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.
-
Reduce
dependence upon fossil fuels,
underground metals, and minerals.
-
Reduce
dependence upon synthetic chemicals
and other unnatural substances.
-
Reduce
encroachment upon nature.
-
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:
-
Preserving
the current
resource
base for
future
generations.
-
Maintaining
the
productivity
of the
resource
base.
-
Maintaining
biodiversity
and avoiding
irreversible
environmental
changes.
-
Ensuring
equity
between and
within
generations.
-
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.
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- 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
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- Deforestation
- Economic inequity
- Dependence on
non-renewable resources
- Inequities in
resource distribution
- Segregation and
unequal opportunity
- Degradation of water
resources
- Loss of wetlands
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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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