He Reflective Commentary (Dissertation) - Essay Example

24). In addition were the visits to various eco-tourist destinations which are rather fragile in nature. Thus, the subject gave a lot of knowledge about the various theoretical and practical aspects of sustainable tourism development. Admittedly, I had never considered sustainable tourism as a concept that deserves appreciation. For me, it was more like the claims of the die-hard environmentalists, which are impractical in nature. So, I liked to consider sustainable tourism as a mere concept in its initial stage, which one in the tourism industry should bear in mind.

This was so because from my personal experience, I had found that sustainable tourism is a word that was used by tour operators to attract the eco-friendly tourists and to reduce the investment in infrastructure; and the element of sustainability was seen only in green pamphlets and brochures. Thus, for me, sustainable tourism was rather a shallow concept that does not deserve much attention. So, when I started studying Sustainable Tourism, I wanted to see what the subject really meant in the current tourism world and how effective it could be in practical tourism.

However, as a part of the studies, I got a chance to know about the impact of tourism on environment. In addition, I learnt about the fragile nature of the places which usually become tourist destinations. . y various agencies around the world to promote sustainable tourism and the way they reduce the environmental impact of tourism, I understood the fact that sustainable tourism has grown much deeper and stronger than I anticipated. Also, I made the realisation that the future of tourism is almost totally reliant on the amount of sustainability it manages to introduce.

Also, the subject gave me valuable insights about the role of various stakeholders; ranging from tourists, governments, tour operators and local population in sustainable tourism. Another important revelation for me was the importance of reflection in the subject I study. As I undertook the task of reflective writing, I learnt how useful, and in fact necessary, it is to learn through reflection in a subject like tourism management. According to Dewey (1933, p. 45), reflection is the practice of thinking for an extended period by linking the later experiences to the earlier ones.

It helps one to understand what new things are added, what is lost, what remains the same, and what are interrelated. Thus, reflection in sustainable tourism development helps one look into the concept from the perspectives of all stakeholders. In addition, it helps one to understand if the various methods of sustainable tourism are useful or not. Another benefit of the study was that it helped me realise the areas where legal and governmental supports are lacking. As the subject revealed, it becomes necessary for governments to introduce better and stronger legal frameworks which support sustainable tourism by placing legal barriers on various activities of mass tourism.

In fact, the subject acted as an eye opener by making me understand the fact that only sustainable tourism can ensure the survival of such sensitive and highly