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What is Sustainability and Sustainable Development?

Sustainability: Being able to meet the needs of present generations without compromising the needs for future generations. Achieving a balance among extraction, renewal and environmental inputs and outputs, as to cause no overall net environmental burden or deficit. To be sustainable, a human community must not decrease bio diversity, must not consume resources faster than they are renewed, must recycle and reuse virtually all materials, and must rely primarily on resources of its own region.

Sustainable development maintains the delicate balance between the human need to improve our lifestyle and feeling of well-being on one hand, with preserving natural resources and ecosystems, on which we and future generations depend on the other hand.

Principles of Sustainable Tourism

The concept of sustainability as a resource development and management philosophy is permeating all levels of policy and practice relating to tourism, from local to global. Sustainable tourism management of the natural and physical environment, more than ever before, must coexist with economic, sociocultural, and health and safety objectives of localities and nations.

– Organization of American States    

Sustainable tourism development can fulfill economic, social, and aesthetic needs while maintaining cultural integrity and ecological processes. It can provide for today’s hosts and guests while protecting and enhancing the same opportunity for the future. That’s the good news. But sustainable tourism development also involves making hard political choices based on complex social, economic, and environmental trade-offs. It requires a community planning and decision making. The local planner can use the following principles as basic guidelines when attempting to incorporate this broader vision into local policies and practices.

  • Tourism planning, development and operation should be part of conservation or sustainable development strategies for a region, a province (state) or the nation. Tourism planning, development and operation should be cross-sectoral and integrated, involving different government agencies, private corporations, citizen groups and individuals thus providing the widest possible benefits.
     

  • Agencies, corporations, groups and individuals should follow ethical and other principles which respect culture and environment of the host area, the economy and traditional way of life, the community and traditional behavior, leadership and political patterns.
     

  • Tourism should be planned and managed in a sustainable manner, with due regard for the protection and appropriate economic uses of the natural and human environment in host areas.  Tourism should be undertaken with equity in mind to distribute fairly benefits and costs among tourism promoters and host peoples and areas.
     

  • Good information, research and communication on the nature of tourism and its effects on the human and cultural environment should be available prior to and during development, especially for the local people, so that they can participate in and influence the direction of development and its effects as much as possible, in the individual and collective interest.
     

  • Local people should be encouraged and expected to undertake leadership roles in planning and development with the assistance of government, business, financial and other interests.
     

  • Integrated environmental, social and economic planning analyses should be undertaken prior to the commencement of any major projects, with careful consideration given to different types of tourism development and the ways in which they might link with existing uses, ways of life and environmental considerations.
     

  • Throughout all stages of tourism development and operation, a careful assessment, monitoring and mediation program should be conducted in order to allow local people and others to take advantage of opportunities or to respond to changes.

Source: Globe ’90 Conference, Tourism Stream, Action Strategy for Sustainable Tourism development. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Requirements for Sustainability

According to the American Planning Association:

Planning for sustainability requires a systematic, integrated approach that brings together environmental, economic and social goals and actions directed toward the 4 sustainability objectives for a community.

  1. Reduce dependence upon fossil fuels, underground metals, and minerals.

  2. Reduce dependence upon synthetic chemicals and other unnatural substances.

  3. Reduce encroachment upon nature.

  4. Meet human needs fairly & efficiently.

Sustainability Characteristics

According to the Global Research Development Center, sustainability characteristics include the following:

  • Capacities to understand and analyze problems

  • Partnering with different resources/organizations to find solutions

  • Using local resources for local solutions

  • Involving the whole community and all stakeholders with comprehensive participation

  • Negotiation and consensus-building from within

  • Ability to incorporate and adopt external resources within local contexts

  • Respect of historical and cultural issues

How is Sustainable Tourism Development defined and enacted?

According to the Organization of American States, sustainable tourism development is defined as follows:

  1. Preserving the current resource base for future generations.

  2. Maintaining the productivity of the resource base.

  3. Maintaining biodiversity and avoiding irreversible environmental changes.

  4. Ensuring equity between and within generations.

  5. Maintaining and protecting the heritage (culture and history) of the area, region or nation.

The Global Sustainable Research Center suggests the following:

  • Tourism should be initiated with the help of broad-based community- inputs and the community should maintain control of tourism development.

  • Tourism should provide quality employment to its residents and a linkage between the local businesses and tourism should be established.

  • A code-of-practice should be established for tourism at all levels – based on internationally accepted standards.

  • Guidelines for tourism operations, impact assessment, monitoring of cumulative impacts, and limits to acceptable change should be established.

  • Education and training programs to improve and manage
    heritage and natural resources should be established.

United Nations World Tourism Organization adds the following sustainable tourism development principles:

  • Tourism planning in the context of overall land use planning provides the basis for achieving integrated, controlled and sustainable tourism development.

  • Planning is carried out according to a systematic process

  • Sustainable tourism development can fulfill economic, social, and aesthetic needs while maintaining cultural integrity and ecological processes. It can provide for today’s hosts and guests while protecting and enhancing the same opportunity for the future.

  • Good information, research and communication on the nature of tourism and its effects on the human and cultural environment should be available prior to and during development, especially, for the local people, so that they can participate in and influence the direction of development and its effects as much as possible, in the individual and the collective interest.

  • Integrated environmental, social and economic planning analysis should be undertaken prior to the commencement of any major projects, with careful consideration given to different types of tourism development and the ways in which they might link with existing uses, ways of life and environmental considerations.

  • Throughout all stages of tourism development and operation, a careful assessment, monitoring and mediation program should be conducted in order to allow local people and others to take advantage of opportunities of to respond to changes.

  • Tourism Planning, development and operations should be part of conservations or sustainable development strategies for a community.

  • Tourism should be planned and managed in a sustainable manner, with a due regard for protection and appropriate economic.

  • Agencies and individuals should follow ethical principles with
    respect to the culture and environment of the host area.

  • Local people should be encouraged and expected to undertake leadership roles in planning and development with the assistance of government, business, financial and other interests.

  • Tourism should be undertaken with equity in mind to distribute fairly benefits and costs among tourism promoters and host peoples and areas.

  • Sustainable tourism development involves making hard political choices based on complex social, economic and environmental trade-offs. It requires a vision which encompasses a larger time and space context than that traditionally used in community planning and decision making.

UNWTO .Sbest Certification

The UN World Tourism Organization has a certification system for destinations seeking to follow their sustainability principles. The .Sbest Certification system is earned by organizations that support sustainability initiatives. An organization must meet performance standards in 240 areas, in six topic areas to detect strengths and weaknesses in the organisation’s destination management process.

  • Destination and Society at large

  • Principle Stakeholders

  • Strategic Corporate management

  • Program Development and Implementation

  • Human Resources

  • Other Resources, Financial and Infrastructure

What Makes a Region Unsustainable?

Items that indicate or contribute to unsustainability include the following:

  • Global warming
  • Species extinction
  • Over-consumption
  • Pollution
  • Limited public participation
  • Suburban sprawl
  • Loss of open space and agricultural land
  • Traffic congestions
  • Air pollution
  • Exposure to environmental hazards.
  • Soil degradation
  • Declining fisheries
  • Population growth
  • Destructive development patterns
  • Failure to recognize the fundamental limits to the Earth's ability to withstand alterations to its natural systems
  • Deforestation
  • Economic inequity
  • Dependence on non-renewable resources
  • Inequities in resource distribution
  • Segregation and unequal opportunity
  • Degradation of water resources
  • Loss of wetlands

Is there really an interest in sustainable destinations?

According to National Geographic Traveler’s Geotourism Study:

  • Over half the American traveling public thinks it’s harder to find unspoiled places than it used to be.

  • Almost ¾ don’t want their visits to harm the environment at their destinations.

  • 65 million American households are predisposed to support the principles of Geotourism.

What are ecotourism, geotourism, civic tourism, responsible tourism and green tourism?

There are a number of terms used to discuss tourism that relates in some way relate or are similar to sustainable tourism.  Some of them include the following:

  • Ecotourism - tourism that respects the environment by focusing on environmental protection or appreciation of the environment in some form
  • Geotourism - tourism that sustains, or even enhances, the geographical character of a place, such as its culture, environment, heritage, and the well-being of its residents.
  • Civic tourism - believes communities should "reframe" tourism's role: view it as an enabler of healthy place-making, in addition to being an economic tool. This is done through preserving cultures, protecting the environment, saving historic districts, encouraging citizen participation, and, in general, fostering a healthier quality of life.
  • Green tourism - involves the incorporation of green environmental principles into tourism planning and development
  • Responsible tourism - tourism that creates better places for people to live in, and better places to visit through:
    • minimizing negative economic, environmental and social impacts
    • generating greater economic benefits for local people and enhances the well being of host communities
    • improving working conditions and access to the industry
    • involving local people in decisions that affect their lives and life chances
    • making positive contributions to the conservation of natural and cultural heritage embracing diversity
    • providing more enjoyable experiences for tourists through more meaningful connections with local people, and a greater understanding of local cultural, social and environmental issues
    • providing access for physically challenged people
    • being culturally sensitive, encouraging respect between tourists and hosts, and building local pride and confidence”


 
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