Navigating the Fine Line of Sustainable Tourism: A Critical Analysis with Implications for Tourism Planning
Abstract
Sustainable tourism has become a hot topic due to the negative impacts of traditional tourism. The concept is designed to balance economic, social, and environmental objectives, but is complex and multifaceted. It has advantages, including the preservation of the environment and cultural heritage, and economic benefits for local communities. However, I contend that sustainable tourism also presents vast challenges such as being difficult to define and measure, being more expensive than traditional forms of tourism (in part), and potentially having negative impacts on local communities. Another major challenge is the lack of incentives for industry players, which makes it hard for stakeholders to embrace sustainable tourism methods and practices. The article concludes that governments must prioritize sustainable tourism initiatives and provide adequate resources and support to ensure their successful implementation.
References
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[42] Tien, N. H., Viet, P. Q., Duc, N. M., and Tam, V. T. 2021. Sustainability of tourism development in Vietnam's coastal provinces. World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development, 17(5): 579-598. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1504/WREMSD.2021.117443
[2] Bridgewater, P., and Rotherham, I. D. 2019. A critical perspective on the concept of biocultural diversity and its emerging role in nature and heritage conservation. People and Nature, 1(3): 291-304. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10040
[3] Carr, A., Ruhanen, L., and Whitford, M. 2016. Indigenous peoples and tourism: The challenges and opportunities for sustainable tourism. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 24(8-9): 1067-1079. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2016.1206112
[4] Chambers, D. 2022. Are we all in this together? Gender intersectionality and sustainable tourism. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 30(7): 1586-1601. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2021.1903907
[5] Cocola-Gant, A., and Gago, A. 2021. Airbnb, buy-to-let investment and tourism-driven displacement: A case study in Lisbon. Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 53(7): 1671-1688. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1177/0308518X19869012
[6] Delmas, M. A., Lyon, T. P., and Maxwell, J. W. 2019. Understanding the role of the corporation in sustainability transitions. Organization & Environment, 32(2): 87-97. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1177/1086026619848255
[7] Dwyer, L. 2020. Tourism development and sustainable well-being: A Beyond GDP perspective. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 1-18. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2020.1825457
[8] Erol, I., et al. 2022. Improving sustainability in the tourism industry through blockchain technology: Challenges and opportunities. Tourism Management, 93: 104628. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2022.104628
[9] Ferreira da Silva, M., et al. 2022. Tourism and coastal & maritime cultural heritage: a dual relation. Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change, 20(6): 806-826. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14766825.2022.2073825
[10] Fuchs, K. 2021. How are small businesses adapting to the new normal? Examining tourism development amid COVID-19 in Phuket. Current Issues in Tourism, 24(24): 3420-3424. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2021.1942439
[11] Garg, P., and Pandey, A. 2021. Towards sustainable tourism: an empirical investigation. Foresight, 23(2): 188-200. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/FS-04-2020-0042/
[12] Geoffrey Deladem, T., et al. 2021. Developing sustainable tourism through public-private partnership to alleviate poverty in Ghana. Tourist Studies, 21(2): 317-343. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/146879762095525
[13] Gertner, R. K. 2019. The impact of cultural appropriation on destination image, tourism, and hospitality. Thunderbird International Business Review, 61(6): 873-877. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/tie.22068
[14] Gica, O. A., Coros, M. M., Moisescu, O. I., and Yallop, A. C. 2021. Transformative rural tourism strategies as tools for sustainable development in Transylvania, Romania: a case study of Sâncraiu. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, 13(1): 124-138. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/WHATT-08-2020-0088
[15] Guo, Y., Jiang, J., and Li, S. 2019. A sustainable tourism policy research review. Sustainability, 11(11): 3187. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su11113187
[16] Higgins-Desbiolles, F. 2020. The “war over tourism”: Challenges to sustainable tourism in the tourism academy after COVID-19. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 29(4): 551-569. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2020.1803334
[17] Ioannides, D., Gyimóthy, S., and James, L. 2021. From liminal labor to decent work: A human-centered perspective on sustainable tourism employment. Sustainability, 13(2): 851. DOI:https://doi.org/10.3390/su13020851
[18] Khazaei, A., Elliot, S., and Joppe, M. 2015. An application of stakeholder theory to advance community participation in tourism planning: The case for engaging immigrants as fringe stakeholders. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 23(7): 1049-1062. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2015.1042481
[19] Kim, S., Whitford, M., and Arcodia, C. 2019. Development of intangible cultural heritage as a sustainable tourism resource: The intangible cultural heritage practitioners’ perspectives. Journal of Heritage Tourism, 14(5-6): 422-435. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1743873X.2018.1561703
[20] Licastro, A., and Sergi, B. S. 2021. Drivers and barriers to a green economy. A review of selected balkan countries. Cleaner Engineering and Technology, 4, 100228. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clet.2021.100228
[21] Martínez, J. M. G., Martín, J. M. M., Fernández, J. A. S., and Mogorrón-Guerrero, H. 2019. An analysis of the stability of rural tourism as a desired condition for sustainable tourism. Journal of Business Research, 100, 165-174. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.03.033
[22] Musavengane, R. 2019. Small hotels and responsible tourism practice: Hoteliers’ perspectives. Journal of Cleaner Production, 220: 786-799. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.02.143
[23] Nguyen, T. Q. T., Young, T., Johnson, P., and Wearing, S. 2019. Conceptualising networks in sustainable tourism development. Tourism Management Perspectives, 32: 100575. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2019.100575
[24] Novy, J., and Colomb, C. 2021. Urban tourism as a source of contention and social mobilisations: A critical review. Travel and Tourism in the Age of Overtourism, 6-23. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003140610-2/
[25] Obeidat, W. 2023. Rural and traditional cafes and restaurants: a new emerging trend in domestic tourism. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, 15(1): 74-83. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/WHATT-08-2022-0098
[26] Pan, S. Y., et al. 2018. Advances and challenges in sustainable tourism toward a green economy. Science of the Total Environment, 635: 452-469. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.04.134
[27] Rasoolimanesh, S. M., et al. 2020. A systematic scoping review of sustainable tourism indicators in relation to the sustainable development goals. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 1-21. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2020.1775621
[28] Rastegar, R., Higgins-Desbiolles, F., and Ruhanen, L. 2021. COVID-19 and a justice framework to guide tourism recovery. Annals of Tourism Research, 91: 103161. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2021.103161
[29] Risteskia, M., Kocevskia, J., and Arnaudov, K. 2012. Spatial planning and sustainable tourism as basis for developing competitive tourist destinations. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 44: 375-386. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.05.042
[30] Roxas, F. M. Y., Rivera, J. P. R., and Gutierrez, E. L. M. 2020a. Framework for creating sustainable tourism using systems thinking. Current Issues in Tourism, 23(3): 280-296. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2018.1534805
[31] Roxas, F. M. Y., Rivera, J. P. R., and Gutierrez, E. L. M. 2020b. Mapping stakeholders’ roles in governing sustainable tourism destinations. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 45: 387-398. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2020.09.005
[32] Scheyvens, R., et al. 2021. Indigenous tourism and the sustainable development goals. Annals of Tourism Research, 90: 103260. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2021.103260
[33] Shahbaz, M., Bashir, M. F., Bashir, M. A., and Shahzad, L. 2021. A bibliometric analysis and systematic literature review of tourism-environmental degradation nexus. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 28(41): 58241-58257. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-14798-2
[34] Sharpley, R. 2020. Tourism, sustainable development and the theoretical divide: 20 years on. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 28(11): 1932-1946. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2020.1779732
[35] Sharpley, R. 2021. On the need for sustainable tourism consumption. Tourist Studies, 21(1): 96-107. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1177/1468797620986087
[36] Sheller, M. 2021. Reconstructing tourism in the Caribbean: connecting pandemic recovery, climate resilience and sustainable tourism through mobility justice. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 29(9): 1436-1449. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2020.1791141
[37] Song, H., Zhu, C., and Fong, L. H. N. 2021. Exploring residents’ perceptions and attitudes towards sustainable tourism development in traditional villages: The lens of stakeholder theory. Sustainability, 13(23): 13032. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su132313032
[38] Spenceley, A. 2019. Sustainable tourism certification in the African hotel sector. Tourism Review, 74(2): 179-193. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/TR-09-2017-0145
[39] Streimikiene, D., Svagzdiene, B., Jasinskas, E., and Simanavicius, A. 2021. Sustainable tourism development and competitiveness: The systematic literature review. Sustainable development, 29(1): 259-271. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.2133
[40] Sutawa, G. K. 2012. Issues on Bali tourism development and community empowerment to support sustainable tourism development. Procedia Economics and Finance, 4: 413-422. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S2212-5671(12)00356-5
[41] Szromek, A. R., Kruczek, Z., and Walas, B. 2021. Stakeholders’ attitudes towards tools for sustainable tourism in historical cities. Tourism Recreation Research, 1-13. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2021.1931774
[42] Tien, N. H., Viet, P. Q., Duc, N. M., and Tam, V. T. 2021. Sustainability of tourism development in Vietnam's coastal provinces. World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development, 17(5): 579-598. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1504/WREMSD.2021.117443
Published
2023-06-30
How to Cite
FUCHS, Kevin.
Navigating the Fine Line of Sustainable Tourism: A Critical Analysis with Implications for Tourism Planning.
Journal of Environmental Management and Tourism, [S.l.], v. 14, n. 4, p. 1908 - 1914, june 2023.
ISSN 2068-7729.
Available at: <https://journals.aserspublishing.eu/jemt/article/view/7885>. Date accessed: 08 nov. 2024.
doi: https://doi.org/10.14505/jemt.v14.4(68).02.
Section
Article
Copyright© 2024 The Author(s). Published by ASERS Publishing 2024. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of CC-BY 4.0 license.