The Relevance Of Sustainability Within The Context Of Tourism Management And Development

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There are a few definitions of sustainability within the context of tourism. One definition is tourism “development which involves the use of renewable natural resources in a way which does not degrade them” France (1997, P10). For instance a travel organisation may use a great deal of paper to advertise their company, if they considered the above definition, perhaps they could try to use recycled paper in the future in order to not degrade a renewable natural resource.

Another definition of sustainability that is relevant to tourism is that “while tourism can build understanding, tourism managed poorly can ruin a place. Yet if handled well, tourism provides an incentive to preserve the best things a destination has to offer: wildlife habitats, historic districts, great scenery, even a style of music or a unique local cuisine” National Geographic Online, (2003). For instance if a businessman decided that a fragile environment with magnificent scenery would make an excellent destination area for tourists, then instead of managing it mass tourism style he should try and adopt a more sustainable approach, in order to try and reach the goals outlined in the above definition

There are obviously positive and negative affects of tourism operations and activities on a destination area. An obvious positive example would be ecotourism in a destination area. If mass tourism with little regard to the environment occurred, wildlife could be greatly affected. In Australia there is a government program called Land for Wildlife that “aims to encourage private landowners to provide habitat for wildlife, while continuing to use the land for primary production” Buckley (2003, P98). This program would provide benefits for landowners who followed such a scheme. It would also be very relevant for someone who managed a tourism facility sustainably. Frasers Selection is a tourism destination area in Australia which is located in a rural area...