Sustainable Tourism

31 Pages 7659 Words

tive, more interactive tourism, with greater respect for the socio-cultural and ecological interests of the local communities, with higher standards of service, and with the ability to protect and regenerate the natural environment as well as to learn about local customs. Of course, all of this must include a high level of enjoyment of their hard earned vacations. At present, we are confronted with a new set of rules for the demand/offer factors in the industry, where it is clear that the unwarranted alteration or destruction of resources (natural, social, cultural, etc.) which constitute our attractions and tourist products, will inevitably mean the destruction of tourism as an economic activity. Likewise, it is not only the tourists, but also the potential investors, who are selecting with great care the companies or projects in the tourism field in which to invest their funds, seeking out those that act in harmony with the social and ecological interests of sustainable tourism. If we add to these two factors the fact that tourism is a demand driven industry, we can easily understand why these changes are having a transcendental repercussion
on the tourism product that is being offered. This is why we can clearly state that "Tourism in the XXI'st Century in Costa Rica will be sustainable or it simply wont be!" In summary, we define sustainable tourism as the balanced interaction of three basic factors within the tourism industry:
1- Proper stewardship of our natural and cultural resources
2- Improvement of the quality of life of the local communities
3-Economic success that can contribute to other programs of national development
It is also a source of concern that sustainable tourism is a concept which is only beginning to be developed, and that it does not yet have a solid reference base or measurable parameters that are appropriately established and universally accepted. This has permitted a...