Attaining sustainable tourism - Essay Example

Attaining sustainable tourism Tourism is one of the sources of government revenues and its utility establishes its significance among people. Propermanagement for meeting consumers’ expectations and for sustainability is therefore important. The Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States (RESTORE) Act (2012) is one of the United States’ legislations that relates to tourism. Analysis of the legislation and factors to effective tourism management informs need for more laws for promoting tourism across the nation and in other parts of the world.

The gulf oil spill had adverse effect on the environment and a legislation laid penalties on individuals who were liable for the spill. The RESTORE act stipulates that 80 percent of proceeds from penalties be dedicated to rehabilitation of the areas that the oil spill affected and a significant proportion of the proceeds targets tourism development in the affected areas. According to the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (1), 35 percent of the proceeds was dedicated to ecological development and “tourism promotion,” besides “economic development” while another 30 percent was dedicated to improving ecosystem (1).

These focus points identifies with necessary initiatives for effective tourism and therefore suggest significance of the legislation in promoting sustainable tourism. Legal provisions, “biological degradation,” and investment into the tourism industry are some of the factors to tourism (Aicken and Ryan 78). Some laws safeguard the environment and therefore make it suitable for tourism can aim at rehabilitating an environment, as the RESTORE act does, while others prevent degradation by stipulating strong penalties against activities that threaten the ecosystem.

Policies that preserve biological factors in the environment and that allocate resources for management of the ecosystem also promotes tourism as RESTORE act does (78). Identified challenges to effective tourism also identity significance of policies on tourism. Castellani and Sala (37) notes that focus is being made towards mass tourism instead of focus on quality, and significance of tourism as a source of government revenues means need for laws and policies that can guide management of tourism.

Just like the RESTORE act defined resource allocation for rehabilitation of specific regions towards effective tourism, policies can establish agencies and boards that can plan for and guide management of tourism. In addition, tourism has adverse effects on the environment and unless effective measures are established for safeguarding the environment, the ecosystem, which also contributes to tourist attraction, will be degraded. The effects will be lost utility among tourists and collapse of the tourism industry.

Consequently, an effective role in preserving the ecosystem is necessary (37). The analysis demonstrate effective role that the government can play in promoting effective and sustainable tourism development through legislations and policies. The RESTORE act demonstrates this in the areas the Gulf of Mexico oil spill affected and suggests that laws and policies can be effective in other regions. National laws and policies are therefore necessary for promoting effective and sustainable tourism in the United States.

The approach can also be applicable in other regions across the globe. Works citedAicken, Michelle and Ryan, Chris. Indigenous tourism. New York, NY: Routledge, 2010. Print. Castellani, Valentina and Sala, Serenella. Sustainable tourism as a factor to local development. Trento, Tangram Ediz. Scientifiche, 2009. Print. The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council. “Gulf coast ecosystem restoration council to help rebuild the gulf coasts’ ecosystems and economies in the wake of the deepwater horizon oil spill.

” The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council. N.d. Web. May 4, 2015. < http://www.restorethegulf.gov/release/2012/11/30/gulf-coast-ecosystem-restoration-council-help-rebuild-gulf-coasts%E2%80%99-ecosystems-and>.