Sustainable Tourism

Abstract

To prevent environmental or cultural damage that curtails tourism, operators and planners need to cooperate with government authorities and managers in other industries to establish planning strategies and other mechanisms to ensure that tourism to a locale does not exceed the capacity of that destination. The goal of sustainable tourism can be achieved if the capacity of the many attributes of a destination to support human activity can be assessed and not exceeded. An environmental impact assessment (EIA) is one mechanism for determining that capacity. An EIA should take into account the relationship between demand from travelers and the sensitive environmental characteristics of the site. Unfortunately the actual capacities of many locations are only partially known or have been learned only in retrospect. An ecosystem approach to travel planning, one that accounts for demands of other industries on the environment, will help create plans for sustainable tourism and development. Such a plan is in effect in such places as Prince Edward Island and the Maldive Islands. Ecotourism promises to be one aspect of sustainable tourism, although the current concept of ecotourism is so ill defined as to be deceiving.