essay about sustainable tourism

Sustainable Tourism Development Essay

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
• As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
• As a template for you assignment

This essay shows that there are initiatives which aim at promoting sustainability in tourism destinations. However, these initiatives do not work due to the diverse nature of the tourism industry. The essay demonstrates this through various approaches to tourism sustainability and methods that stakeholders have applied in their attempts to enhance sustainability of tourism destinations.

We can define sustainability as a growth that does not experience any threats from feedback. Here, feedback refers to social unrest, pollution, or depletion of resources. We can relate this to the development of tourism destination. In tourism, sustainability would be “that level of development which does not exceed the carrying capacity of the destination and thus cause serious or irreversible changes to the destination” (Tribe, 2005). This is what we call a growth that can sustain itself over time.

It is hard for a nation or a sector to use effective plans for sustainable tourism development with clear agenda. The UNWTO provides policy guidelines for such purposes. The UNWTO refers sustainable tourism with regard to sustainability assumption as “the environmental, economic and socio-cultural aspects of tourism development, and a suitable balance must be established between these three dimensions its long-term sustainability” (UNWTO, 1995).

Sustainability in tourism destination must ensure optimal use of resources that are sources of tourism development, their maintenance, and conservation of biodiversity and natural heritage (Liu, 2003). The project must also “adhere to socio-cultural existences of host communities, conserve their cultural heritage and enhance cultural understanding and tolerance” (Swarbrooke, 1999).

Sustainable tourism project must also provide socio-economic benefits, long-term economic availability, stable employment, poverty reduction, social services, and generation of income to the host community and all stakeholders.

First, regulations are forms of ensuring sustainability of tourism destinations. Stakeholders can introduce permissions and permits as forms of preventative control. Permits and permissions aim at preventing damages by requiring stakeholders to get permissions so as to engage in possible harmful activities. For instance, we can have planning permits to stop developments that do not meet planning guidelines and larger environmental matters and effects.

Second, regulation also involves environmental impact assessment. Some projects which may have severe impacts on the environment; thus the authorities must review an environmental consequences of such projects. It may use a cost-benefit approach that covers the all costs and advantages to stakeholders. For a development to be socially acceptable, its benefits to society must exceed its cost to society.

Third, controls and laws are also effective means of providing and controlling environmental pollutant targets. Occasionally, policymakers may introduce these laws and controls after an event that cause harm to the environment has started. Such laws may cover restrictions to aircraft and other forms of pollution and the quality standards of water for consumption. Litter laws and their subsequent fines are also part of this regulation.

Fourth, there are also special designation areas. Most countries have sites that have special status as a way of promoting conservation and controlling development. These designations have varying degrees of statutory backing. For example, the UK has designated Sites of Special Scientific Interests (SSSIs) and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauties (AONBs). The UK considers SSSIs sites as “areas of special interest because of flora, fauna, geological or physiographical features” (National Park Service, 1990).

The Countryside Commission designates AONBs areas for the purpose protecting places with natural beauty. The IUCN (the World Conservation Union) has also classified protected places, with an idea of enhancing international conservation efforts and providing the benchmark for protection. Special designation areas may include nature reserve, national parks, natural monuments, and protected landscape or seascape among others.

Fifth, most countries now have laws to ensure that large organisations devote sections of their resources to corporate social responsibility (CSR). CSR now extends to include the environment apart from other issues of organisations. Private organisations are focusing on the environment by creating their environmental management teams, creating environmental guidelines and carrying out environmental evaluations and required actions for purposes of conserving the environment.

The WTTC and WTO are responsible for the provision of leadership and guidelines in environmental conservation. Most guidelines in this area focus on noise, emissions, waste, congestion, tourism and conservation (Deloitte and Oxford Economics, 2010).

Some forms of these regulations are difficult to implement. Still, the industry may find them difficult to follow. There are cases where private developers and environmental authorities engage in lawsuits. Such issues hinder regulations as attempts to enhance sustainability in tourism destinations.

Market methods highlight “manipulation of prices as a method of achieving environmental goals through adjustment of market prices in an attempt to reflect the environmental costs, and benefits of activities” (Tribe, 2005). The sole purpose is for the manufactures and their customers change their behaviours with regard to new prices. This ensures that individuals’ efforts in environmental conservation are worthwhile (Middleton and Hawkins, 1998).

The first concept is ownership. People tend to overuse free resources and areas of free access. Thus, policymakers advocate privatisation of such natural resources. For instance, ownership of a lake is an incentive to enforce property rights. Thus, people may pay for the use of resources such as lakes and oceans as dumping sinks.

Firms will strive to maximise their gains and satisfy their shareholders expectations. Thus, policymakers advocate for public ownership to enhance environmental management. In principle, a public organisation has an “incentive to consider social costs and benefits to the country” (Cohen, 2002).

Policymakers can use taxes and increasing prices to reduce the use of products with negative environmental consequences, and subsidies that can reduce prices and promote the use of products that have positive effects on the environmental. Taxation has worked since it adoption by OECD in 1972 as a way of passing the cost to polluters (OECD, 2001).

On carbon dioxide emissions, Curtis argues that we can make moderate emissions reductions by “way of increased energy efficiency but that excess emissions by luxury hotels and resorts need further action” (Curtis, 2002).

Transport has been a main source of concern in this area. National Parks authorities of the UK have emphasised necessities of transport systems to countryside tourism and recreation. They note that about 90 percent of visitors used cars to parks. Consequently, most environmentalists have called for raised taxations on car and air travels so as to reflect their environmental costs (National Park Service, 1990).

Finland has taxes on none-returnable beverage containers to promote the consumption of returnable parks in attempts to eliminate the level of such parks left as litters. Landfill taxes apply charges on waste management firms that utilise landfill areas for burying solid waste.

Some governments may give grants for people who wish to buy electric cars to reduce carbon pollution. There are projects underway to reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. These include the planned “planting of forests to capture carbon naturally as well as the artificial capture of carbon and its storage in underground reservoirs” (Mules, 2001).

Deposit-refund schemes work by encouraging consumers to return containers from the vendors or dispose them in a manner favourable to the environment. Customers who return their containers get their deposits. This scheme is effective in the local outlets and can work well on a national scale if well implemented (Gee, 1997).

In order to reduce pollution, some countries have introduced charges on products and services they offer the public. These include car parking charges to encourage usage of “public vehicles, road pricing for motorway usages in some EU countries such as France and Spain” (Priestley, Edwards and Coccossis, 1996).

Market approaches to sustainability in developing tourism destinations have been effective in EU zones. Still, the idea to provide subsidies for environmental friendly products such as vehicles is gaining recognition among tourism stakeholders. However, most consumers do not favour the idea of price increases.

Tribe notes that soft tools are “voluntary by nature and attempt to change behaviours sometimes through improved information, advice, persuasion and sometimes by forming specific networks” (Tribe, 2005).

Tourism eco-labelling approach to sustainability focuses on tourists. Leisure and tourism consumers themselves have the ability to transform the consequences of products they consume on the environmental and switch to products with minimal environmental effects. This approach aims at giving the users the “additional environmental information to enable them make informed decisions in their buying patterns” (Cater and Lowman, 1994).

There are also certification and award schemes to enhance sustainability in tourism destination. They authenticate and provide endorsement to environmental attributions made by firms and offer marks such as the Blue Flag that a consumer can recognise (Becken and Hay, 2007).

The Blue Flag goes to beaches that have acquired recognisable levels for water quality and facilities, safety, environmental education and management. This is also an environmental marketing device for tourists who are environmental conscious. The scheme attempts to offer opportunities for beach local stakeholders to increase their environmental concerns (Coccossis and Nijkamp, 1995).

Many organisations such as the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and the Federation of Nature and National Parks of Europe (FNNPE) have produced guidelines and treaties for environmental management and sustainability (FNNPE, 1993).

Citizenship, education and advertising can also enhance sustainability when individuals act in the role of consumers or workers or opinion makers (Cooper, Fletcher, Gilbert and Wanhill, 2008). Consumers need information to enable them purchase green products and contribute towards environmental sustainability.

Thus, the focus should be on an environmental education as a way of creating awareness among consumers and encourage others to adopt favourable products in environmental conservation and sustainability (Gratton and Kokolakakis, 2003).

Tribe notes “voluntary schemes exist to allow consumers mitigate the impacts of any environmental damages they may cause” (Tribe, 2005). The most common is carbon offset schemes in airline to passengers (McNeill, 1997).

Ecotourism as a form of tourism stresses the sound ecological principles (UNEPTIE, 2007). Thus, ecotourism attempts to minimise negative impacts on the environment, create environmental and cultural awareness, offer financial services to empower host communities, and raise sensitive issues of concern to host communities (Saarinen, 2006). Therefore, promoting ecotourism is a form of minimising negative external impacts of tourism and maximising the positive external impacts of tourism. However, industry observers note “ecotourism will always remain a minor form of tourism” (Mowforth and Munt, 2009). Consequently, it is not the main approach for achieving sustainable tourism.

Soft tools rarely achieve their desired effects as such approaches depend on the willingness of participants for effectiveness. However, soft tools are the best approaches for enhancing sustainability of tourism destinations.

Getz, Crouch, and Ritchie share the idea that tourism planners have recognised the need for creating common goals in tourism planning (Getz, 1995; Crouch and Ritchie, 1999). However, the problem is that there are no empirical studies to support common goals, or what factors are essential in creating shared goals in developing sustainable tourism destinations to cater for various needs of stakeholders.

To this end, most tourism organisations have no concrete industry standards as these depend on a given country’s tourism policies. Thus, creating common goals for sustainability in the tourism sector will remain a challenge.

Therefore, organisations should strive to create a solid tourism industry shared goals common among all stakeholders (Burns and Holden, 1995). These goals must come from common publications, stakeholders’ opinions, and academic journals among others. We have to recognise that the industry can create sustainable tourism destinations based on competitive interests and shared resources affected by same factors (Butler, 2006). This will ensure that stakeholders have motivation to achieve a common and collective goal.

However, these shared goals cannot remain constant as the industry experiences growth (Hall and Lew, 1998). Thus, continuous research, studies and development are necessary to reflect the changing trends in the industry such environmental concerns, infrastructures, and marketing principles.

This approach will ensure that the industry has a sense of direction supported by strategies and practical and achievable goals. Medeiros and Bramwell noted that countries such as Brazil have attempted to implement shared vision but with minimal outcomes due to uncertainty in the industry (Medeiros and Bramwell, 2002).

The challenge has been to get information where stakeholders need it for developing sustainable tourism policies. Thus, the industry must enhance information flow among its small stakeholders. This must also apply to feedback. However, generating useful information for the industry means continuous learning due to the dynamic nature of tourism. Application of information systems can assist in reflecting, evaluating, delivering, processing, and improving information flow in the tourism industry for sustainability destinations.

Most stakeholders blame poor research cultures in the tourism industry as a basis for lack of sustainability in developing tourism destinations. This is responsible for the rift in utilisation of the available research findings. De Lacy and Boyd note that there are considerable efforts in Australia to reduce such barriers through “the use of the Australian Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) model for cross-sectoral research collaboration to enhance the sustainability of tourism” (De Lacy and Boyd, 2000).

The approach aims at highlighting the importance of the industry collaboration to enhance the effectiveness and benefits of research findings through technology transfers, usages and commercialisation.

Organisations have relationships that exist among them. These can be in forms of partnerships, co-operation, co-ordination, and collaboration. Researchers have concentrated on these areas so as to eliminate problems that have affected tourism development for decades.

Jamal and Getz concur that enhancing the industry identity and common goals can enhance co-operation among the main players as these stakeholders recognise the need to work as a team (Jamal and Getz, 1995). However, the challenge is that no major studies exist to prove the importance of co-operation to tourism destination development. Still, a closer look at the relationship that exists in the industry reveals that real sustainability in the tourism industry can only become reality if there is co-operation.

Occasionally, some problems result due to lack of information. Therefore, co-operation will minimise incidences of miscommunication and difficulties due to lack of collaboration among the industry stakeholders (Inskeep, 1997). This approach to sustainability is not effective due to challenges related to accessing information in a timely fashion.

One of the aims of ecotourism is the need for cultural exchange among the stakeholders. There is a need for mutual acceptance and accommodation of different cultural belief, and world views to enhance development of sustainability in tourism destinations (Davidson and Maitland, 1997). It is necessary that stakeholders of diverse views and beliefs promote dialogue and exchanges in tourism destinations, acceptance of the locals, conservation of the cultural diversity, and eradicate negative impacts of tourism.

We can use Senge’s system thinking to promote a common language that helps stakeholders who have differences in belief systems (Senge, 1990). The industry covers almost all cultures of the global. Thus, cultural exchange has limitations in relations to accommodation, acceptance, diversity, and eradication of negative stereotypes.

Sustainability of tourism destinations needs consultative approach on decision-making processes. The processes must involve all stakeholders including host communities. Sharman noted some issues that influenced participation of stakeholders in planning as poor representation, low participation and poor outcomes of the process among the participants (Sharman, 1999).

Power issues influenced the outcomes of all consultative processes. The industry can develop models which aim at creating power balance for accommodation of different point of views (Douglas and Butler, 2001). This approach helps in facilitating understanding, strategic planning and increasing stakeholders’ participation.

The uncertainty surrounding the future of tourism industry impacts decision-making process. Stakeholders are not willing to engage in long-term decisions without knowing their consequences. Participants should base their decisions on sound policies and welcome open discussions so that they can identity issues of common concerns and provide alternatives or solutions (Jamieson, 2001).

It is difficult for the tourism industry to have a single body to coordinate all decision-making processes that fit all the tourism destinations of the world. Tourism decisions depend on national policies regulating the industry.

The concept of adaptive management can help in improving sustainability of tourism destinations. Adaptive approaches can help the industry tackle emerging challenges that hamper growth (Knowles and Egan, 2000). Adaptive management enables the industry reacts to changes in a timely fashion.

The idea of adaptive management finds support in studies and ideas of Reeds (Reed, 2000). Adaptive management requires continuous studies, testing and developing adaptive models (Eaton, 1996). Adaptive management has been effective in enhance management of the tourism industry.

Given the reviewed literature, this research supports the view that despite the existence of many initiatives, sustainable tourism practices have not spread across the industry because the stakeholders of tourism are still divided on how to improve the sustainability of tourist destinations . These initiatives exist, but tourism has diverse components that vary from country to country. Thus, putting these together to enhance sustainability of the environment has remained a challenge across the industry.

Approaches to tourism destination sustainability such as regulations, market approaches, and soft tools may not work in every tourism situation. Still, attempts at developing sustainability of tourism destinations may not achieve the desired outcome due to minimal participation in processes such as sharing information, goals, co-operation and co-ordination, cultural exchanges, consultative decision-making and planning, and adaptive management.

Reference List

Becken, S and Hay, J 2007, Tourism and climate change: Risks and opportunities, Multilingual Matters Ltd, Bristol.

Burns, P and Holden, A 1995, Tourism: A new perspective, Prentice-Hall, Hemel Hempstead.

Butler, R 2006, The Tourism Area Life Cycle: Volume 2: Conceptual and theoretical issues, Channel View Publications, Clevedon.

Cater, E and Lowman, G 1994, Ecotourism: A sustainable option. Wiley, Chichester.

Coccossis, H and Nijkamp, P 1995, Sustainable tourism development, Ashgate, London.

Cohen, E 2002, ‘Authenticity, equity and sustainability in tourism’, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, vol. 10, no. 4, pp. 267-276.

Cooper, C, Fletcher, J, Gilbert, D and Wanhill, S 2008, Tourism: principles & practice, 4th ed, Longman, Harlow.

Crouch, G and Ritchie, J 1999, ‘Tourism, competitiveness, and societal prosperity’, Journal of Business Research, vol. 44, pp. 137–152.

Curtis, I 2002, ‘Environmentally sustainable tourism: A case for carbon trading at Northern Queensland hotels and resorts’, Australian Journal of Environmental Management, vol. 9, no.1, pp. 27–36.

Davidson, R and Maitland, R 1997, Tourism destinations, Hodder and Stoughton, London.

De Lacy, T and Boyd, M 2000, An Australian research partnership between industry, universities and government: The Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Tourism, Channel View Publications, Clevedon, UK.

Deloitte and Oxford Economics 2010, The economic contribution of the visitor economy: UK and the nations, Visit Britain, London.

Douglas, P and Richard B 2001, Contemporary Issues in Tourism Development, Routledge, London.

Eaton, B 1996, European leisure business: Strategies for the future, Elm Publications, Cambridge.

FNNPE 1993, Loving them to death? FNNPE, Grafenau, Germany.

Gee, C 1997, International tourism: A global perspective, World Tourism Organisation, Madrid.

Getz, D 1995, ‘Collaboration Theory and community tourism planning’, Annals of Tourism Research, vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 186–204.

Gratton, C and Kokolakakis, T 2003, ‘A bright future’, Leisure Management, vol. 14, no. 9, pp. 38–40.

Hall, C and Lew, A 1998, Sustainable Tourism: A geographical perspective, Addison Wesley Longman, Harlow.

Inskeep, E 1997, Tourism planning, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York.

Jamal, T and Getz, D 1995, ‘Collaboration Theory and community tourism planning’, Annals of Tourism Research, vol. 22, no.1, pp. 186–204.

Jamieson, W 2001, Promotion of investment in tourism infrastructure, UN ESCAP, New York.

Knowles, T and Egan, D 2000, ‘Recession and its implications for the international hotel industry’, Travel and Tourism Analyst, vol. 6, pp. 59–76.

Liu, Z 2003, ‘Sustainable tourism development: a critique’, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, vol. 11, no. 6, pp. 459-475.

McNeill, L 1997, Travel in the digital age, Bowerdean Publishing, Chichester.

Medeiros de Araujo, L and Bramwell, B 2002, ‘Partnership and regional tourism in Brazil’, Annals of Tourism Research, vol. 29, no. 4, pp. 1138–1164.

Middleton, V and Hawkins, R 1998, Sustainable tourism: A marketing perspective, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford.

Mowforth, M and Munt, I 2009, Tourism and Sustainability Development, globalisation and new tourism in the Third World, Routledge, London.

Mules, T 2001, Globalization and the economic impacts of tourism, Continuum, London.

National Park Service 1990, Economic impacts of protecting rivers, trails, and greenway corridors: A resource book, US Department of the Interior National Park Service, Washington.

OECD. 2001, Cities and regions in the new learning economy, Paris.

Priestley, G, Edwards, J and Coccossis, H 1996, Sustainable tourism? European experiences, CAB International, Wallingford.

Reed, M 2000, Collaborative tourism planning as adaptive experiments in emergent tourism settings, Channel View Publications, Clevedon, UK.

Saarinen, J 2006, ‘Traditions of Sustainability in Tourism Studies’, Annals of Tourism Research, vol. 33, no. 4, pp. 1121-1140.

Senge, P 1990, The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization, Currency Doubleday, New York.

Sharman, A 1999, ‘Collaboration in local tourism policy making’, Annals of Tourism Research, vol. 26, no. 2, pp. 392–415.

Swarbrooke, J 1999, Sustainable Tourism Management, CABI Publishing, Oxford.

Tribe, J 2005, The Economics of Recreation, Leisure and Tourism, 4th ed, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford.

UNEPTIE 2007, Sustainable Development of Tourism. Web.

UNWTO 1995, Lanzarote Charter for Sustainable Tourism. Web.

• Marseille as a Tourism Destination
• Sustainable Tourism Analysis
• Phuket, Thailand, as a Tourism Destination
• Development and Pro-Poor Tourism
• Climate Change and Its Effects on Tourism in Coastal Areas
• Purposes of Tourism Industry
• The Role of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) in Tourism Marketing
• Social Cultural Impacts of Tourism
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2019, May 19). Sustainable Tourism Development. https://ivypanda.com/essays/sustainable-tourism-essay/

"Sustainable Tourism Development." IvyPanda , 19 May 2019, ivypanda.com/essays/sustainable-tourism-essay/.

IvyPanda . (2019) 'Sustainable Tourism Development'. 19 May.

IvyPanda . 2019. "Sustainable Tourism Development." May 19, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/sustainable-tourism-essay/.

1. IvyPanda . "Sustainable Tourism Development." May 19, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/sustainable-tourism-essay/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Sustainable Tourism Development." May 19, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/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

• Chapman University

• Harvard University Extension School
• Sustainable Fashion
• Art & Media

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 .

• How to Be a Sustainable Traveler: 18 Tips
• Regenerative Travel: What It Is and How It's Outperforming Sustainable Tourism
• Best of Green Awards 2021: Sustainable Travel
• Costa Rica’s Keys to Success as a Sustainable Tourism Pioneer
• What Is Community-Based Tourism? Definition and Popular Destinations
• What Is Overtourism and Why Is It Such a Big Problem?
• What Is Ecotourism? Definition, Examples, and Pros and Cons
• What Is Experiential Tourism?
• What Is Voluntourism? Does It Help or Harm Communities?
• Some Advice on How to Travel More Intentionally
• 'The Last Tourist' Film Will Make You Approach Travel Differently
• Food Sovereignty: Definition, Principles, and Importance
• Top 8 Agritourism Destinations in the World
• Best of Green Awards 2021: Eco Tech
• These Travel Companies Offer Tours for a Post-Pandemic World
• Travel + Leisure's Global Vision Awards Are a Win for the Planet

FutureLearn uses cookies to enhance your experience of the website. All but strictly necessary cookies are currently disabled for this browser. Turn on JavaScript to exercise your cookie preferences for all non-essential cookies. You can read FutureLearn's Cookie policy here .

• FutureLearn Local

FutureLearn

Category: Environment , What is

Share this post

What is sustainable tourism and why is it important.

by FutureLearn

In this article, we explore the benefits and drawbacks of the tourism industry, explore the role of sustainable tourism and ecotourism, and offer some examples.

By Rhiannon Wardle

Tourism is a huge part of our global culture, allowing us to explore different parts of the world, meet people from different walks of life, and experience new traditions and activities. Since it brings many benefits to both travellers and communities, it can generally be seen as a force for good.

However, the industry is changing . As the years go by, we’re becoming more and more aware of the threat of climate change and our role in escalating it. Across all industries, our global community is thinking about ways we can lessen our impact on the earth.

A study published in 2018 by Nature Climate Change suggested that tourism accounts for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions , which is a very large percentage when we consider all of the possible sources of emissions. For this reason, it’s clear that we need to move towards a more sustainable tourism model, and that’s why we’re having this discussion today.

In this article, we’ll offer definitions of sustainable tourism and ecotourism, discuss the pros and cons of the tourism industry, explore how sustainable tourism could offer a solution to our current challenges, and finish with some examples of sustainable tourism. 

What’s the definition of sustainable tourism?

Sustainable tourism can be defined as a kind of tourism that has more benefits than negative impacts, especially relating to the environment, the economy and communities. Truly sustainable and responsible tourism should make destinations better for people to live in as well as visit.

If you’re interested in this topic, you can learn more about the planning and development of tourism activities in our International Culture and Tourism Management ExpertTrack by Nankai University. You’ll also discover strategies for sustainable tourism management. 

The main responsibilities of sustainable tourism include:

• Protecting the environment, natural resources, and wildlife
• Providing socio-economic benefits for communities who live in tourist destinations
• Conserving cultural heritage and creating authentic tourist experiences
• Bringing tourists and local communities together for mutual benefit 
• Creating inclusive and accessible tourist opportunities.

Ecotourism vs sustainable tourism

You may have heard the terms ecotourism and sustainable tourism being used interchangeably. Although both are important, there is a slight difference between what they mean. 

While sustainable tourism is about creating travel opportunities with minimal impact and positive benefits for destinations and their communities, ecotourism is more focused on educating tourists about nature and the environment, and travellers taking part in conservation and cultural activities.

While ecotourism should always be sustainable, not all examples of sustainable tourism are ecotourism. For example, you might take a train to stay in a sustainably powered lodge. While this is a sustainable option, you’re not necessarily learning about nature and your local surroundings in an educational sense.

For a more detailed look at ecotourism , you can take a look at our open step from Coventry University and find a definition from the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). 

Facts about the tourism industry

Before we delve more into the impact of the tourism industry, let’s explore some recent facts and figures so that we have a better sense of the current situation. On their website, Sustaining Tourism state that international tourist arrivals have increased from 25 million in 1950 to 1.32 billion in 2017. 

They also state that travel and tourism made up 10% of total GDP in 2016, and the average international tourist receipt is over 700 US dollars per person. Therefore, it’s clear that tourism has a huge economic impact on communities, and the industry is continuing to grow at a staggering rate.

For an in-depth and detailed look into the tourism industry today, our The Impacts of Tourism course by Coventry University will tackle all the issues we’re discussing today and more. 

What are the positive impacts of the tourism industry?

There are a few main ways we can look at the positive impacts of the tourism industry. We can start by looking at the social and cultural benefits , before moving on to study the environmental benefits . This will provide us with some well-rounded insights into different key areas.

Social and cultural benefits of tourism

• Strengthened communities due to more money and resources
• Improved infrastructure including buildings and transport systems
• Higher rates of employment due to the tourism industry
• Improved understanding of different cultures and traditions
• Preservation of local cultures 
• Commercialisation of art and culture
• Conservation of heritage including architecture and natural sites
• Increased number of events and celebrations

Environmental benefits of tourism

• Creation of natural parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty
• Reduced numbers of animal poaching
• Improved water quality
• Increased funding for nature conservation and protection

What are the negative impacts of the tourism industry?

It’s not all positives, unfortunately. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be such a need for sustainable tourism and ecotourism. Once again, we’ll split these negative impacts into the social and cultural impacts and the environmental impacts of tourism.

Negative social and cultural impacts of tourism

The negative socio-cultural impacts of tourism can vary heavily depending on location and culture, but there are definitely some patterns that repeatedly show themselves. Our open step by Coventry University suggests three things that can happen:

• Staged authenticity: This refers to when events or cultures are manufactured just to bring in tourism and money, even when they don’t reflect the local culture of destination communities. This can cause bad feelings between tourists and locals, and can also lead to the eradication of local culture.
• Standardisation: Often tourists seek familiarity even when they are visiting a foreign country, and this can lead to a loss of cultural diversity. For example, you can find McDonald’s and Starbucks all around the world, and these huge companies can take business from smaller companies.
• Commodification: In some ways, this is similar to staged authenticity, because it happens when tourism destroys the true meaning of cultural performances, events and customs. Instead, they are transformed to suit the time frames and wishes of tourists. Understandably, this can make local communities feel taken advantage of and disrespected.

Negative environmental impacts of tourism

As discussed in our open step by Coventry University, there are two main ways that tourism can negatively impact the environment: through the development of the area, or through the behaviour of tourists. Some examples of both include:

Development of the area

• Damage of wild habitats due to new infrastructure
• Weakened resilience to natural disasters
• Beautiful scenery ruined by hotels and car parks
• Deforestation
• Overuse of water due to influx of people

Behaviour of tourists

• Air pollution due to traffic congestion
• Destruction of nature due to littering and disregard
• Wildlife relocating due to increased noise levels
• Higher consumption of energy
• Plastic pollution in the ocean affecting sealife

How sustainable tourism is providing a solution

It’s not just local communities that live in tourist destinations that are feeling the negative effects of tourism. As tourists ourselves, many of us prefer to visit places that are clean, not too crowded, and safe. We also usually want to preserve local cultures, traditions, religions, and buildings, rather than experience an inauthentic ploy for money. 

Therefore, we all have a lot to gain from alternative forms of tourism , including sustainable forms.  The best places for sustainable tourism to be developed are regions with natural resources, landscapes, or cultural buildings – all features that attract tourists who might want to explore and admire local destinations and cultures in an environmentally friendly way.

You can learn more about what makes a tourist destination so attractive in our Placemaking and Public Space Design: Unlocking Tourist Destinations course by the Lulea University of Technology.

The goals of sustainable tourism

The World Tourism Organization and the United Nations Environment Program suggested twelve main goals for sustainable tourism in 2005. These will help to demonstrate the ways in which sustainable tourism can provide a solution to some of the global challenges facing the industry today:

• Economic Viability: To make sure that tourism destinations and businesses are viable, competitive, and able to achieve long-term success. 
• Local Prosperity: To ensure that tourism activities help local communities thrive economically and retain a large amount of the economic contribution.
• Employment Quality:   To increase the number of local jobs created in the tourism industry and ensure that the pay and working conditions are fair, safe and offered to workers without discrimination.
• Social Equity: To ensure that tourism increases the amount of economic and social benefits being distributed across local communities, improving all areas of life.
• Visitor Fulfillment: To create a safe and fulfilling holiday experience for tourists without discrimination based on race, gender, sexuality, disability or other.
• Local Control: To empower local communities to have a role in planning and decision-making regarding tourism in their neighbourhoods.
• Community Wellbeing: To improve the quality of life and wellbeing of local communities, ensuring they have access to resources and are not disrespected or exploited in the name of tourism.
• Cultural Richness: To respect the cultural heritage, traditions, authenticity and uniqueness of host communities.
• Physical Integrity: To look after all landscapes, whether urban or rural, and ensure that they are not degraded physically or visually as a result of tourism.
• Biological Diversity: To conserve natural areas, wildlife, and unique habitats, protecting them and ensuring they are not damaged.
• Resource Efficiency: To use sustainable and renewable resources when possible in the development and operation of tourism facilities and services.
• Environmental Purity: To protect the land, air and water from pollution, littering and other waste that may come as a result of tourism businesses or visitors.

What are some examples of sustainable tourism?

There are plenty of different examples of sustainable tourism, but the main thing you need to do before you plan a sustainable trip is making sure you’ve done your research. While one aspect of a trip may seem sustainable, it’s worth considering the holiday in its entirety before you solidify any plans.

One example of sustainable tourism is the Six Senses Fiji resort, which is powered solely on solar power, recycles rainwater, runs on a low-waste model, and uses handiwork such as furnishings and artwork created by local villagers. 

However, this is obviously a high-budget type of experience. For something simple, how about organising a self-sufficient camping trip, choosing sites accessible by train or bike? Or if you’re looking for something more wildlife-focused, how about looking for a sustainable conservation program abroad?

Rural tourism

One kind of sustainable tourism is rural tourism, which you can read about in more detail in our open step by Coventry University. It must occur outside of an urban environment and tends to focus on actively participating in a rural lifestyle. With rural tourism, tourists tend to stay with local people, understand their lifestyles, and even help out with manual labour. 

While rural tourism is more of a branch of ecotourism, by nature, it’s normally pretty sustainable. This is because it helps to support local people, focuses on the rural environment, and doesn’t involve vast numbers of tourists all being in the same place at once.

Community tourism

In a similar vein, community tourism can also be a great example of sustainable tourism. This is because it’s at the opposite end of the spectrum to mass tourism. Normally, local residents and communities invite tourists to stay with them, and they may offer different events, activities and experiences.

While this could be similar to rural tourism, it doesn’t have to focus on natural surroundings. Instead, the purpose of community tourism is more about empowering local communities to plan, implement and be responsible for tourism activities in their home destinations. While they will gain economic benefits, tourists will enjoy authentic experiences.

Final thoughts

Hopefully, this has enlightened you on the importance of sustainable tourism in our current society. The tourism industry is by no means a bad thing, but there are so many opportunities for it to develop and grow into something that is beneficial for tourists, local communities, and the planet, all at the same time. 

Plus, if you’re interested in a career in sustainable tourism, we have an excellent Master of Business Administration (Sustainable Tourism) degree from Coventry University. If you join, you’ll become an expert in contemporary sustainable tourism principles and practices. 

Introductory

• Back to blog

Blog categories

• Making FutureLearn
• FutureLearn News
• Using FutureLearn
• Digital Skills
• Current Issues
• Career Development
• Entrepreneurship

Boost your employability with a FREE CV review

Futurelearn offers courses in many different subjects such as.

• Business & Management
• Creative Arts & Media
• Healthcare & Medicine
• IT & Computer Science
• Nature & Environment
• Politics & Society
• Psychology & Mental Health
• Science, Engineering & Maths
• Study Skills

Register for free to receive relevant updates on courses and news from FutureLearn.

Create an account to receive our newsletter, course recommendations and promotions.

Related stories on FutureLearn

A complete guide to HR management degrees

Category: Degrees

A complete guide to construction management degrees

A complete guide to leadership degrees

A complete guide to criminology degrees

Reach your personal and professional goals.

Unlock access to hundreds of expert online courses and degrees from top universities and educators to gain accredited qualifications and professional CV-building certificates.

Join over 18 million learners to launch, switch or build upon your career, all at your own pace, across a wide range of topic areas.

Start Learning now

Register to receive updates

• Partners and Fundings
• events & news
• green hotels
• who’s talking about us

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.

You might also like

5 Sustainable Tourism Trends that you Must Know

Tourism is always evolving and for all operators in the sector it is essential to know the new trends so as to anticipate the wishes of future customers and align their offer accordingly. The beginning of the new decade has certainly shocked our world, but it has nevertheless confirmed our desire to travel, and the […]

Green Labels for Sustainable Tourism: an all in one Guide

Let’s discover the most important green labels for sustainable tourism and how to recognise them In the last years, due to a new consciousness for environmental topics, it has developed a new tendency in the way of travelling. More and more people don’t see any more travels as just a moment of relaxation, but they […]

Discovering sustainable tourism: its meaning and potential

Our blog is all about sustainable tourism. We share new ways of travelling and green travel experiences. We give tips on how to look after our environment and our nature. And we often (well, almost every day) talk about sustainable tourism through direct experiences and interviews. But what does sustainable tourism really mean? How is […]

Bike riding: the future of sustainable tourism

A conference in the heart of the countryside of Siena opens its doors to the quintessence of  cycling. Let’s try to understand the ways of soft mobility in Tuscany… perfect starting point to understand the ontology of the bike and its connection with nature and health! Responsible tourism has two wheels… The third edition of […]

Sustainable tourism

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

Description

Publications.

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.

For more information and documents on this topic,  please visit this link

UNWTO Annual Report 2015

2015 was a landmark year for the global community. In September, the 70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a universal agenda for planet and people. Among the 17 SDGs and 169 associated targets, tourism is explicitly featured in Goa...

UNWTO Annual Report 2016

In December 2015, the United Nations General Assembly declared 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. This is a unique opportunity to devote a year to activities that promote the transformational power of tourism to help us reach a better future. This important cele...

Emerging Issues for Small Island Developing States

The 2012 UNEP Foresight Process on Emerging Global Environmental Issues primarily identified emerging environmental issues and possible solutions on a global scale and perspective. In 2013, UNEP carried out a similar exercise to identify priority emerging environmental issues that are of concern to ...

Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

This Agenda is a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity. It also seeks to strengthen universal peace in larger freedom, We recognize that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for su...

15 Years of the UNWTO World Tourism Network on Child Protection: A Compilation of Good Practices

Although it is widely recognized that tourism is not the cause of child exploitation, it can aggravate the problem when parts of its infrastructure, such as transport networks and accommodation facilities, are exploited by child abusers for nefarious ends. Additionally, many other factors that contr...

Towards Measuring the Economic Value of Wildlife Watching Tourism in Africa

Set against the backdrop of the ongoing poaching crisis driven by a dramatic increase in the illicit trade in wildlife products, this briefing paper intends to support the ongoing efforts of African governments and the broader international community in the fight against poaching. Specifically, this...

Status and Trends of Caribbean Coral Reefs: 1970-2012

Previous Caribbean assessments lumped data together into a single database regardless of geographic location, reef environment, depth, oceanographic conditions, etc. Data from shallow lagoons and back reef environments were combined with data from deep fore-reef environments and atolls. Geographic c...

Natural Resources Forum: Special Issue Tourism

The journal considers papers on all topics relevant to sustainable development. In addition, it dedicates series, issues and special sections to specific themes that are relevant to the current discussions of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD)....

Thailand: Supporting Sustainable Development in Thailand: A Geographic Clusters Approach

Market forces and government policies, including the Tenth National Development Plan (2007-2012), are moving Thailand toward a more geographically specialized economy. There is a growing consensus that Thailand’s comparative and competitive advantages lie in amenity services that have high reliance...

Road Map on Building a Green Economy for Sustainable Development in Carriacou and Petite Martinique, Grenada

This publication is the product of an international study led by the Division for Sustainable Development (DSD) of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) in cooperation with the Ministry of Carriacou and Petite Martinique Affairs and the Ministry of Environment, Foreig...

Natural Resources Forum, a United Nations Sustainable Development Journal (NRF)

  Natural Resources Forum, a United Nations Sustainable Development Journal, seeks to address gaps in current knowledge and stimulate relevant policy discussions, leading to the implementation of the sustainable development agenda and the achievement of the Sustainable...

UN Ocean Conference 2025

Our Ocean, Our Future, Our Responsibility “The ocean is fundamental to life on our planet and to our future. The ocean is an important source of the planet’s biodiversity and plays a vital role in the climate system and water cycle. The ocean provides a range of ecosystem services, supplies us with

UN Ocean Conference 2022

The UN Ocean Conference 2022, co-hosted by the Governments of Kenya and Portugal, came at a critical time as the world was strengthening its efforts to mobilize, create and drive solutions to realize the 17 Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

58th Session of the Commission for Social Development – CSocD58

22nd general assembly of the united nations world tourism organization, world tourism day 2017 official celebration.

This year’s World Tourism Day, held on 27 September, will be focused on Sustainable Tourism – a Tool for Development. Celebrated in line with the 2017 International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, the Day will be dedicated to exploring the contribution of tourism to the Sustainable Deve

World Tourism Day 2016 Official Celebration

Accessible Tourism for all is about the creation of environments that can cater for the needs of all of us, whether we are traveling or staying at home. May that be due to a disability, even temporary, families with small children, or the ageing population, at some point in our lives, sooner or late

4th Global Summit on City Tourism

The World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and the Regional Council for Tourism of Marrakesh with support of the Government of Morroco are organizing the 4th Global Summit on City Tourism in Marrakesh, Morroco (9-10 December 2015). International experts in city tourism, representatives of city DMOs, of

2nd Euro-Asian Mountain Resorts Conference

The World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and Ulsan Metropolitan City with support of the Government of the Republic of Korea are organizing the 2nd Euro-Asian Mountain Resorts Conference, in Ulsan, Republic of Korea (14 - 16 October 2015). Under the title “Paving the Way for a Bright Future for Mounta

21st General Assembly of the United Nations World Tourism Organization

Unwto regional conference enhancing brand africa - fostering tourism development.

Tourism is one of the Africa’s most promising sectors in terms of development, and represents a major opportunity to foster inclusive development, increase the region’s participation in the global economy and generate revenues for investment in other activities, including environmental preservation.

• 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.

UN Tourism | Bringing the world closer

• SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
• Competitiveness
• Innovation and Investments
• ETHICS, CULTURE AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
• TECHNICAL COOPERATION
• UN Tourism ACADEMY

share this content

• Share this article on facebook
• Share this article on twitter
• Share this article on linkedin

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.

Information

• Author Services

Initiatives

You are accessing a machine-readable page. In order to be human-readable, please install an RSS reader.

All articles published by MDPI are made immediately available worldwide under an open access license. No special permission is required to reuse all or part of the article published by MDPI, including figures and tables. For articles published under an open access Creative Common CC BY license, any part of the article may be reused without permission provided that the original article is clearly cited. For more information, please refer to https://www.mdpi.com/openaccess .

Feature papers represent the most advanced research with significant potential for high impact in the field. A Feature Paper should be a substantial original Article that involves several techniques or approaches, provides an outlook for future research directions and describes possible research applications.

Feature papers are submitted upon individual invitation or recommendation by the scientific editors and must receive positive feedback from the reviewers.

Editor’s Choice articles are based on recommendations by the scientific editors of MDPI journals from around the world. Editors select a small number of articles recently published in the journal that they believe will be particularly interesting to readers, or important in the respective research area. The aim is to provide a snapshot of some of the most exciting work published in the various research areas of the journal.

Original Submission Date Received: .

• Active Journals
• Find a Journal
• Proceedings Series
• For Authors
• For Reviewers
• For Editors
• For Librarians
• For Publishers
• For Societies
• For Conference Organizers
• Open Access Policy
• Institutional Open Access Program
• Special Issues Guidelines
• Editorial Process
• Research and Publication Ethics
• Article Processing Charges
• Testimonials
• Preprints.org
• SciProfiles
• Encyclopedia

Article Menu

• Subscribe SciFeed
• Recommended Articles
• Google Scholar
• on Google Scholar
• Table of Contents

Find support for a specific problem in the support section of our website.

Please let us know what you think of our products and services.

Visit our dedicated information section to learn more about MDPI.

JSmol Viewer

Progress in sustainable tourism research: an analysis of the comprehensive literature and future research directions.

1. Introduction

2. methodology.

• Is the article’s language English? Since English is the most accepted language for academic writing worldwide, we have chosen it;
• Are the articles prepared from the standpoint of sustainable tourism?;
• Is the paper published in Beall’s predatory journals? Since it contains a vast dataset regarding the protentional predatory journals and publishers, we have solely depended on excluding articles from predatory journals;
• Is the article published between 1990 and 2021? This period contains the largest amount of publications on sustainable tourism arguments;
• Are the articles focused on the development, dimensions of tourism, issues, challenges, need, practices, and measurement of sustainable tourism?;
• What are the concluding statements of the paper? The concluding remarks of the paper highlight the key messages of the research.

3. A Comprehensive Review of the Relevant Studies

3.1. development and dimensions of sustainable tourism, 3.2. issues, challenges, and needs of sustainable tourism, 3.3. sustainable tourism practices and measurement, 4. discussion and future research directions, 5. conclusions, author contributions, institutional review board statement, informed consent statement, data availability statement, conflicts of interest.

• Zhang, Y.; Haseeb, M.; Hossain, M.E.; Hu, M.; Li, Z. Study on the Coupling and Coordination Degree between Urban Tourism Development and Habitat Environment in the Yangtze River Delta in China. Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res. 2022 . [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ] [ PubMed ]
• Swarbrooke, J. Sustainable Tourism Management ; CAB International: Wallingford, UK, 1999; ISBN 9780851993140. [ Google Scholar ]
• Hardy, A.; Beeton, R.J.S.; Pearson, L. Sustainable Tourism: An Overview of the Concept and Its Position in Relation to Conceptualisations of Tourism. J. Sustain. Tour. 2002 , 10 , 475–496. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• WTO. Making Tourism More Sustainable: A Guide for Policy Makers ; WTO: Geneva, Switzerland, 2005; pp. 39–43. [ Google Scholar ]
• Hunter, C.; Green, H. Tourism and the Environment: A Sustainable Relationship? Routledge: London, UK, 1995; 212p. [ Google Scholar ]
• Hawkins, R.; Middleton, V.T.C. Sustainable Tourism: A Marketing Perspective ; Butterworth-Heinemann: Oxford, UK, 1998. [ Google Scholar ]
• WTO. Indicators of Sustainable Development for Tourist Destinations—A Guidebook ; WTO: Geneva, Switzerland, 2004; 507p. [ Google Scholar ]
• Lizarraga, O. Impacts of US Residential Tourism in Northwest Mexican Coastal Destinations: The Cases of Mazatlán, Sinaloa; Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and Puerto Peñasco, Sonora. Rev. Lat. Am. Tur. 2019 , 5 , 1–14. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Luo, W. Evaluating Tourist Destination Performance: Expanding the Sustainability Concept. Sustainability 2018 , 10 , 516. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Neto, F. A New Approach to Sustainable Tourism Development: Moving beyond Environmental Protection. Nat. Resour. Forum 2003 , 27 , 212–222. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Kokkranikal, J.; Morrison, A. Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Tourism: The Houseboats of Kerala. Tour. Hosp. Res. 2002 , 4 , 7–20. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Aayog, N. NITI Aayog Launches Five Thematic Reports on Sustainable Development in Indian Himalayan Region ; Press Information Bureau, Government of India: New Delhi, India, 2018. [ Google Scholar ]
• Rodríguez Díaz, M.; Espino Rodríguez, T. Determining the Sustainability Factors and Performance of a Tourism Destination from the Stakeholders’ Perspective. Sustainability 2016 , 8 , 951. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Hussain, K.; Ali, F.; Ragavan, N.A.; Manhas, P.S. Sustainable Tourism and Resulting Resident Satisfaction at Jammu and Kashmir, India. Worldw. Hosp. Tour. Themes 2015 , 7 , 486–499. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Aydın, B.; Alvarez, M.D. Understanding the Tourists’ Perspective of Sustainability in Cultural Tourist Destinations. Sustainability 2020 , 12 , 8846. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Butler, R.W. Sustainable Tourism: A State-of-the-art Review. Tour. Geogr. 1999 , 1 , 7–25. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ] [ Green Version ]
• Bac, D.P. The Emergence of Sustainable Tourism—A Literature Review. Quaestus Multidiscip. Res. J. 2014 , 4 , 131–140. [ Google Scholar ]
• Derek Hall, G.R. Tourism and Sustainable Community Development ; Routledge: London, UK, 2000; 336p. [ Google Scholar ]
• Grundey, D. Managing sustainable tourism in lithuania: Dream or reality?/Darnaus turizmo valdymas lietuvoje: Svajonė ar realybė? Technol. Econ. Dev. Econ. 2008 , 14 , 118–129. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Shahedul Alam, S.M. Sustainable Tourism Development & Poverty Alleviation A Strategic View of Poverty Alleviation through Sustainable Tourism Development in Developing Country ; Lambert Academic Publishing: London, UK, 2017. [ Google Scholar ]
• Ibănescu, B.-C.; Stoleriu, O.; Munteanu, A.; Iațu, C. The Impact of Tourism on Sustainable Development of Rural Areas: Evidence from Romania. Sustainability 2018 , 10 , 3529. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Eusébio, C.; Elisabeth Kastenholz, Z.B. Tourism and Sustainable Development of Rural Destinations: A Stakeholders’ View. Revista Portuguesa de Estudos Regionais. 2014. Available online: https://digitalis-dsp.sib.uc.pt/bitstream/10316.2/35310/1/RPER36%20_cap2.pdf (accessed on 6 December 2022).
• Ackerman, L.M. Consumer Perceptions of Sustainability in the Cruise Industry. Master’s Thesis, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA, 2015. [ Google Scholar ]
• UNESCO. Sustainable Tourism Development in UNESCO Designated Sites in South-Eastern Europe ; UNESCO: London, UK, 2015; pp. 1–43. [ Google Scholar ]
• Huang, R.-Y.; Chang, W.-J.; Chung, Y.-C.; Yin, Y.-S.; Yen, J.C. A Literature Review of Sustainable Tourism (1990–2016). Int. J. Tour. Hosp. Rev. 2019 , 6 , 20–49. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Carneiro, M.J. Host-Tourist Interaction and Impact of Tourism on Residents’ Quality of Life. Tour. Manag. Stud. 2015 , 11 , 25–34. [ Google Scholar ]
• Mathur, S.; Khanna, K.; Saxena, S.K. Sustainability Practices in Hotel Industry: A Study on Guest Awareness and Satisfaction. Indian J. Sustain. Dev. 2017 , 3 , 55–56. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Ruhet, G.E. Environmental Sustainability and the Future of the Cruise Tourism: A Suggested Model. Çukurova Üniversitesi İktisadi Ve İdari Bilim. Fakültesi Derg. 2018 , 22 , 107–114. [ Google Scholar ]
• World Bank. A Framework for Sustainable Tourism Development in Honduras: Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Tourism Strategy ; ECON-Report No. Project No. 41420; World Bank: Washington, DC, USA, 2004; pp. 1–51. [ Google Scholar ]
• Sakolnakorn, T.P.N.; Naipinit, A.; Kroeksakul, P. Sustainable Tourism Development and Management in the Phuket Province, Thailand. Asian Soc. Sci. 2013 , 9 , 75–84. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• European Parliament’s Committee on Transport and Tourism. From Responsible Best Practices to Sustainable Tourism Development ; European Parliament’s Committee on Transport and Tourism: Brussels, Belgiums, 2016; pp. 1–118. [ Google Scholar ]
• Nepal, R.; Indra al Irsyad, M.; Nepal, S.K. Tourist Arrivals, Energy Consumption and Pollutant Emissions in a Developing Economy–Implications for Sustainable Tourism. Tour. Manag. 2019 , 72 , 145–154. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Amuquandoh, F.E.; Dei, L.A. Tourism Development Preferences among the Residents of Lake Bosomtwe Basin, Ghana. GeoJournal 2007 , 70 , 173–183. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Khalid, S.N.S. Towards Sustainability of Thailand Tourism Industry: Between Action Plans and Implementation. In Proceeding of the Regional Conference on Tourism Research, Penang, Malaysia, 13–14 December 2010; pp. 16–25. [ Google Scholar ]
• Aall, C. Sustainable Tourism in Practice: Promoting or Perverting the Quest for a Sustainable Development? Sustainability 2014 , 6 , 2562–2583. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Dahiya, K.; Batra, D.K. India—Sustainability and the Tourism Rankings. Afr. J. Hosp. Tour. Leis. 2018 , 7 , 1–20. [ Google Scholar ]
• Kişi, N. A Strategic Approach to Sustainable Tourism Development Using the A’WOT Hybrid Method: A Case Study of Zonguldak, Turkey. Sustainability 2019 , 11 , 964. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Perkumienė, D.; Pranskūnienė, R.; Vienažindienė, M.; Grigienė, J. The Right to A Clean Environment: Considering Green Logistics and Sustainable Tourism. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020 , 17 , 3254. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Nations, U. Is the Concept of Sustainable Tourism Sustainable? Developing the Sustainable Tourism Benchmarking Tool ; United Nations: New York, NY, USA; Geneva, Switzerland, 2007; pp. 1–27. [ Google Scholar ]
• Lansing, P.; De Vries, P. Sustainable Tourism: Ethical Alternative or Marketing Ploy? J. Bus. Ethics 2007 , 72 , 77–85. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Buckley, R. Sustainable Tourism: Research and Reality. Ann. Tour. Res. 2012 , 39 , 528–546. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Gkoumas, A. Evaluating a Standard for Sustainable Tourism through the Lenses of Local Industry. Heliyon 2019 , 5 , e02707. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Liu, Z. Sustainable Tourism Development: A Critique. J. Sustain. Tour. 2003 , 11 , 459–475. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Cernat, L.; Gourdon, J. Paths to Success: Benchmarking Cross-Country Sustainable Tourism. Tour. Manag. 2012 , 33 , 1044–1056. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Bahaire, T.; Elliott-White, M. The Application of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in Sustainable Tourism Planning: A Review. J. Sustain. Tour. 1999 , 7 , 159–174. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Mcadam, D. The Value and Scope of Geographical Information Systems in Tourism Management. J. Sustain. Tour. 1999 , 7 , 77–92. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Torres-Delgado, A.; Saarinen, J. Using Indicators to Assess Sustainable Tourism Development: A Review. Tour. Geogr. 2014 , 16 , 31–47. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Cotrell, S.; Vaske, J.J.; Shen, F. Predictors of Sustainable Tourism in Holland and China. In Eco-Tourism and Sustainable Tourism: New Perspectives and Studies ; Academic Press: Cambridge, MA, USA, 2012; Volume 23, pp. 236–243. [ Google Scholar ]
• Huayhuaca, C.; Cottrell, S.; Raadik, J.; Gradl, S. Resident Perceptions of Sustainable Tourism Development: Frankenwald Nature Park, Germany. Int. J. Tour. Policy 2010 , 3 , 125. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Ahmad, P.A. Impact of Armed Conflict on Kashmir Tourism and Socio-Economic Profile of the People of J&K. Int. J. Multi Disciplinary Manag. Stud. 2013 , 3 , 35–44. [ Google Scholar ]
• Siakwah, P.; Musavengane, R.; Leonard, L. Tourism Governance and Attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals in Africa. Tour. Plan. Dev. 2020 , 17 , 355–383. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Akbar, I.; Yang, Z.; Han, F.; Kanat, G. The Influence of Negative Political Environment on Sustainable Tourism: A Study of Aksu-Jabagly World Heritage Site, Kazakhstan. Sustainability 2019 , 12 , 143. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Cristofaro, M.; Leoni, L.; Baiocco, S. Promoting Co-Evolutionary Adaptations for Sustainable Tourism: The “Alpine Convention” Case. Tour. Plan. Dev. 2020 , 17 , 275–294. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Choi, H.-S.C.; Sirakaya, E. Measuring Residents’ Attitude toward Sustainable Tourism: Development of Sustainable Tourism Attitude Scale. J. Travel Res. 2005 , 43 , 380–394. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Johnsen, J.; Bieger, T.; Scherer, R. Indicator-Based Strategies for Sustainable Tourism Development. Mt. Res. Dev. 2008 , 28 , 116–121. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• O’Mahony, C.; Ferreira, M.; Fernández-Palacios, Y.; Cummins, V.; Haroun, R. Data Availability and Accessibility for Sustainable Tourism: An Assessment Involving Different European Coastal Tourism Destinations. J. Coast. Res. 2009 , 2 , 1135–1139. [ Google Scholar ]
• Font, X.; Higham, J.; Miller, G.; Pourfakhimi, S. Research Engagement, Impact and Sustainable Tourism. J. Sustain. Tour. 2019 , 27 , 1–11. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• De Marchi, D.; Becarelli, R.; Di Sarli, L. Tourism Sustainability Index: Measuring Tourism Sustainability Based on the ETIS Toolkit, by Exploring Tourist Satisfaction via Sentiment Analysis. Sustainability 2022 , 14 , 8049. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Hsu, C.-Y.; Chen, M.-Y.; Nyaupane, G.P.; Lin, S.-H. Measuring Sustainable Tourism Attitude Scale (SUS-TAS) in an Eastern Island Context. Tour. Manag. Perspect. 2020 , 33 , 100617. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Lee, S.W.; Xue, K. A Model of Destination Loyalty: Integrating Destination Image and Sustainable Tourism. Asia Pac. J. Tour. Res. 2020 , 25 , 393–408. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Choudhary, R. Sustainable Tourism in India: Collective Efforts of Tourism Stakeholders. Int. J. Bus. Manag. 2014 , 1 , 77–84. [ Google Scholar ]
• Sims, R. Food, Place and Authenticity: Local Food and the Sustainable Tourism Experience. J. Sustain. Tour. 2009 , 17 , 321–336. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Kruja, D.; Hasaj, A. Comparisons of Stakeholders’ Perception towards the Sustainable Tourism Development and Its Impacts in Shkodra Region, Albania. Turizam 2010 , 14 , 1–12. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ] [ Green Version ]
• Hashemkhani Zolfani, S.; Sedaghat, M.; Maknoon, R.; Zavadskas, E.K. Sustainable Tourism: A Comprehensive Literature Review on Frameworks and Applications. Econ. Res. Istraživanja 2015 , 28 , 1–30. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Guo, Y.; Jiang, J.; Li, S. A Sustainable Tourism Policy Research Review. Sustainability 2019 , 11 , 3187. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Streimikiene, D.; Svagzdiene, B.; Jasinskas, E.; Simanavicius, A. Sustainable Tourism Development and Competitiveness: The Systematic Literature Review. Sustain. Dev. 2021 , 29 , 259–271. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Obradović, S.; Tešin, A.; Božović, T.; Milošević, D. Residents’ Perceptions of and Satisfaction with Tourism Development: A Case Study of the Uvac Special Nature Reserve, Serbia. Tour. Hosp. Res. 2021 , 21 , 31–43. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Trišić, I.; Štetić, S.; Privitera, D.; Petrović, M.D.; Maksin, M.; Vujović, S.; Jovanović, Z.; Kalinić, M. Perspectives on Sustainable Tourism Development in the Hotel Industry—A Case Study from Southern Europe. Sustainability 2021 , 13 , 5563. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Milićević, S.; Bošković, N.; Lakićević, M. Sustainable Tourism Development in Mountain Areas in Šumadija and Western Serbia. J. Mt. Sci. 2021 , 18 , 735–748. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Grilli, G.; Tyllianakis, E.; Luisetti, T.; Ferrini, S.; Turner, R.K. Prospective Tourist Preferences for Sustainable Tourism Development in Small Island Developing States. Tour. Manag. 2021 , 82 , 104178. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Marinello, S.; Butturi, M.A.; Gamberini, R.; Martini, U. Indicators for Sustainable Touristic Destinations: A Critical Review. J. Environ. Plan. Manag. 2023 , 66 , 1–30. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]

Share and Cite

Yang, Y.; Wani, G.A.; Nagaraj, V.; Haseeb, M.; Sultan, S.; Hossain, M.E.; Kamal, M.; Shah, S.M.R. Progress in Sustainable Tourism Research: An Analysis of the Comprehensive Literature and Future Research Directions. Sustainability 2023 , 15 , 2755. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15032755

Yang Y, Wani GA, Nagaraj V, Haseeb M, Sultan S, Hossain ME, Kamal M, Shah SMR. Progress in Sustainable Tourism Research: An Analysis of the Comprehensive Literature and Future Research Directions. Sustainability . 2023; 15(3):2755. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15032755

Yang, Yuetao, Gowhar Ahmad Wani, V. Nagaraj, Mohammad Haseeb, Sameer Sultan, Md. Emran Hossain, Mustafa Kamal, and Syed Mehmood Raza Shah. 2023. "Progress in Sustainable Tourism Research: An Analysis of the Comprehensive Literature and Future Research Directions" Sustainability 15, no. 3: 2755. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15032755

Article Metrics

Article access statistics, further information, mdpi initiatives, follow mdpi.

Subscribe to receive issue release notifications and newsletters from MDPI journals

YOUR FINAL GRADE - GUARANTEED UK Essay Experts

Disclaimer: This is an example of a student written essay. Click here for sample essays written by our professional writers.

View full disclaimer

Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of UKEssays.com.

Impact of Sustainable Tourism

Reference this

If you need assistance with writing your essay, our professional essay writing service is here to help!

Our academic experts are ready and waiting to assist with any writing project you may have. From simple essay plans, through to full dissertations, you can guarantee we have a service perfectly matched to your needs.

• Plan for long-term goals and objectives
• Set and respect the limits of environment and society
• Monitor the changes and developments continuously
• Take an integrated or holistic approach to development
• Choose an adequate pace of development
• Take cost-effective methods and approaches
• Involve the stakeholders in the process of development
• Examine and manage risk by implementing risk mitigation strategies

Cite This Work

To export a reference to this article please select a referencing stye below:

Related Services

Essay Writing Service

• Dissertation Writing Service

• Assignment Writing Service

DMCA / Removal Request

If you are the original writer of this essay and no longer wish to have your work published on UKEssays.com then please:

Our academic writing and marking services can help you!

• Find out more about our Essay Writing Service
• Undergraduate 2:2
• 7 day delivery
• Marking Service
• Samples of our Service
• Full Service Portfolio

Humanity University

Dedicated to your worth and value as a human being!

Related Lectures

Study for free with our range of university lectures!

• All Available Lectures

Freelance Writing Jobs

Looking for a flexible role? Do you have a 2:1 degree or higher?

Study Resources

Free resources to assist you with your university studies!

• Dissertation Resources at UKDiss.com
• How to Write an Essay
• Essay Buyers Guide
• Referencing Tools
• Essay Writing Guides
• Masters Writing Guides

Change Region / Country

Here you can choose which regional hub you wish to view, providing you with the most relevant information we have for your specific region. If your specific country is not listed, please select the UK version of the site, as this is best suited to international visitors.

United Kingdom

United States

United Arab Emirates

Saudi Arabia

Advertisement

Let us take a walk to the sustainable tourism practices: a qualitative study through the lens of tourism experts

• Research Article
• Published: 04 January 2024
• Volume 31 , pages 12892–12915, ( 2024 )

Cite this article

• Vikas Arya 1 ,
• Vilte Auruskeviciene   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-1563-4052 2 ,
• Srishti Agarwal 3 ,
• Priyanka Kokatnur 3 ,
• Harish Kumar 4 &
• Rajeev Verma 5  

495 Accesses

Explore all metrics

The rising opportunities of sustainable tourism have brought many policies to control the exploitation of the environment and increase the reach of luxurious, safe, and authentic experiences to the different segments of tourists. This study seeks to prioritize the variables influencing the development of sustainable tourism and pinpoint key success factors that align with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It adopts a tri-dimensional framework encompassing economic, social, and environmental aspects, further delineated into eleven sub-dimensions, to provide a quantitative evaluation of sustainable tourism. We conducted interviews with 26 tourism industry experts hailing from eight countries, analyzing their responses using interval type-2 fuzzy sets. The results underscore the critical role of specific components in advancing sustainable tourism. In the economic dimension, “financial resources and tourism costs” emerge as vital factors. In the social dimension, “health and safety” takes center stage, while “green infrastructure” plays a pivotal role in the environmental dimension. These findings underscore the significance of these aspects in promoting sustainable tourism. Furthermore, this study explores the strategic importance of sustainable tourism equity in shaping tourism planning and development for emerging markets.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA) Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Rent this article via DeepDyve

Institutional subscriptions

Source: Authors

Similar content being viewed by others

Three pillars of sustainability: in search of conceptual origins

Impact of tourism development upon environmental sustainability: a suggested framework for sustainable ecotourism

Assessing the role of urban green spaces for human well-being: a systematic review

Data availability.

Data will be available on request.

Agarwal SA, Kasliwal N (2019) Indian consumer’s environmental consciousness and decision towards green services of hospitality industry. J Hosp Appl Res 14(2):22–40

Google Scholar  

Ahmad N, Youjin L, Hdia M (2022) The role of innovation and tourism in sustainability: why is environment-friendly tourism necessary for entrepreneurship? J Clean Prod 379:134799. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.134799

Article   Google Scholar  

Alfaro Navarro JL, Andrés Martínez ME, Mondéjar Jiménez JA (2020) An approach to measuring sustainable tourism at the local level in Europe. Curr Issue Tour 23(4):423–437. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2019.1579174

Andereck KL, Valentine KM, Knopf RC, Vogt CA, Knollenberg W (2021) Tourists’ willingness to conserve resources and reduce their carbon footprint in national parks. J Sustain Tour 29(4):499–516

Andria J, di Tollo G, Pesenti R (2019) A fuzzy evaluation of tourism sustainability. In Business and consumer analytics: New ideas pp 911–932. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-06222-4_24

Apak ÖC, Gürbüz A (2023) The effect of local food consumption of domestic tourists on sustainable tourism. J Retail Consum Serv 71:103192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2022.103192

Arya V, Sethi D, Paul J (2019) Does digital footprint act as a digital asset? — enhancing brand experience through remarketing. Int J Inf Manage 49:142–156. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2019.03.013

Arya V, Sharma S, Sethi D, Verma H, Shiva A (2018) Ties that bind tourists: embedding destination motivators to destination attachment: a study in the context of Kumbh Fair India. Asia Pacific J Tour Res 23(12):1160–1172. https://doi.org/10.1080/10941665.2018.1528992

Arya V, Sambyal R, Sharma A, Dwivedi YK (2023) Brands are calling your AVATAR in Metaverse—a study to explore XR‐based gamification marketing activities and consumer‐based brand equity in virtual world. Journal of Consumer Behaviour. https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.2214

Athari SA, Alola UV, Ghasemi M, Alola AA (2021) The (Un) sticky role of exchange and inflation rate in tourism development: insight from the low and high political risk destinations. Curr Issue Tour 24(12):1670–1685. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2020.1798893

Balsalobre-Lorente D, Abbas J, He C, Pilař L, Shah SAR (2023a) Tourism, urbanization and natural resources rents matter for environmental sustainability: the leading role of AI and ICT on sustainable development goals in the digital era. Resour Policy 82:103445. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2023.103445

Balsalobre-Lorente D, Luzon LI, Usman M, Jahanger A (2023) The relevance of international tourism and natural resource rents in economic growth: fresh evidence from MINT countries in the digital era. Environ Sci Pollut Res 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-25022-0

Barbieri C, Sotomayor S, Gil Arroyo C (2020) Sustainable tourism practices in indigenous communities: the case of the Peruvian Andes. Tour Plann Dev 17(2):207–224. https://doi.org/10.1080/21568316.2019.1597760

Beames S, Mackenzie SH, Raymond E (2022) How can we adventure sustainably? A systematized review of sustainability guidance for adventure tourism operators. J Hosp Tour Manag 50:223–231. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2022.01.002

Becken S, Loehr J (2022) Tourism governance and enabling drivers for intensifying climate action. Journal of Sustainable Tourism 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2022.2032099

Becken S, Stantic B, Chen JS (2020) Climate change and tourism: impacts and challenges. Tourism Review 75(1):46–60

Berno T, Rajalingam G, Miranda AI, Ximenes J (2022) Promoting sustainable tourism futures in Timor-Leste by creating synergies between food, place and people. J Sustain Tour 30(2–3):500–514. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2021.1895819

Bodhanwala S, Bodhanwala R (2022) Exploring relationship between sustainability and firm performance in travel and tourism industry: a global evidence. Social Respons J 18(7):1251–1269. https://doi.org/10.1108/SRJ-09-2020-0360

Bramwell B, Lane B (2019) Critical research on the governance and management of tourism in protected areas. Curr Issue Tour 22(5):547–579

Briassoulis H (2002) Sustainable tourism and the question of the commons. Ann Tour Res 29(4):1065–1085. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0160-7383(02)00021-X

Bricker KS, Schultz J (2011) Sustainable tourism in the USA: a comparative look at the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria. Tour Recreat Res 36(3):215–229

Bramwell B, Lane B (2011) Critical research on the governance of tourism and sustainability. J Sustain Tour 19(4–5):411–421. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2011.11081668

Budeanu A, Miller G, Moscardo G, Ooi CS (2016) Sustainable tourism, progress, challenges and opportunities: an introduction. J Clean Prod 111:285–294. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.10.027

Buckley R (2012) Sustainable tourism: research and reality. Ann Tour Res 39(2):528–546. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2012.02.003

Article   MathSciNet   Google Scholar  

Carlson J, Rahman MM, Rosenberger PJ III, Holzmüller HH (2016) Understanding communal and individual customer experiences in group-oriented event tourism: an activity theory perspective. J Mark Manag 32(9–10):900–925. https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2016.1181099

Chandra P, Kumar J (2021) Strategies for developing sustainable tourism business in the Indian Himalayan Region: insights from Uttarakhand, the Northern Himalayan State of India. J Destin Mark Manag 19:100546. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2020.100546

Choe J, O’Regan M, Kimbu A, Lund NF, Ladkin A (2021) Quality of life perspectives for different social groups in a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure. Tour Stud 21(4):615–637. https://doi.org/10.1177/14687976211038758

Choi HSC, Sirakaya E (2005) Measuring residents’ attitude toward sustainable tourism: development of sustainable tourism attitude scale. J Travel Res 43(4):380–394. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287505274651

Chong K, Balasingam AS (2019) Tourism sustainability: economic benefits and strategies for preservation and conservation of heritage sites in Southeast Asia. Tourism Review 74(2):268–279. https://doi.org/10.1108/TR-11-2017-0182

Darcy S, Cameron B, Pegg S (2010) Accessible tourism and sustainability: a discussion and case study. J Sustain Tour 18(4):515–537. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669581003690668

Da Silva J, Fernandes V, Limont M, Rauen WB (2020) Sustainable development assessment from a capitals perspective: analytical structure and indicator selection criteria. J Environ Manage 260:110147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.110147

Article   PubMed   Google Scholar  

Sausmarez De (2007) Crisis management, tourism and sustainability: the role of indicators. J Sustain Tour 15(6):700–714

Dolnicar S, Crouch GI, Long P (2008) Environment-friendly tourists: what do we really know about them? J Sustain Tour 16(2):197–210. https://doi.org/10.2167/jost653.0

Dong XD, Nguyen TQT (2022) Power, community involvement, and sustainability of tourism destinations. Tour Stud 23(1):62–79. https://doi.org/10.1177/14687976221144335

Dredge D, Scott N, Lechner AM, Dominey-Howes D (2020) Spatial and coastal tourism. In Tourism and Water (pp. 109–126). Channel View Publications

Durband R (2021) Establishing sustainability standards in tourism. Handbook for sustainable tourism practitioners: the essential toolbox, 233

El Atiek S, Goutte S (2023) Impacts, sustainability, and resilience on the Egyptian tourism and hospitality industry after the Russian airplane crash in 2015. Res Int Bus Financ 64:101866. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ribaf.2022.101866

El-Masry EA, El-Sayed MK, Awad MA, El-Sammak AA, Sabarouti MAE (2022) Vulnerability of tourism to climate change on the Mediterranean coastal area of El Hammam–EL Alamein Egypt. Environ Dev Sustain 24(1):1145–1165. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-021-01488-9

Eslami S, Khalifa Z, Mardani A, Streimikiene D, Han H (2019) Community attachment, tourism impacts, quality of life and residents’ support for sustainable tourism development. J Travel Tour Mark 36(9):1061–1079. https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2019.1689224

Falatoonitoosi E, Schaffer V, Kerr D (2022) Does sustainable tourism development enhance destination prosperity? J Hosp Tourism Res 46(5):1056–1082. https://doi.org/10.1177/1096348020988328

Farrell B, Twining-Ward L (2005) Seven steps towards sustainability: tourism in the context of new knowledge. J Sustain Tour 13(2):109–122. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669580508668481

Firman A, Moslehpour M, Qiu R, Lin PK, Ismail T, Rahman FF (2023) The impact of eco-innovation, ecotourism policy and social media on sustainable tourism development: evidence from the tourism sector of Indonesia. Econ Res - Ekonomska Istraživanja 36(2):2143847. https://doi.org/10.1080/1331677X.2022.2143847

Fong SF, Lo MC, Songan P et al (2017) Self-efficacy and sustainable rural tourism development: Local communities’ perspectives from Kuching, Sarawak. Asia Pacific J Tour Res 22(2):147–159. https://doi.org/10.1080/10941665.2016.1208668

Font X, Torres-Delgado A, Crabolu G, Palomo Martinez J, Kantenbacher J, Miller G (2023) The impact of sustainable tourism indicators on destination competitiveness: The European Tourism Indicator System. J Sustain Tour 31(7):1608–1630. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2021.1910281

Garau G, Carboni D, Karim El Meligi A (2022) Economic and environmental impact of the tourism carrying capacity: a local-based approach. J Hosp Tour Res 46(7):1257–1273. https://doi.org/10.1177/10963480211031426

Geoffrey Deladem T, Xiao Z, Siueia TT, Doku S, Tettey I (2021) Developing sustainable tourism through public-private partnership to alleviate poverty in Ghana. Tour Stud 21(2):317–343. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468797620955250

Ghoochani O, Ghanian M, Khosravipour B, Crotts JC (2020) Sustainable tourism development performance in the wetland areas: a proposed composite index. Tourism Review. https://doi.org/10.1108/TR-02-2019-0061

Garrig’os-Sim’on FJ, Gald’on-Salvador JL and Gil-Pechu’an I (2015) The economic sustainability of tourism growth through leakage calculation. Tourism Econ 21(4):721–739. https://doi.org/10.5367/te.2014.0372

Ghahramani L, Khalilzadeh J, Kc B (2018) Tour guides’ communication ecosystems: an inferential social network analysis approach. Inform Technol Tour 20(1):103–130. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40558-018-0114-y

Go H, Kang M (2023) Metaverse tourism for sustainable tourism development: Tourism agenda 2030. Tourism Review 78(2):381–394. https://doi.org/10.1108/TR-02-2022-0102

Gössling S (2021) Tourism, technology and ICT: a critical review of affordances and concessions. J Sustain Tour 29(5):733–750. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2021.1873353

Gössling S, Scott D, Hall CM (2020) Tourism and water: interactions, impacts, and challenges. Annu Rev Environ Resour 45:269–294

Gossling S, Scott D, Hall CM (2018) Tourism and Water (Vol. 13). Channel View Publications

Graci S, Maher PT, Peterson B, Hardy A, Vaugeois N (2021) Thoughts from the think tank: lessons learned from the sustainable Indigenous tourism symposium. J Ecotour 20(2):189–197. https://doi.org/10.1080/14724049.2019.1583754

Grilli G, Tyllianakis E, Luisetti T, Ferrini S, Turner RK (2021) Prospective tourist preferences for sustainable tourism development in Small Island Developing States. Tour Manage 82:104178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2020.104178

GSTC (2021) Who We Are. Global Sustainable Tourism Council. Accessed during October 2023, https://www.gstcouncil.org/who-we-are/

GSTC (2022) The GSTC criteria: the global baseline standards for sustainability in travel and tourism. Global Sustainable Tourism Council. Accessed during October 2023, https://www.gstcouncil.org/the-gstc-criteria/

GSTC (2023) Certification. Global Sustainable Tourism Council. Accessed during October 2023, https://www.gstcouncil.org/certification/

Hall CM (2019) Constructing sustainable tourism development: the 2030 agenda and the managerial ecology of sustainable tourism. J Sustain Tour 27(7):1044–1060. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2018.1560456

Hall CM, Gossling S, Scott D (Eds.) (2015) The Routledge handbook of tourism and sustainability. Routledge

Hardy A, Beeton RJ, Pearson L (2002) Sustainable tourism: an overview of the concept and its position in relation to conceptualisations of tourism. J Sustain Tour 10(6):475–496. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669580208667183

Hamid MA, Isa SM, Kiumarsi S (2021) Sustainable tourism practices and business performance from the tour operators’ perspectives. Anatolia 32(1):23–32. https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2020.1830135

Han H (2021) Consumer behavior and environmental sustainability in tourism and hospitality: a review of theories, concepts, and latest research. J Sustain Tour 29(7):1021–1042. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2021.1903019

He LY, Li H, Bi JW, Yang JJ, Zhou Q (2022) The impact of public health emergencies on hotel demand—estimation from a new foresight perspective on the COVID-19. Annals of Tourism Research, 94, May 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2022.103402

Hamid MA, Isa SM, Kiumarsi S (2020) Sustainable tourism practices and business performance from the tour operators’ perspectives. Anatolia 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2020.1830135

Higgins-Desbiolles F, Carnicelli S, Krolikowski C, Wijesinghe G, Boluk K (2019) Degrowing tourism: rethinking tourism. J Sustain Tour 27(12):1926–1944. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2019.1601732

Higgins-Desbiolles F (2018) Sustainable tourism: sustaining tourism or something more? Tour Manage Perspect 25:157–160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2017.11.017

Higuchi Y, Yamanaka Y (2019) The potential value of research-based evidence in destination management: the case of Kamikawa. Japan Tour Rev 74(2):166–178. https://doi.org/10.1108/TR-11-2017-0188

Iorio M, Corsale A (2013) Diaspora and tourism: Transylvanian Saxons visiting the homeland. Tour Geogr 15(2):198–232. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2012.647327

Iqbal A, Ramachandran S, Siow ML, Subramaniam T, Afandi SHM (2022) Meaningful community participation for effective development of sustainable tourism: bibliometric analysis towards a quintuple helix model. J Outdoor Recreat Tour 39:100523. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jort.2022.100523

Ivanov S, Gavrilina M, Webster C, Ralko V (2017) Impacts of political instability on the tourism industry in Ukraine. J Policy Res Tourism Leisure Events 9(1):100–127. https://doi.org/10.1080/19407963.2016.1209677

Ivars-Baidal JA, Vera-Rebollo JF, Perles-Ribes J, Femenia-Serra F, Celdrán-Bernabeu MA (2023) Sustainable tourism indicators: what’s new within the smart city/destination approach? J Sustain Tour 31(7):1556–1582

Iversen R (2022). Cultural exchange in sustainable tourism: a literature review. Current Issues in Tourism, 1–16

Jabbour CJC, Fiorini PDC, Wong CW, Jugend D, Jabbour ABLDS, Seles BMRP, ... et al (2020) First-mover firms in the transition towards the sharing economy in metallic natural resource-intensive industries: implications for the circular economy and emerging industry 4.0 technologies. Resources Policy 66:101596. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2020.101596

Kahraman C (Ed.) (2008) Fuzzy multi-criteria decision making: theory and applications with recent developments (Vol. 16). Springer Science and Business Media

Kahraman C, Öztayşi B, Sarı İU, Turanoğlu E (2014) Fuzzy analytic hierarchy process with interval type-2 fuzzy sets. knowledge-Based Systems 59:48–57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.knosys.2014.02.001

Karnik NN, Mendel JM, Liang Q (1999) Type-2 fuzzy logic systems. IEEE Trans Fuzzy Syst 7(6):643–658. https://doi.org/10.1109/91.811231

Kaefer F (2022) Linda Veråsdal on ethical travel and responsible tourism in the Gambia. In Sustainability leadership in tourism: interviews, insights, and knowledge from practice pp 405–409. Cham: Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-05314-6_64

Kamata H (2022) Tourist destination residents’ attitudes towards tourism during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Curr Issue Tour 25(1):134–149

Katemliadis I, Kolongou ES, Drousiotis P (2021) Rising sustainability standards: the Cyprus sustainable tourism initiative. Worldwide Hosp Tour Themes 13(6):754–762. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2021.1881452

Kerdpitak C (2022) The effects of innovative management, digital marketing, service quality and supply chain management on performance in cultural tourism business. Uncertain Supply Chain Manage 10(3):771–778. https://doi.org/10.5267/j.uscm.2022.4.005

Ketter E (2020) Millennial travel: tourism micro-trends of European Generation Y. J Tour Futures 7(2):192–196. https://doi.org/10.1108/JTF-10-2019-0106

Komppula R (2014) The role of individual entrepreneurs in the development of competitiveness for a rural tourism destination—a case study. Tour Manage 40:361–371. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2013.07.007

Kim YJ, Palakurthi R, Hancer M (2012) The environmentally friendly programs in hotels and customers’ intention to stay: an online survey approach. Int J Hosp Tour Adm 13(3):195–214. https://doi.org/10.1080/15256480.2012.698169

Kilic M, Kaya I (2015) Investment project evaluation by a decision making methodology based on type-2 fuzzy sets. Appl Soft Comput 27:399–410. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asoc.2014.11.028

Klintman M (2012) Issues of scale in the global accreditation of sustainable tourism schemes: toward harmonized re-embeddedness?. Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy 8(1):59–69. https://doi.org/10.1080/15487733.2012.11908085

Kularatne T, Wilson C, Månsson J, Hoang V, Lee (2019) Do environmentally sustainable practices make hotels more efficient? A study of major hotels in Sri Lanka. Tourism Management 71:213-225 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2018.09.009

Kumar A, Misra SC, Chan FT (2022) Leveraging AI for advanced analytics to forecast altered tourism industry parameters: a COVID-19 motivated study. Expert Syst Appl 210:118628. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2022.118628

Article   PubMed   PubMed Central   Google Scholar  

Kuo FI, Fang WT, LePage BA (2022) Proactive environmental strategies in the hotel industry: eco-innovation, green competitive advantage, and green core competence. J Sustain Tour 30(6):1240–1261. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2021.1931254

Lasso A, Dahles H (2018) Are tourism livelihoods sustainable? Tourism development and economic transformation on Komodo Island, Indonesia. Asia Pacific J Tour Res 23(5):473–485. https://doi.org/10.1080/10941665.2018.1467939

Lee CK, Olya H, Ahmad MS, Kim KH, Oh MJ (2021) Sustainable intelligence, destination social responsibility, and pro-environmental behaviour of visitors: evidence from an eco-tourism site. J Hosp Tour Manag 47:365–376. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2021.04.010

Lee SW, Xue K (2020) A model of destination loyalty: Integrating destination image and sustainable tourism. Asia Pacific J Tour Res 25(4):393–408. https://doi.org/10.1080/10941665.2020.1713185

Liburd JJ, Edwards D (eds) (2010) Understanding the sustainable development of tourism. Goodfellow, Oxford, pp 19–44

Liu CH, Jiang JF, Gan B (2021) The antecedent and consequence behaviour of sustainable tourism: integrating the concepts of marketing strategy and destination image. Asia Pacific J Tour Res 26(8):829–848. https://doi.org/10.1080/10941665.2021.1908384

Liu CR, Lin WR, Wang YC, Chen SP (2019) Sustainability indicators for festival tourism: a multi-stakeholder perspective. J Qual Assur Hosp Tour 20(3):296–316. https://doi.org/10.1080/1528008X.2018.1530165

Liu-Lastres B, Wen H, Huang WJ (2023) A reflection on the Great Resignation in the hospitality and tourism industry. Int J Contemp Hosp Manag 35(1):235–249. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-05-2022-0551

Liu T, Juvan E, Qiu H, Dolnicar S (2022) Context-and culture-dependent behaviors for the greater good: a comparative analysis of plate waste generation. J Sustain Tour 30(6):1200–1218. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2021.1918132

Liu Z (2003) Sustainable tourism development: a critique. J Sustain Tour 11(6):459–475. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669580308667216

Lopes HS, Remoaldo PC, Ribeiro V, Martin-Vide J (2022) Pathways for adapting tourism to climate change in an urban destination—evidences based on thermal conditions for the Porto Metropolitan Area (Portugal). J Environ Manage 315:115161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115161

Lu J, Nepal SK (2009) Sustainable tourism research: an analysis of papers published in the Journal of Sustainable Tourism. J Sustain Tour 17(1):5–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669580802582480

Mamirkulova G, Mi J, Abbas J, Mahmood S, Mubeen R, Ziapour A (2020) New Silk Road infrastructure opportunities in developing tourism environment for residents better quality of life. Global Ecol Conserv 24:e01194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01194

Mathew PV (2022) Sustainable tourism development: discerning the impact of responsible tourism on community well-being. J Hosp Tour Insights 5(5):987–1001. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTI-02-2021-0052

Millar M, Baloglu S (2009) A green room experience: a comparison of business and leisure travelers’ preferences. Hospitality Management 1–12

MacKenzie N, Gannon MJ (2019) Exploring the antecedents of sustainable tourism development. Int J Contemp Hosp Manag 31(6):2411–2427. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-05-2018-0384

Moayerian N, McGehee NG, Stephenson MO Jr (2022) Community cultural development: exploring the connections between collective art making, capacity building and sustainable community-based tourism. Ann Tour Res 93:103355. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2022.103355

Molden O, Abrams J, Davis EJ, Moseley C (2017) Beyond localism: the micropolitics of local legitimacy in a community-based organization. J Rural Stud 50:60–69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2017.01.001

Monaco S (2018) Tourism and the new generations: emerging trends and social implications in Italy. J Tour Futures 4(1):7–15. https://doi.org/10.1108/JTF-12-2017-0053

Mowforth M, Munt I (2019) Tourism and sustainability: development, globalisation, and new tourism in the third world. Routledge

Moyle BD, Weaver DB, Gössling S, McLennan CL, Hadinejad A (2022) Are water-centric themes in sustainable tourism research congruent with the UN Sustainable Development Goals? J Sustain Tour 30(8):1821–1836. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2022.2083903

Nash D, Butler R (1990) Towards sustainable tourism. Tour Manage 11(3):263–264

Nguyen TQT, Young T, Johnson P, Wearing S (2019) Conceptualising networks in sustainable tourism development. Tour Manage Perspect 32:100575. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2019.100575

Nok LC, Suntikul W, Agyeiwaah E, Tolkach D (2017) Backpackers in Hong Kong–motivations, preferences and contribution to sustainable tourism. J Travel Tour Mark 34(8):1058–1070. https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2016.1276008

Nunkoo R, Sharma A, Rana NP, Dwivedi YK, Sunnassee VA (2021) Advancing sustainable development goals through interdisciplinarity in sustainable tourism research. Journal of Sustainable Tourism 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2021.2004416

O’Hare D, Pegoraro A, Scarles C (2020) “Instagrammability”: an exploration of social media engagement and destination image in organic contexts. Curr Issue Tour 23(1):1–18

Pan SY, Gao M, Kim H, Shah KJ, Pei SL, Chiang PC (2018) Advances and challenges in sustainable tourism toward a green economy. Sci Total Environ 635:452–469. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.04.134

Article   CAS   PubMed   ADS   Google Scholar  

Partanen M, Sarkki S (2021) Social innovations and sustainability of tourism: Insights from public sector in Kemi Finland. Tourist Studies 21(4):550–571. https://doi.org/10.1177/14687976211040246

Poudel S, Nyaupane GP, Budruk M (2016) Stakeholders’ perspectives of sustainable tourism development: a new approach to measuring outcomes. J Travel Res 55(4):465–480. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287514563166

Rahmadian E, Feitosa D, Zwitter A (2022) A systematic literature review on the use of big data for sustainable tourism. Curr Issue Tour 25(11):1711–1730. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2021.1974358

Rasoolimanesh SM, Ramakrishna S, Hall CM, Esfandiar K, Seyfi S (2023) A systematic scoping review of sustainable tourism indicators in relation to the sustainable development goals. J Sustain Tour 31(7):1497–1517. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2020.1775621

Rastegar R, Ruhanen L (2021) A safe space for local knowledge sharing in sustainable tourism: an organisational justice perspective. Journal of Sustainable Tourism 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2021.1929261

Rodríguez-Díaz B, Pulido-Fernández JI (2020) Sustainability as a key factor in tourism competitiveness: a global analysis. Sustainability 12(1):51. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12010051

Roxas FMY, Rivera JPR, Gutierrez ELM (2020-a) Framework for creating sustainable tourism using systems thinking. Current Issues in Tourism 23(3):280–296. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2018.1534805

Roxas FMY, Rivera JPR, Gutierrez ELM (2020b) Mapping stakeholders’ roles in governing sustainable tourism destinations. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management 45:387–398. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2020.09.005

Saaty TL (1980) The analytic hierarchy process: planning, priority setting, resources allocation. McGraw-Hill, London

Šagovnović I, Stamenković I (2022) Investigating values of green marketing tools in predicting tourists’ eco-friendly attitudes and behavior. Journal of Ecotourism 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/14724049.2022.2075003

Sahoo BK, Nayak R, Mahalik MK (2022) Factors affecting domestic tourism spending in India. Ann Tour Res Empirical Insights 3(2):100050. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annale.2022.100050

Santos M, Veiga C, Santos JAC, Águas P (2022) Sustainability as a success factor for tourism destinations: a systematic literature review. Worldwide Hosp Tour Themes 14(1):20–37. https://doi.org/10.1108/WHATT-10-2021-0139

Sarı IU, Öztayşi B, Kahraman C (2013) Fuzzy analytic hierarchy process using type-2 fuzzy sets: an application to warehouse location selection. In Multicriteria decision aid and artificial intelligence pp285–308. John Wiley and Sons, Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118522516.ch12

Schmude J, Zavareh S, Schwaiger KM, Karl M (2020) Micro-level assessment of regional and local disaster impacts in tourist destinations. In Tourism in changing natural environments pp. 98–116. Routledge

Scott D, Gössling S (2022) A review of research into tourism and climate change—launching the annals of tourism research curated collection on tourism and climate change. Ann Tour Res 95:103409. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2022.103409

Shafiee S, Ghatari AR, Hasanzadeh A, Jahanyan S (2019) Developing a model for sustainable smart tourism destinations: a systematic review. Tour Manage Perspect 31:287–300

Shafiee S, Jahanyan S, Ghatari AR, Hasanzadeh A (2023) Developing sustainable tourism destinations through smart technologies: a system dynamics approach. J Simul 17(4):477–498. https://doi.org/10.1080/17477778.2022.2030656

Shang Y, Lian Y, Chen H, Qian F (2023) The impacts of energy resource and tourism on green growth: evidence from Asian economies. Resour Policy 81:103359. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2023.103359

Sharif A, Afshan S, Nisha N (2017) Impact of tourism on CO 2 emission: evidence from Pakistan. Asia Pacific J Tour Res 22(4):408–421. https://doi.org/10.1080/10941665.2016.1273960

Sharma K, Arya V, Mathur HP (2023) New higher education policy and strategic plan: commensurate India’s higher education in global perspective. FIIB Business Review 23197145221125351

Sharpley R (2023) Sustainable tourism governance: local or global? Tour Recreat Res 48(5):809–812. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2022.2040295

Sharpley R (2021) On the need for sustainable tourism consumption. Tour Stud 21(1):96–107. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468797620986087

Sharpley R (2000) Tourism and sustainable development: Exploring the theoretical divide. J Sustain Tour 8(1):1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669580008667346

Shu H, Yu Q, Liu K, Wang A, Zha J (2022) Understanding wage differences across tourism-characteristic sectors: insights from an extended input-output analysis. J Hosp Tour Manag 51:88–104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2022.02.030

Sisneros-Kidd AM, Monz C, Hausner V, Schmidt J, Clark D (2019) Nature-based tourism, resource dependence, and resilience of Arctic communities: framing complex issues in a changing environment. J Sustain Tour 27(8):1259–1276. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2019.1612905

Sobaih AEE, Elshaer I, Hasanein AM, Abdelaziz AS (2021) Responses to COVID-19: The role of performance in the relationship between small hospitality enterprises’ resilience and sustainable tourism development. Int J Hosp Manag 94:102824. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2020.102824

Sørensen EB, Hjalager AM (2020) Conspicuous non-consumption in tourism: non-innovation or the innovation of nothing? Tour Stud 20(2):222–247. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468797619894463

Streimikiene D, Svagzdiene B, Jasinskas E, Simanavicius A (2021) Sustainable tourism development and competitiveness: the systematic literature review. Sustain Dev 29(1):259–271. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.2133

Strzelecka M, Dąbrowski JM, Uramowska M (2021) A review of environmental sustainability in tourism. J Clean Prod 279:123748

Sullivan K, Thomas S, Rosano M (2018) Using industrial ecology and strategic management concepts to pursue the Sustainable Development Goals. J Clean Prod 174:237–246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.10.201

Sun L, Wang Y (2021) Global economic performance and natural resources commodity prices volatility: evidence from pre and post COVID-19 era. Resour Policy 74:102393. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2021.102393

Sun YY, Li M, Lenzen M, Malik A, Pomponi F (2022) Tourism, job vulnerability and income inequality during the COVID-19 pandemic: a global perspective. Ann Tour Res Empirical Insights 3(1):100046. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annale.2022.100046

Terry Mok Connie Lam (1998) Hotel and tourism development in Vietnam. Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing 7(1):85-91. https://doi.org/10.1300/J073v07n01_06

Thapa K, King D, Banhalmi-Zakar Z, Diedrich A (2022) Nature-based tourism in protected areas: a systematic review of socio-economic benefits and costs to local people. International Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology 29(7):625–640 https://doi.org/10.1080/13504509.2022.2073616

Tolkach D, King B, Pearlman M (2013) An attribute-based approach to classifying community-based tourism networks. Tour Plann Dev 10(3):319–337. https://doi.org/10.1080/21568316.2012.747985

Torres-Delgado A, Saarinen J (2017) Using indicators to assess sustainable tourism development: a review. New research paradigms in tourism geography, 31–47

Tuan VK, Rajagopal P (2019) Analyzing factors affecting tourism sustainable development towards Vietnam in the new era. Eur J Business Innov Res 7(1):30–42

Tzschentke N, Kirk D, Lynch PA (2004) Reasons for going green in serviced accommodation establishments. Int J Contemp Hosp Manag 16(2):116–124. https://doi.org/10.1108/09596110410520007

UNWTO (2020) Sustainable Development Goals. United Nations World Tourism Organization. Accessed during October 2023, https://www.unwto.org/sustainable-development-goals

UNWTO (2018) Tourism and the SDGs: Journey to 2030. World Tourism Organization

Valenti WC, Kimpara JM, Preto BDL, Moraes-Valenti P (2018) Indicators of sustainability to assess aquaculture systems. Ecol Ind 88:402–413. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2017.12.068

Verma R, Arya V, Thomas A, Bolognesi E, Mueller J (2023) Does startup culture in the emerging country grow around societal sustainability? An empirical study through the lens of co-creational capital and green intellect. J Intellect Cap 24(4):1047–1074

Vespestad MK, Lindberg F, Mossberg L (2019) Value in tourist experiences: How nature-based experiential styles influence value in climbing. Tour Stud 19(4):453–474. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468797619837966

Weaver DB, Moyle B, McLennan CLJ (2022) The citizen within: positioning local residents for sustainable tourism. J Sustain Tour 30(4):897–914. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2021.1903017

Westoby R, Gardiner S, Carter RW, Scott N (2021) Sustainable livelihoods from tourism in the “10 New Balis” in Indonesia. Asia Pacific J Tour Res 26(6):702–716. https://doi.org/10.1080/10941665.2021.1908386

World Tourism Organization (WTO) (2019), International tourism results 2018 and outlook 2019. http://cf.cdn.unwto.org/sites/all/files/pdf/unwto_barometer_jan19_presentation_en.pdf (accessed 24 August 2019)

World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) represents the Travel and Tourism Sector globally (2020), Accessed at https://wttc.org/ retrieved on 15 January 2020

Wu JS, Barbrook-Johnson P, Font X (2021) Participatory complexity in tourism policy: understanding sustainability programmes with participatory systems mapping. Ann Tour Res 90:103269. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2021.103269

Zadeh L (1975) The concept of a linguistic variable and its application to approximate reasoning. Prt I. Inform Sci 8(3):199–249. https://doi.org/10.1016/0020-0255%2875%2990036-5

Zhang J (2016) Weighing and realizing the environmental, economic and social goals of tourism development using an analytic network process-goal programming approach. J Clean Prod 127:262–273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.03.131

Download references

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Rabat Business School, International University of Rabat, Rabat, Morocco

ISM University of Management and Economics: ISM Vadybos Ir Ekonomikos Universitetas, Gedimino St. 7, 01103, Vilnius, Lithuania

Vilte Auruskeviciene

School of Management, MIT World Peace University, Pune, India

Srishti Agarwal & Priyanka Kokatnur

Great Lakes Institute of Management, Gurgaon Campus, Gurgaon, India

Harish Kumar

Indian Institute of Management, Ranchi, India

Rajeev Verma

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Contributions

All authors contributed to the study’s conception and design. Vikas Arya conducted the analysis of data and provided an interpretation of the findings. Vilte Auruskeviciene wrote the manuscript draft and ensured consistency in referencing and citation formatting. Srishti Agarwal collected data, collaborated with Vikas Arya to analyze the data, and contributed to the discussion of the findings. Priyanka Kokatnur contributed to the research methodology development and data collection. Harish Kumar provided insights to the theoretical and managerial aspects of the study and contributed to the discussion section. Rajeev Verma conducted a literature review and collaborated with Vilte Auruskeviciene to integrate the literature review into the manuscript. All authors provided comments on previous versions of the manuscript, and they all read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Vilte Auruskeviciene .

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval.

Not applicable.

Consent to participate

Consent for publication, competing interests.

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Responsible Editor: Philippe Garrigues

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Arya, V., Auruskeviciene, V., Agarwal, S. et al. Let us take a walk to the sustainable tourism practices: a qualitative study through the lens of tourism experts. Environ Sci Pollut Res 31 , 12892–12915 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-31503-7

Download citation

Received : 15 June 2023

Accepted : 08 December 2023

Published : 04 January 2024

Issue Date : February 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-31503-7

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• Sustainable tourism
• Eco-tourism
• AHP-type 2 fuzzy test
• Responsible consumers
• Tourism sustainable equity
• Tourism industry
• Green services
• SDGs in tourism
• Find a journal
• Publish with us
• Track your research

Is it possible to be a ‘sustainable tourist’? 12 ways to make a positive impact on your travels

Facebook Twitter Print Email

After a period of plummeting tourism numbers during the pandemic, tourism is having a resurgence. This is good news for many workers and businesses, but it could be bad for the planet. Here is a selection of ways tourists can ensure that their holidays don’t harm the environment.

There are many positive aspects to tourism. Around two billion people travel each year for tourism purposes. Travel and tourism connect people and bring the world closer through shared experiences, cultural awareness and community building. It provides jobs, spurs regional development, and is a key driver for socio-economic progress.

However, there is often a downside; Many popular destinations are threatened by increasing pollution, environmental hazards, damage to heritage sites and overuse of resources. And that’s without factoring the pollution caused by travel to and from these destinations.

So, with that in mind here are some tips that will help you to enjoy your trip, and leave with the confidence that your favoured tourist destination will not be damaged by your presence, once you return home.

1. Ditch single-use plastics

Often used for less than 15 minutes, single-use plastic items can take more than 1,000 years to degrade. Many of us are switching to sustainable options in our daily lives, and we can take the same attitude when we’re on the road. By choosing reusable bottles and bags wherever you go, you can help ensure there is less plastic waste in the ocean and other habitats.

2. Be ‘water wise’

On the whole, tourists use far more water than local residents. With a growing number of places experiencing water scarcity, the choices you make can help ensure people have adequate access to water in the future. By foregoing a daily change of sheets and towels during hotel stays, we can save millions of litres of water each year.

3. Buy local

When you buy local, you help boost the local economy, benefit local communities, and help to reduce the destination’s carbon footprint from transporting the goods. This is also true at mealtimes, so enjoy fresh, locally grown produce every chance you get.

4. Use an ethical operator

Tour operations involve people, logistics, vendors, transportation and much more. Each link in the chain can impact the environment - positively or negatively. If you prefer to leave the planning to someone else, be sure to pick an operator that prioritizes the environment, uses resources efficiently and respects local culture.

5. ‘Please don’t feed the animals’

Sharing food with wildlife or getting close enough to do so increases the chances of spreading diseases like cold, flu and pneumonia from humans to animals. Also, when animals get used to receiving food from humans, their natural behaviours are altered, and they become dependent on people for survival. In some cases, it can also lead to human-animal conflict.

6. And don’t eat them either!

By creating the demand, consuming endangered or exotic animals leads to an increase in poaching, trafficking and exploitation of animals. Besides the harm done to the individual animal on your plate, irresponsible dining can contribute to the extinction of species already threatened by climate change and habitat loss. Keep this in mind when shopping for souvenirs as well, and steer clear of products made from endangered wildlife.

7. Share a ride

Transportation is a major contributor to the carbon footprint from tourism. Instead of private taxis, explore using public transportation like trains, buses and shared cabs. You can also ride a bicycle, which offers a convenient and cheaper way to explore and learn about a place.

8. Consider a homestay

Staying with a local resident or family is a nature-friendly option that allows you to get up close and personal with local culture and customs. Staying at local homestays can uplift communities by providing income while giving you a peek into different ways of life.

9. Do your homework

Before your travel, educate yourself about your destination. Doing so will allow you to better immerse yourself in local traditions and practices and appreciate things that might have gone unnoticed otherwise. With the right information, you can explore a destination in a more sensitive manner and surprise yourself with new adventures and discoveries.

10. Visit national parks and sanctuaries

Exploring nature and wildlife through national parks is an intimate way to learn about the animals and their ecosystems first hand. In some cases, your entrance fee supports conservation efforts that protect species and landscapes and preserve these natural spaces for future visitors to enjoy.

11. Don’t leave a trace

You can make a mark by not leaving a mark on your vacation destination. Put garbage in its place to avoid litter, and don’t remove or alter anything without permission. Let’s make sure we leave only soft footprints, and not the environmental kind.

12. Tell your friends

Now that you’re ready to travel in eco-friendly style, it’s time spread the word! Inform fellow travellers, friends and family about how sustainable tourism benefits local people by enhancing their livelihoods and well-being, and helps all of us by safeguarding our beautiful environment.

Essay on Sustainable Tourism

Students are often asked to write an essay on Sustainable Tourism in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Sustainable Tourism

What is sustainable tourism.

Sustainable tourism means visiting places in a way that helps the environment, supports local cultures, and promotes economic growth. It’s about enjoying our travels while making sure future generations can too.

Why It Matters

How to practice sustainable tourism.

We can choose eco-friendly places to stay, use public transport, and buy local products. This helps reduce pollution and supports local businesses. By making these choices, we contribute to a healthier planet.

250 Words Essay on Sustainable Tourism

Sustainable tourism means visiting places in a way that helps the environment, society, and economy of the area. It’s like being a guest at someone’s home and making sure you don’t cause any harm. This kind of tourism makes sure that beautiful places can be enjoyed by future generations too.

Why is it Important?

When you travel, you can practice sustainable tourism by staying in hotels that care about the environment, using public transport or walking instead of driving, and buying souvenirs from local artisans. It’s also good to respect the local culture and traditions.

Benefits of Sustainable Tourism

Sustainable tourism has many benefits. It helps protect the environment, supports local economies by creating jobs, and provides a better experience for tourists. When places are not overcrowded and nature is preserved, tourists can really enjoy the beauty and uniqueness of their destination.

In conclusion, sustainable tourism is about enjoying our travels while making sure we leave places as beautiful as we found them. By choosing to travel this way, we can help protect the environment and ensure that future generations can also enjoy the wonders of our world.

500 Words Essay on Sustainable Tourism

Sustainable tourism: a journey that fosters harmony with the environment and local communities.

Sustainable tourism aims to minimize negative impacts on the environment and local communities while promoting economic growth. It encourages responsible travel practices that respect and protect natural and cultural heritage. This type of tourism revolves around using resources wisely, reducing pollution, conserving biodiversity, and supporting local economies. It ensures that future generations can enjoy the same natural and cultural riches that we are fortunate to experience today.

Responsible Travel: A mindful approach to exploration

Sustainable tourism encourages responsible behavior among travelers. This includes respecting local cultures, traditions, and customs. It also involves being mindful of the impact of travel on the environment, such as reducing waste, conserving water and energy, and minimizing carbon emissions. Responsible travel is about appreciating the unique qualities of a destination while leaving a positive legacy for future visitors.

Community Engagement: Empowering Local People

Environmental conservation: preserving nature’s beauty.

Sustainable tourism strives to protect and conserve the natural environment. This involves minimizing the impact of tourism on wildlife, habitats, and ecosystems. It also includes promoting responsible wildlife tourism practices and raising awareness of the importance of biodiversity conservation. Sustainable tourism recognizes that the beauty of natural landscapes is one of the main reasons people travel, and it aims to preserve that beauty for generations to come.

Economic Sustainability: Creating a Thriving Ecosystem

Sustainable tourism supports the local economy by creating job opportunities in tourism-related industries. It also encourages the development of small businesses and entrepreneurship. This economic growth benefits the local community and helps to ensure that tourism is a sustainable industry in the long run.

Conclusion: Striving for a Brighter Future

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Sustainable Tourism essay

Sustainable tourism has also it drawbacks both to the local community and the neighbourhood at large. Such could include destruction of community’s culture and other related attachments (Wyane 1997). When foreigners visit a certain community, they tend to erode the community’s culture, affect the religion of the community, interfere with the language used by the community by introducing their own language and influencing people to learn it, they affect the community’s rituals and rights and lastly, they affect the general performance of the community in as far as modernisation is concerned.

The tourism industry also has a negative impact on the environment in some ways. Golf playing grounds, beaches, gaming and resorting grounds and other space consuming activities have taken away most of the land thus leading to aridity and lack of the green environment (Wyane 1997). Such activities are so harmful to the environment and end up leading to a lot of loss than gain to the local people who remain hopeless and helpless in the rest of their lives.

About employment, sustainable tourism has led to a situation where people are paid meager wages and salaries as a result of the foreigners taking advantage of the whole scenario. As a result of the desperate situation in terms of money, the young boys and girls are exploited by being employed in very sensitive areas but given very low wages. The community ends up entangled in the mix as they do not have any other option or body to articulate their grievances. Such level of desperateness often leads to people indulging in gambling games and other uncalled for misnomers.

Many of the young girls in the society are led to bad habits such as prostitution, drug taking and other services that are menial. Some tourists go on an experimenting spree hence find themselves in such vices (Simonz 1998). Prostitution has been so rampant in many tourist destined communities as the young women and men are lured into such deviant activities by money. With money being the issue, many people are tempted to look for easier ways of getting it thus they resort to prostitution and drug trafficking.

Related essays:

• Immigration Policy towards Hospitality Industry essay
• Eco-tourism in Pakistan essay
• What is sustainable tourism? essay
• Other alternatives and/or ways of achieving Sustainable Tourism essay

The other disadvantage that comes with tourism is the fact that the level of benefits is so low in terms of security of the job, safety during the job and also other health related safeties. When one is employed, he/she can be dismissed from the job at any time without any good reasons because of the fact that the way in which he/she was employed was so archaic and unprofessional. Such individuals end up suffering thus resort to other dubious ways of making money. Solutions to the Various problems brought about by For the visitor.

The visitor needs to give support to the culture of the community in order to expand its diversity (Nahashone 2003). They also need to take part in activities and aspects that are thought to add some value to the society or the community at large. The other solution is that the visitors should shun away from activities that are illegal and those that rake the environment (Nahashone 2003). Visitors should create employment without biasness and witch hunting. This should be done with the aim of improving the employees’ wages and salaries. For the Host.

The host should engage in the selection of activities that dwell on the community’s traditions including the social and cultural part of it (Benstein 2003). They should shun away from environmental deteriorating activities such as clearing of bushes for the golf courses and other outdoor activities. The other solution is that the visitors should shun away from activities that are illegal and those that rake the environment (Benstein 2003). The local communities should focus on business making and transactions that lead to foreign exchange should be clean with no scandals of whatever nature.

Conclusion. Many tourists are visiting tourist attraction areas all over the world. There are many tourists nowadays than it was before. This could be attributed to the fact that more and more ways of tourist attraction are being invented at a very fast rate. Sustainable tourism has many benefits to the local communities as it has been discussed ealier in this paper. Inasmuch as there are advantages associated with this industry, there are also disadvantages as well. Solutions have been provided to help in solving the problems that the local communities derive from the sustainable tourism.

The environment is being affected by tourism related activities, the ecosystem is in jeopardy, the local people in the community are suffering from such effects (Sostrand 2000). Something has to be done in order for the status quo to be maintained. Both the tourist and the community should be proud of the benefits that they derive from the industry and there should not be a situation where the disadvantages outweigh the advantages (Sostrand 2000). In the same respect, solutions should be implemented and enforced so that the industry remains sustainable.

Benstein, S. 2003. Tourism and the Community. Boca Reton: CRS Press. Chek, G. , Dokatch, R. , Holl, P. & Warsh, J. 2002. Find Out: Information about the tourism Industry. South Melboune: MacMilan Austria. Crane, F. 1997. Tourism Style: A guide to Tourism. Westport: Mekler. Hufman, M, C. 1998. ‘Accepting Tourism In the Society’ Tourism Guide, Vol. 23, no. 4, pp. 25-27. MacTagart, T. 2002. Tourism Sustainability. Sydney: Wesleey. Manne, M. 2005. The Globally growing tourism industry: A complete study on the world tourism sector. NY: Dowin Publishers.

• DOI: 10.1080/13683500.2024.2362379
• Corpus ID: 270304737

From conservation to prosperity: a quantitative study on the positive correlation between sustainable tourism practices and economic growth

• C. Pai , Yin Zhang , +2 authors Yunfeng Shang
• Published in Current Issues in Tourism 5 June 2024
• Environmental Science, Economics

41 References

Environmental effects of tourism activities in niksar çamiçi plateau in the context of sustainable tourism: a qualitative research, perception of social prosperity in indigenous tourism destinations in mexico: the mediator effect of competitiveness of the destinations, perception of local communities on protected areas: lessons drawn from the bale mountains national park, ethiopia, stakeholder participation in planning of a sustainable and competitive tourism destination: the genoa integrated action plan, the economarketing model: development of productive and sustainable tourism area, investigation on the spatial and temporal patterns of coupling sustainable development posture and economic development in world natural heritage sites: a case study of jiuzhaigou, china, power, community involvement, and sustainability of tourism destinations, investigating the multiple mechanisms of tourism economy affecting sustainable urban development of chinese cities: based on multi-source data, a revised perspective on tourism-economic growth nexus, exploring tourism market diversification, the impact of community empowerment on sustainable tourism development and the mediation effect of local support: a structural equation modeling approach, related papers.

Showing 1 through 3 of 0 Related Papers

Assessment 1 Guidance 2024.pptx - Case Studies in...

• The Superior College,Lahore
• SargentMagpiePerson1118

Want to read all 19 pages?

End of preview, recently submitted questions.

Goal 2: Zero Hunger

Goal 2 is about creating a world free of hunger by 2030.The global issue of hunger and food insecurity has shown an alarming increase since 2015, a trend exacerbated by a combination of factors including the pandemic, conflict, climate change, and deepening inequalities.

By 2022, approximately 735 million people – or 9.2% of the world’s population – found themselves in a state of chronic hunger – a staggering rise compared to 2019. This data underscores the severity of the situation, revealing a growing crisis.

In addition, an estimated 2.4 billion people faced moderate to severe food insecurity in 2022. This classification signifies their lack of access to sufficient nourishment. This number escalated by an alarming 391 million people compared to 2019.

The persistent surge in hunger and food insecurity, fueled by a complex interplay of factors, demands immediate attention and coordinated global efforts to alleviate this critical humanitarian challenge.

Extreme hunger and malnutrition remains a barrier to sustainable development and creates a trap from which people cannot easily escape. Hunger and malnutrition mean less productive individuals, who are more prone to disease and thus often unable to earn more and improve their livelihoods.

2 billion people in the world do not have reg- ular access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food. In 2022, 148 million children had stunted growth and 45 million children under the age of 5 were affected by wasting.

How many people are hungry?

It is projected that more than 600 million people worldwide will be facing hunger in 2030, highlighting the immense challenge of achieving the zero hunger target.

People experiencing moderate food insecurity are typically unable to eat a healthy, balanced diet on a regular basis because of income or other resource constraints.

Why are there so many hungry people?

Shockingly, the world is back at hunger levels not seen since 2005, and food prices remain higher in more countries than in the period 2015–2019. Along with conflict, climate shocks, and rising cost of living, civil insecurity and declining food production have all contributed to food scarcity and high food prices.

Investment in the agriculture sector is critical for reducing hunger and poverty, improving food security, creating employment and building resilience to disasters and shocks.

Why should I care?

We all want our families to have enough food to eat what is safe and nutritious. A world with zero hunger can positively impact our economies, health, education, equality and social development.

It’s a key piece of building a better future for everyone. Additionally, with hunger limiting human development, we will not be able to achieve the other sustainable development goals such as education, health and gender equality.

How can we achieve Zero Hunger?

Food security requires a multi-dimensional approach – from social protection to safeguard safe and nutritious food especially for children to transforming food systems to achieve a more inclusive and sustainable world. There will need to be investments in rural and urban areas and in social protection so poor people have access to food and can improve their livelihoods.

What can we do to help?

You can make changes in your own life—at home, at work and in the community—by supporting local farmers or markets and making sustainable food choices, supporting good nutrition for all, and fighting food waste.

You can also use your power as a consumer and voter, demanding businesses and governments make the choices and changes that will make Zero Hunger a reality. Join the conversation, whether on social media platforms or in your local communities.

Facts and Figures

Goal 2 targets.

• Despite global efforts, in 2022, an estimated 45 million children under the age of 5 suffered from wasting, 148 million had stunted growth and 37 million were overweight. A fundamental shift in trajectory is needed to achieve the 2030 nutrition targets.
• To achieve zero hunger by 2030, urgent coordinated action and policy solutions are imperative to address entrenched inequalities, transform food systems, invest in sustainable agricultural practices, and reduce and mitigate the impact of conflict and the pandemic on global nutrition and food security.

Source: The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2023

2.1 By 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round.

2.2 By 2030, end all forms of malnutrition, including achieving, by 2025, the internationally agreed targets on stunting and wasting in children under 5 years of age, and address the nutritional needs of adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women and older persons.

2.3 By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists and fishers, including through secure and equal access to land, other productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment.

2.4 By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality.

2.5 By 2020, maintain the genetic diversity of seeds, cultivated plants and farmed and domesticated animals and their related wild species, including through soundly managed and diversified seed and plant banks at the national, regional and international levels, and promote access to and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge, as internationally agreed.

2.A Increase investment, including through enhanced international cooperation, in rural infrastructure, agricultural research and extension services, technology development and plant and livestock gene banks in order to enhance agricultural productive capacity in developing countries, in particular least developed countries.

2.B Correct and prevent trade restrictions and distortions in world agricultural markets, including through the parallel elimination of all forms of agricultural export subsidies and all export measures with equivalent effect, in accordance with the mandate of the Doha Development Round.

2.C Adopt measures to ensure the proper functioning of food commodity markets and their derivatives and facilitate timely access to market information, including on food reserves, in order to help limit extreme food price volatility.

International Fund for Agricultural Development

Food and Agriculture Organization

World Food Programme

UNICEF – Nutrition

Zero Hunger Challenge

Think.Eat.Save.   Reduce your foodprint.

UNDP – Hunger

Fast Facts: No Hunger

Infographic: No Hunger

Related news

World Oceans Day event highlights immediate action to protect oceans

dpicampaigns 2024-06-07T08:00:00-04:00 07 Jun 2024 |

UN World Oceans Day, celebrated on Friday at UN Headquarters in New York, focused on “opening minds, igniting senses, and inspiring possibilities” to protect marine life worldwide. 

Read Full Story on UN News

Media advisory | Rethinking Disability Inclusion: A Global Call to Action

Yinuo 2024-06-07T11:09:07-04:00 06 Jun 2024 |

Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Rethinking Disability Inclusion: A Global Call to Action

Follow LIVE on UN Web TV

At a time when the world […]

World heading towards new temperature records, UN weather watchdog warns

dpicampaigns 2024-06-05T08:00:00-04:00 05 Jun 2024 |

At least one of the years between now and 2028 will very likely set a new temperature record, breaking through the crucial 1.5°C temperature limit, the UN weather agency, WMO, said on Wednesday. 

Related videos

UN World Oceans Day, celebrated on Friday at UN Headquarters in New York, focused on “opening minds, igniting senses, and inspiring possibilities” to protect marine life worldwide.  Read Full Story on UN News

Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Rethinking Disability Inclusion: A Global Call to Action Follow LIVE on UN Web TV At a time when the world is [...]

At least one of the years between now and 2028 will very likely set a new temperature record, breaking through the crucial 1.5°C temperature limit, the UN weather agency, WMO, said on Wednesday.  Read Full [...]

Share this story, choose your platform!

Metaphorical Architecture of Tanean Lanjhang as a programming concept for Indonesia Islamic Science Park (IISP) – Madura, towards Sustainable Urban Tourism

• Ardyansyah, Wahyu P.
• Lestari, Tiara P.
• Fahrurrozi, M. Naufal P.
• Nugroho, Fadhil A.
• Rizqiyah, F.

The current trend in Indonesia involves extensive urban development across various sectors, including tourism. The province of East Java has plans to create an area that not only entertains but also educates and imparts cultural and Islamic values. This concept is known as the Indonesia Islamic Science Park (IISP), which is intended to be built on Madura Island. However, the Madurese community holds strong reservations towards modern infrastructure due to their cultural traditions. Therefore, the design concept for the Indonesia Islamic Science Park serves as an alternative approach to address these concerns. This research employs an intangible metaphorical approach that maps elements of the traditional Tanean Lanjhang house arrangement pattern into zones within the Indonesia Islamic Science Park. Data collection related to Tanean Lanjhang includes literature review and field surveys. The transformation process utilizes source-to-target mapping frameworks. This mapping is carried out to select source objects that can be explored for information to be directed towards the target domain (architecture). This data or information will be reduced into design criteria to be used in formulating the spatial program and zoning for the Indonesia Islamic Science Park area. Ultimately, a spatial program concept like this can become the hallmark of the Indonesia Islamic Science Park, offering a unique tourist destination that is not only reminiscent of the local culture but is also readily embraced by all members of the community.