , Washington, International Monetary Fund, 2019, p. 9.
• S. Lyngnes and N. Prebensen, ‘Sustainable Mountain Tourism in Norway’, CAUTHE 2020: New Perspectives on the Diversity of Hospitality, Tourism and Events , Auckland, New Zealand, University of Technology, p. 522.
• T. Mathou, ‘Bhutan in 2016: A New Era Is Born’, Asian Survey , vol. 57, no. 1, 2017, p. 57.
• T. Mathou, ‘Bhutan in 2016: A New Era Is Born’, Asian Survey , vol. 57, no. 1, 2017, p. 58.
• C. M. Hall, and J. P. Stephen (eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Tourism in Asia , New York, Routledge, 2017, p. 42
• C. M. Hall, and M. W. Allan, Tourism and Innovation , New York, Routledge, 2020, p. 57.
• Chicago (A-D)
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IvyPanda. (2022, February 19). Sustainable Tourism Analysis. https://ivypanda.com/essays/sustainable-tourism-analysis/

"Sustainable Tourism Analysis." IvyPanda , 19 Feb. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/sustainable-tourism-analysis/.

IvyPanda . (2022) 'Sustainable Tourism Analysis'. 19 February.

IvyPanda . 2022. "Sustainable Tourism Analysis." February 19, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/sustainable-tourism-analysis/.

1. IvyPanda . "Sustainable Tourism Analysis." February 19, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/sustainable-tourism-analysis/.

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IvyPanda . "Sustainable Tourism Analysis." February 19, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/sustainable-tourism-analysis/.

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The global sustainability standards in travel and tourism, what is sustainable tourism.

There are many terms that float around that may sound similar but actually refer to something distinct.

Definition of Sustainable Tourism

Negative impacts to a destination include economic leakage, damage to the natural environment and overcrowding to name a few.

Positive impacts to a destination include job creation, cultural heritage preservation and interpretation, wildlife preservation landscape restoration, and more.

Sustainable tourism is defined by the UN Environment Program and UN World Tourism Organization as “tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities.”

Additionally, they say that sustainable tourism “refers 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 & UNWTO , 2005: 11-12. Making Tourism More Sustainable – A Guide for Policy Makers ).

Definition of Ecotourism

Fennell described it as such: “Ecotourism is a sustainable form of natural resource-based tourism that focuses primarily on experiencing and learning about nature, and which is ethically managed to be low-impact, non-consumptive, and locally-oriented. It typically occurs in natural areas, and should contribute to the conservation or preservation of such areas” (Fennell, 1999: 43. Ecotourism: An Introduction ).

The  Mohonk Agreement (2000) , a proposal for international certification of Sustainable Tourism and Ecotourism, saw ecotourism as “sustainable tourism with a natural area focus, which benefits the environment and communities visited, and fosters environmental and cultural understanding, appreciation, and awareness.”

The ecotourism definition by the  Global Ecotourism Network (GEN) : “Ecotourism is responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and creates knowledge and understanding through interpretation and education of all involved (visitors, staff and the visited).”

Definitions of Responsible Travel

Responsible Travel refers to the behavior of individual travelers aspiring to make choices according to sustainable tourism practices. The behaviors usually align with minimizing the negative impacts and maximizing positive ones when one visits a tourism destination.

Travelers that want to learn more about how to be a responsible traveler can visit the section on the GSTC website For Travelers .

Summary of the difference between Sustainable Tourism, Ecotourism, and Responsible Travel

Ecotourism is a niche segment of tourism in natural areas.

Sustainable Tourism does not refer to a specific type of tourism, rather it is an aspiration for the impacts of all forms of tourism to be sustainable for generations to come.

Responsible Travel is a term referring to the behavior and style of individual travelers. The behaviors align with making a positive impact to the destination rather than negative ones.

Sustainable Tourism and the GSTC Criteria

They are the result of a worldwide effort to develop a common language about sustainability in tourism. They are categorized in four pillars: (A) Sustainable management; (B) Socioeconomic impacts; (C) Cultural impacts; (D) Environmental impacts.

These standards were built on decades of prior work from industry experts around the globe. During the process of development, they were widely consulted in both developed and developing countries. They reflect our goal in attaining a global consensus on sustainable tourism.

The process of developing the Criteria was designed to adhere to the standards-setting code of the ISEAL Alliance. The ISEAL Alliance is the international body providing guidance for the management of sustainability standards in all sectors. That code is informed by relevant ISO standards .

Finally, the GSTC Criteria are the starting goals that businesses, governments, and destinations should achieve. Tourism destinations each have their own culture, environment, customs, and laws. Therefore, the Criteria are designed to be adapted to local conditions and supplemented by additional criteria for the specific location and activity.

There are three sets of Criteria

• GSTC Industry Criteria = relates to the sustainable management of private sector travel industry, focusing currently on Hotels and Tour Operators.
• GSTC Destination Criteria = relates to sustainable management of Tourism Destinations.
• GSTC MICE Criteria = relates to sustainable management of Venues, Event Organizers and Events & Exhibitions.

Learn more about Sustainable Tourism

Reading one article is not enough. The GSTC website offers those interested in learning more about sustainable tourism the needed resources. Make sure you visit the relevant pages for you:

• For Hotels & Accommodations
• For Tour Operators
• For Governments & Destinations
• For Corporate and Business Travel

You can also join one of the regular GSTC courses:

• Want to gain in-depth knowledge of the GSTC Criteria and understand sustainable tourism? The GSTC Sustainable Tourism course is for you.
• Engaged with corporate and business travel? The GSTC Sustainable Business Travel course is for you.
• Are you a hotelier or work in the hospitality sector? GSTC Sustainable Hotel course

GSTC Sustainable Tourism Training Schedule

✓ Gain in-depth knowledge of the GSTC Criteria, the global standard for sustainability in travel and tourism. ✓ Make informed decisions on how to implement sustainability practices for your company or destination. ✓ Get ready for developing viable and actionable sustainable tourism policies and practices for your organization

I’ve participated in the course to get a comprehensive overview of destination sustainability criteria. Much more than this, the course gave me the up-to-date analysis of current trends, and a huge number of relevant cases from the destinations, the industry networks and the service providers. I strongly recommend to attend the course.

My course facilitator and teacher (Ayako and Antje) went above and beyond to answer our questions and provide us with additional resources. The course content (the GSTC Criteria) was delivered in an understandable and organized way. Learning the GSTC Criteria and how it applies to our own projects, businesses, and destinations is integral to anyone wanting to do any kind of work in the future centered around travel. I appreciated that the course was delivered in an interactive way over Zoom, and not just something we watched on YouTube. For me, being able to interact with fellow students from around the world, was a big plus. Was well worth it, and I highly recommend the course!

This course has been very relevant and provides in-depth knowledge of GSTC criteria for sustainable practices for destinations as well as the travel industry [with] plenty of real life examples and share links to plenty of reading material throughout the course. … As we move forward during these difficult COVID times, learning our lessons on the damage to nature, it becomes all the more important for industry professionals to get trained and step up efforts to embrace sustainability in all aspects of tourism. Hence, I recommend this course to all industry professionals.

This course enables participants to connect with the GSTC team directly, over an easy to use platform and network around the world. Using real life examples and detail in each of the 4 sections of the GSTC.

The GSTC training was a great way to connect, network, and engage in mind-broadening and eye-opening discussions with others in the diverse field of sustainable tourism. I would highly recommend this as a starting point for anyone interested in the journey of regenerative and sustainable tourism.

The course was great and the on- the-go discussions added great value to keep abreast of trends from across the globe. Participants from various parts of the world brought in their experiences and made the course very interesting.

Hearing about actual destinations applying Sustainable Tourism initiatives and learning from real situations practicing Sustainable Tourism, as well as the related successes and challenges, was very informative and valuable. My favorite part was the unexpected camaraderie from and connections with the other participants. I genuinely enjoyed the online discussion, sharing of ideas, and breakout groups and, overall, meeting so many others who she a passion for Sustainable Tourism. Thank you, GSTC, for a great course!

A complete holistic approach to sustainable tourism. The comprehensive lessons given each week break down the GSTC Criteria and are paired with practical examples, international experts and ‘hands on’ online workshops. The opportunity to discuss and share insights from all the participants around the world not only contributes to my own knowledge but to also my professional network. I highly recommend this course for anyone discovering sustainable tourism.

The course is quick and handy way to immerse in the issues of Sustainability in Tourism and a great kick start in starting your own business or destination program. I could have had the course even longer and especially the live sessions were great to get to know some of the other participants and share their knowledge and experiences – best practices are the best way to get started and to get valuable information. Highly recommended!

The course was so informative and presented in an engaging & interesting way. The examples & speakers gave us a lot to think about and many tangible ways that we can make a difference in our travel business. Thank you!

This course has given me an approach to the GSTC Criteria, where the basic and complete structure to move forward on sustainable paths is visualized. The reflections generated through real examples, discussions and available material are key to better internalize what sustainability means. Ideas applicable to our business and our work area appear during the course that contribute positively to one’s reality. I will recommend this course, for its contribution to the objective, honest and constructive understanding of what sustainability is.

I can only highly recommend the course for every travel and tourism professional- it is a great motivational boost to get into action and helps me support destinations in bringing the idea of destination stewardship – an inclusive and holistic approach – alive. We do not need more and more tourists, we need sustainable tourism.

Taking the GSTC training at this point in time was extremely valuable. It gave me a sustainable tourism framework to help assess what I’ve been able to accomplish and also consider the role that sustainable experiential travel may mean as we begin to inch our way out of the world of zero tourism towards something likely new and different. One other great benefit of the training was starting to get acquainted and sharing with other participants and instructors from around the globe. These connections will be valuable for a very long time to come.

I found this online course well structured and enjoyable. The trainers are really inspiring, extremely knowledgeable about the field and very supportive. The live online sessions give a great introduction to key topics, and there are online lessons, discussion forums and reference material to deepen knowledge. I feel like I have access to so much wisdom, and it is great to be part of a global community of sustainable tourism practitioners.

Thank you GSTC for such a great course. The content was relevant, the case studies were inspiring and the course structure was spot on! I can’t wait to take my learnings and inspiration and activate it across regional destinations in Australia. Keep up the great work.

What I liked the most about this course is the well-defined structure, the opinion sharing with online classmates, and the up-to-date topics. It makes the experience much more effective and enjoyable.

Excellent course that sets the foundations for sustainable tourism practice.I was very new with sustainable tourism and now after the course I have very solid understanding and skills to apply to my job. In addition, the amazing network of professionals sharing ideas is another great tool!

This course provided me with a thorough understanding of how to implement sustainable travel practices. I will definitely integrate information from this training into my work with travel organizations and destinations to help them achieve short-term progress through a long-term strategy.

The GSTC training provides a comprehensive overview of key indicators for a holistic view of sustainable tourism. The training provided an excellent opportunity to network with other tourism professionals, and to share ideas, develop plans, and comment on sustainable tourism initiatives that are being implemented in a diverse array of locations globally. I’m grateful for the connections that I made and for the helpful feedback on ideas for improving sustainability in several operations.

Useful and inspiring! The way the course is organised with lots of practical experience from colleagues in the tourism sector is indeed the most useful and interesting part of the course, [making it easier] to approach the GSTC criteria.

The GSTC course was really great to me because it gave me an in-depth knowledge about sustainable tourism. The combination of the criteria explanation and the presentation from other experts was really great, as it gave us the know-how, lots of samples and case studies. Before joining this course, I had heard about the term sustainable tourism many times, but [was not sure] what it is all about and how we can achieve it. I am glad to have gained the bigger picture of sustainable tourism. I’m developing my village to be a community based tourism destination, and now I can adopt and apply the standard locally.

A great training program that gives the participants a thorough understanding on the sustainable management of both destinations and individual businesses. Anyone from the industry – from the business or the government side – should understand the bigger picture of the destination level management as well as the industrial level so that both public and private sectors can work together for a more sustainable tourism industry.

The GSTC Sustainable Tourism Training Program provided an up-to-date perspective and holistic approach on the topic. I really enjoyed taking part in the group discussions and hearing about the realities of other destinations and their challenges.

I think the training was very useful and gave me many insights that I will use in my daily work to develop more sustainable tourism. The training class was also a good group for networking.

The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) is the most widely recognized institution for offering sustainability courses for tourism professionals.

This is a one-of-a-kind course that provides the tools in getting you started. Not to mention, you’re also collaborating with people and organizations across the globe facing similar challenges. The feedback from fellow students was invaluable and honestly, what better way to tackle some big challenges related to the environment than with people from different countries and backgrounds. I’d take this course again just for those connections!

The [GSTC course] has been a remarkable learning experience and a great introduction to sustainable tourism. The combination of online resources, discussion forums, weekly live events with guest presenters provides a deeper understanding and useful tools in sustainable tourism. The trainers have incredible expertise in both tourism and sustainability and share their knowledge and passion about current sustainability practices. I would highly recommend this course to everyone involved in the tourism industry or have a interest in sustainable tourism.

An excellent programme run by well qualified professional staff and trainers. The guest speakers were world class and materials industry leading. A definite must for any tourism professional who is serious about making sustainable impacts for the betterment of our industry.

Amazing learning experience. Exceeded my expectations by far. Excellently organized and facilitated. Great dynamics in discussions with course participants – so much to learn from. Highly valuable best practices and interactive modules really made the best learning experience I had until now! It really motivated and inspired me to continue on the road of global sustainable tourism.

The GSTC Sustainable Tourism Training gave me the tools and network to be able to work for a more sustainable tourism sector in the area where I’m based (South Sweden). The structure with the four principles makes it easy to follow and to discuss also outside the GSTC world. The examples from the other participants were great, and we will continue sharing good and bad examples from destinations all over the world.

To work on sustainability is a never-ending story and can be overwhelming at times. The GSTC training supports a structured approach toward continuous improvement. It provides applicable tools to evaluate our sustainability performance and guidance for setting long-term strategies. It allows you to break down this massive task into achievable working packages.

The GSTC training was a great first touch point for me into the world of sustainable tourism and destination management. I loved hearing case studies from around the world and real life examples on how the GSTC criteria can make a difference. The course has enabled me to start building on these criteria within my job.

The training has enable me to go through all the GSTC Criteria thoroughly with better knowledge of sustainable tourism standard and practices. It will be useful as basic guidelines for the Foundation to use these Criteria, as the destination wants to embark in becoming a sustainable tourism destination, aiming to become GSTC-Certified.

I would definitely recommend GSTC training to absolutely everyone in the tourism industry. The entire [GSTC] framework is extremely useful and important – a framework of values and ideas that is evolving, and that is meant for us a roadmap to make things better for people and companies that may be starting from different points in the journey towards sustainability.

The quality of this training was really first class; materials, presentations, trainer support, resources and discussions. The forum helped keep everything relevant and up to date, and I also liked the format of the live events. All guest presenters were excellent; I liked that they were sharing real life experiences and not just theoretical examples. From each and every live presentation I gained ideas, reinforcements to my own experiences and enthusiasm for what I and my colleagues are doing in our own part of the world.

The STTP programme has been a good introduction to the principles of sustainable tourism. It was a good mix of presentations and cases of sustainable tourism in real-life, insights from experts from various countries and across tourism sectors and explanation of key GSTC criteria. Participants were encouraged to share their experiences and observations through discussion forums and presentations, which made the sessions more lively. The final exam is recommended for those who wish to test their ability to put these principles to practice. I highly recommend this course to tourism industry professionals wishing to incorporate sustainable tourism management at work.

The GSTC training provided me with a deep understanding of the criteria. My fellow classmates were industry experts in various sectors from around the world, bringing the criteria to life with valuable examples/discussions of how they have implemented the very practices we were learning.

My first impression was the organization, it was perfect regarding the admin efforts and the learning tools. The course materials were really useful, as well as the live sessions from which I gained a deep understanding and experience from the other participants. I really want to have the chance to thank all the team who was involved, and of course I would recommend people working in the tourism industry to join this course

The training gave me a clear understanding of the challenges we face and the actions to take to make sustainability effective, [covering] each of the main areas in a systematic way with enough technical detail for those who needed it, without losing the less technical trainees (like myself) who needed to understand the broad overview of sustainable tourism practices

The overview of standards, coupled with best practice and real world examples has been very beneficial for my work in destination management and responsible tourism development. The ability to meet likeminded industry colleagues, who are working in this arena was also highly valuable.

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What is sustainable tourism? essay

What is sustainable tourism? This is a move in the tourism industry that is aimed at avoiding excessive or no damage at all to the environment (Jesel 1999). It also means that there should be no damage to the economy nor the locations’ cultures of where it is intended to take place. Tourism has previously been seen as a menace to the various local communities in the world. It has therefore hit the international bodies and organisations that deal with tourism that they should come up with measures and ways of making tourism be accepted by the local people and not just view it as an avenue for income.

Tourism has to be sustainable in order for both the tourists and the local inhabitants to benefit mutually. The environment is a major aspect in the tourism industry and therefore cannot be ignored any means (Jesel 1999). This paper shall address the fact that tourism in most countries and locations has not been sustainable despite various measures having been put in place. The community should be involved either directly or indirectly in order to achieve the intended aims of sustainable tourism. Efforts that have been put in place to address Sustainable Tourism.

There have been efforts to address the problems facing sustainable tourism and also the way forward towards achieving the intended aims. This has been catalysed by the concern of various bodies in the world. Conferences and meetings have been attended and are still scheduled for attending. In 2004, there was a meeting in Segonia(Spain) where various issues were articulated and remedies were proposed. This also took place in Bologna(Italy) in the year 2006. Such meetings have been viewed as being so helpful to both the community and the entire tourism sector.

This year, 2008, there will be such a meeting in Malta (Moire 1999). Such efforts show that there is actually something wrong in the way tourism is impacting either positively or negatively to the local communities in the various tourism destinations. The theme for the 2008 sustainable tourism is to come up with new ways and modalities on how to achieve the set aims and objectives. It is suggested that such measures will include the incorporation of the community at large in managing and planning of the tourism sector.

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This will therefore lead to proper decision making as they affect mostly the local community and not the tourists (Moire 1999). The meeting and/or the conference will also look at the ways of enhancing sustainability in both the sociological, economical and environmental spheres. Among these, mechanisms and ways of enforcing proper governance in order to support the existence of sustainable tourism shall also be discussed in the forum. Such efforts are among the many that are being put in place so as to try and address the issues ones and for all.

Attempts to foster Sustainable Tourism and the problems involved. Several attempts have been explored with the aim of fostering sustainable tourism but they have been countered by various problems. The locals should actually be involved in the planning and managing of the tourism industry as a way of achieving sustainable development in the tourism sector. There are many reasons that have thwarted the attempts. Such reasons include: Lack of corporation between the tourists and the local communities where tourism is destined. Many tourists view the locals as people who do not deserve what they are demanding for.

This has led to a negative attitude among the local community towards the foreigners in the name of tourists (Moire 1999). There is also the problem of selfishness. Most of the visitors are viewed as being self centered and that they only care about what will directly benefit them. Such type of attitude cannot lead to the success of sustainable tourism as both involved parties act parallel to each other with no synchronisation at all. The tourists do not care about what will happen to the environment when they leave for their countries.

There is also the problem of lack of proper mechanisms in place about who does what and under what circumstances. Tourists are left to do whatever they feel is right without real concern about the effect to the local community. Such mechanisms could include policies which say that the tourists should give help in other social happenings and projects in the communities (Moire 1999). These could include contributing towards the digging of boreholes, educating those children that are not well off and also facilitating other social amenities in the community.

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Sustainability in Tourism Industry

Introduction.

Tourism is one of the world’s fastest developing industries, with its continuous growth having an enormous impact on the environment. Following the rise of environmental awareness over the last several decades, a number of strategies and initiatives were introduced to address the issue, with the concept of sustainability being one of them. Implementations of this concept in the tourism industry involve establishing the balance between environmental, economic, and social aspects within the industry and reducing the negative impacts of tourism activities. The purpose of this paper is to explore the negative impacts of tourism on the environment, the concept of sustainability, and the ways in which it can be implemented in the tourism industry.

Environmental Impact of the Tourism Industry

With tourism being one of the world’s fastest-growing industries, its environmental impacts have increased dramatically over the last several decades. Tourism is almost wholly dependent on the environment, with its primary sources being natural resources (beaches, seas, mountains, lakes, rivers, etc.) and man-made attractions (historical buildings, heritage sites, monuments, etc.) While the development of tourism provides a number of benefits to the region, including the creation of new jobs, the development of the infrastructure, and a boost to the economy, it also puts enormous pressure on the local environment.

The environmental impacts of tourism are mainly linked with the increase in transportation and the number of visitors to the region, and the development of general infrastructure (roads, airports, resorts, marinas, hotels, restaurants, etc.). Negative impacts occur when the flow of tourists is greater than the region’s ability to cope with it (Sunlu, 2003). It especially concerns areas providing an authentic experience to visitors, such as rain forests, wilderness, lakes and rivers, coastline and marine environments, rural villages, and mountain areas. These negative impacts include increased pollution, natural habitat loss, soil erosion, and increased pressure on indigenous communities and local wildlife.

The tourism’s rapid growth poses a threat to many regions around the world, placing stress on the local culture and environment. This is particularly the case with developing countries where the tourism industry is usually uncontrolled and poorly managed, resulting in the degradation, depletion and, in some cases, total destruction of essential natural resources (Mikayilov et al ., 2019). The most critical issue the tourism industry now has to face is its negative impacts destroying the very things on which it depends.

The Concept of Sustainability

Sustainability is a concept of a balanced environment that addresses the challenge of aligning the consumption of a rapidly expanding population with the limitations of the planet’s natural resources. The goals of sustainable development, as identified by the 2005 World Summit on Social Development, are economic development, social development, and environmental protection (Ritchie and Crouch, 2003). With the growing global awareness of the dangers of climate change and global warming, the concept of sustainability is becoming increasingly popular in all areas of human life.

The principles of sustainability are implemented in the tourism industry through the concept of sustainable tourism. The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO, 2013, p. 10) defines sustainable tourism as “tourism that takes full account of its current and future impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment, and host communities.” The purpose of sustainable tourism is to establish a balance between cultural integrity, environmental protection, social justice, and economic benefits while addressing the needs of the population and reducing the damage to the environment (Ritchie and Crouch, 2003). It provides an answer to the challenges that the tourism industry now faces and suggests a long-term solution.

Implementation of the Principles of Sustainability in Tourism Industry

Implementation of sustainability principles in tourism suggests sharing environmental responsibility between national governments, local businesses, and tourists. While governments and international organizations, such as the UNWTO, establish the general strategy of tourism development, each community and company within the industry takes their own actions to facilitate this strategy (Qian, 2018). Everyone involved in tourism activities is encouraged to participate in implementing the principles of responsible tourism.

On the international level, the pillars of sustainability are economic development, social justice, and environmental integrity. Environmental objectives include finding the best ways to use natural resources, protecting ecological processes, and supporting the preservation of the region’s resources and biodiversity (Bac, 2008). A number of international organizations, including the UNWTO and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, establish the general principles of sustainable tourism and international industry standards. On the regional level, the aims of local businesses and organizations include:

• Preservation of cultural values— encouraging the region’s social and cultural development and ensuring that the company’s activities do not run contrary to the country’s natural, cultural, and historical values.
• Reduction of the environmental impact—using renewable energy sources, recycled materials, rational water and energy consumption, and sustainable waste management.
• Support of local population and businesses—creating jobs for local communities’ members, favoriting local businesses that conserve cultural heritage and traditional views, addressing local communities’ needs, increasing the local residents’ quality of life.
• Development of visitors’ environmental, cultural, and political awareness—finding new language and ways to explain crucial environmental and social issues to the general public.

The environmental impact of tourism can be reduced by each traveler by implementing the same principles. The key elements of each tourist’s desired behavior include being respectful to the local traditions and aware of the culture, economy, and politics of the communities visited, as well as being respectful to the natural environment. The main aim of any tourist is to make a destination better rather than worse by visiting it.

The principles of sustainability as they are applied to tourism include meeting the demands of both tourists and the local community while creating beneficial effects on the environment. In order to achieve these goals, all members of the tourism industry need to implement this approach in their everyday life and incorporate it into their long-term management plans (Koncul, 2017). There are several ways in which the tourism industry can take part in environmental protection and conservation:

• Financial contributions. They can include contributions directly to local areas and habitats, special conservation programs and activities, and government organizations.
• Improved environmental management and planning. By conducting a thorough analysis of the impact of tourism on local natural resources, the owners of tourist facilities, such as hotels and resorts, can develop a relevant management strategy. It should be aimed at reducing the negative impact of tourism activities, development planning, preventing mistakes, and careful usage and preservation of natural resources (Angelevska-Najdeska and Rakicevik, 2012).
• Raising of environmental awareness. It can include encouraging visitors to implement the principles of sustainable consumption, informing them on local environmental issues, inviting them to participate in relevant activities, and promoting environmentally conscious behavior.
• Protection and preservation. It includes the introduction of policies aimed at protecting the local environment and the organization of various activities to support them.

One of the most popular ways to promote environmental awareness is to make it trendy. One of the most vivid examples of this approach is the concept of ecotourism, which has become increasingly popular over the last several decades. International Ecotourism Society defines ecotourism as “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and involves interpretation and education” ( The International Ecotourism Society, no date, para. 2). Ecotourism is based on the principles of maintaining the harmony between people and nature, the efficient use of resources, and a principle of respect that encourages to save resources from use rather than use them (Fennell, 2020). Ecotourism initiatives are based on the principles of respect, responsibility, and environmental awareness, and encourage tourists to not only enjoy the country they are visiting but also strive to understand and respect its traditions.

Sustainability is a strategy that provides an answer to the issue of the increased impact of the tourism industry on the environment. Its principles include sharing responsibility between national governments, international organizations, local communities and businesses, and tourists, promoting environmental awareness, and encouraging the development of an individual management strategy for each particular region. The implementation of the concept of sustainability in the tourism industry aims to create a balance between social, economic, cultural, and environmental aspects of tourism and reduce its negative impacts. It proves that tourism has the potential to benefit the environment if all members of the industry are engaged in environmental protection and conservation.

Reference List

Angelevska-Najdeska, K. and Rakicevik, G. (2012) ‘Planning of sustainable tourism development’, Procedia—Social and Behavioral Sciences, 44, pp. 210–220.

Bac, D. (2008) ‘The emergence of sustainable tourism—a literature review’, Quaestus, 4, pp. 131–140.

Mikayilov, J., et al . (2019) ‘Re-evaluating the environmental impacts of tourism: does EKC exist?’, Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 26, pp. 19389–19402.

Fennell, D. (2020) Ecotourism. 5th edn. Abington: Routledge.

Koncul, N. (2007) ‘Environmental issues and tourism’, Ekonomska Misao i Praska, (2), pp. 157–165.

Ritchie B. and Crouch, G. (2003) The competitive destination: a sustainable tourism perspective. Wallington: CABI.

Sunlu, U. (2003) ‘Environmental impacts of tourism’, in Camarda, D. and Grassini, L. (eds.). Local resources and global trades: Environments and agriculture in the Mediterranean region. Bari: CIHEAM, pp. 263–270. Web.

The International Ecotourism Society. Web.

UNWTO. (2013) Sustainable tourism for development guidebook .  

Qian, J. (2018) ‘Research in sustainable tourism: a longitudinal study of articles between 2008 and 2017’, Sustainability, 10(3), p. 590. Web.

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