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Sustainable Tourism:
Sustainable
tourism is a form of tourism that follows the principles of
sustainability.
Sustainable tourism, in its purest sense,
is an industry committed to making a low impact on the natural
environment and local culture, while helping to generate income
and employment for locals.
Sustainable tourists can reduce the
impact of tourism in many ways, including:
-
informing
themselves of the culture, politics, and economy of the
communities visited;
-
anticipating and
respecting local cultures' expectations and assumptions;
-
contributing to
intercultural understanding and tolerance;
-
supporting the
integrity of local cultures by favoring businesses which
conserve cultural heritage and traditional values;
-
supporting local
economies by purchasing local goods and participating with
small, local businesses;
-
conserving
resources by seeking out businesses that are environmentally
conscious, and by using the least possible amount of
non-renewable resources.
Increasingly,
destinations and tourism operations are endorsing and following
"responsible tourism" as a pathway towards sustainable tourism.
Responsible tourism and sustainable tourism have an identical
goal, that of sustainable development. The pillars of
responsible tourism are therefore the same as those of
sustainable tourism – environmental integrity, social justice
and economic development. The major difference between the two
is that, in responsible tourism, individuals, organizations and
businesses are asked to take responsibility for their actions
and the impacts of their actions.
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.
-
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."
Also See:
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