Critically Discussing Sustainable Tourism - Literature review Example

Running header: Sustainable Tourism Student’s name: Name of institution: Instructor’s name: Course code: Date of submission: Sustainable Tourism “Alternative tourism” plays an important role in the development of sustainable tourism; however, it represents only a partial solution to the challenge of “sustainable tourism” (Weaver 2006). Discuss this statement, drawing on the readings and peer-reviewed academic literature in the field of sustainable tourism. Introduction Tourism, being one of the largest industries in the world, is important as it drives the economies of many countries across the world. In many developing nations of the world, tourism is one of the greatest income earners. However, despite all the advantages of tourism, it has a lot of impacts on the resources, infrastructure, culture and environment of the host country. That is why the tourism sector has been involved in tireless efforts to ensure its sustainability and viability. The sector aim to create tourism that reduces the infrastructural, cultural and environmental impacts on the host country. There are many forms of tourism that aim to develop sustainable tourism (World Tourism Organization, 1997). Alternative tourism is one such type of tourism that plays an important role in the development of sustainable tourism. However, Weaver (2006) argues that alternative tourism only represents a partial solution to the challenge of sustainable tourism. Ensuring sustainable tourism has been a challenge to many stakeholders in the tourism sector. Many nations want to transform their tourism sector into a more sustainable sector but the challenges are many. Stakeholders in the tourism sector are becoming more and more concerned with protecting and preserving the environment (Eagles, McLean & Stabler, 2000). This essay will discuss the claims made by Weaver regarding the fact that alternative tourism only represents a partial solution to the challenge of sustainable tourism. This essay will also define and critically discuss sustainable tourism, alternative tourism and mass tourism, identifying the strengths and limitations of alternative tourism. The essay will finally discuss the need for sustainability in conventional mass tourism and suggest ways in which sustainability may be developed in mass tourism. Sustainable Tourism The advocacy for tourism and sustainability is increasingly high in many countries of the world. According to Jafari (1990), there are four platforms that can be used to describe the evolution of tourism research, planning and policy. These are knowledge based, adaptancy, advocacy and cautionary. According to the advocacy platform, the first to appear, tourism has a lot of economic benefits and is a positive tool for development. That is why it is important for tourism to be sustainable. With the growth being experienced in the sector, there were very many negative impacts that started to be recognized. This resulted in a new approach that was very critical and cautionary. This gave rise to the search for forms of tourism by advocates that would act as alternatives. The core for the adaptancy platform was formed by this. Later, these claims were challenged by Macbeth by saying that each of these platforms still remains alive in tourism. Tourism advocates are continuously urging countries to practice new forms of tourism that are sustainable and equitable. These countries have also been cautioned against ignoring the importance of sustainable tourism. A myriad of definitions exist for sustainable tourism, such as ethical travel, fair trade, culturally and environmentally responsible tourism, green travel and eco-tourism among others. However, sustainable tourism is unique and somewhat different from the above definitions. The most common and widely accepted definition of eco-tourism is that proposed by the World Tourism Organization (WTO) in 1996. According to the WTO (1996), sustainable tourism is defined as “tourism which leads to management of all resources in such a way that economic, social and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity and life support systems”. The WTO further notes that the development of sustainable tourism may be described as a process which aims at meeting the needs of present visitors and host communities while ensuring that the needs of the future are enhanced and protected. When this is critically analyzed, it is evident that sustainable tourism is meant to benefit both the visitors and the hosts by creating a diverse support system. Tourism has been seen to have a lot of benefits to many host countries such as ensuring economic and infrastructural development. However, Paul, McCool and Haynes (2002) argue that tourism places a lot of demand on the resources of the host country. This leads to situations where the host countries experience excessive energy use, waste generation, water consumption and other resource and infrastructural demands. If not managed properly, such demands may have a lot of negative impacts on the local communities, their cultures and the environment at large (Bosselman, Peterson & McCarthy, 1999). It is important to note that tourism needs to be managed properly so as to benefit from it. Sustainable tourism cannot be a success if not treated with the seriousness it deserves. The WTO notes that there has been an exponential growth in global tourism in the last century or so. By the year 2000, more than 650 million international visitors were reported to have travelled to various tourist destinations across the world (Paul, McCool & Haynes, 2002). This was a growth from 25 million in 1950. Such growth has been aided by several factors such as increased living standards in developed countries, declining travel costs and increased allowances for holiday vacations (Cizmar & Lisjak, 2007). This means that the strain on the resources of host countries is likely to continue growing at worrying rates because the number of international visitors has always been on an upward trend (Hunter & Shaw, 2007). Global tourism forecasts estimate that the upward trends and growth being experienced in the tourism sector are set to grow between 3 to 6 % annually, depending on the place. Estimates from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) in 2002 show that 11% of the world’s GDP is generated by tourism and activities related to it. With such growth in the tourism sector, the need for sustainable tourism is growing higher day by day (Buckley & Sommer, 2001). The growth being experienced in the tourism sector means that great stress will continue to be placed on the indigenous cultures and the biologically diverse habitats. Host countries need to ensure that their environments are not negatively impacted by tourism. They need to protect and preserve their cultures and resource so as to minimize the effects of tourism. This is where sustainable tourism comes into play (Fenell, 1999). Sustainable tourism has been described as tourism that attempts to have the lowest negative impact on local cultures and the environment, while assisting the local people to generate future employment (World Tourism Organization, 2001). Sustainable tourism is aimed at bringing development to local people, to the tourists, to the tourism companies and to the environment in general. Mass Tourism Mass tourism has been branded the ‘grandest scale of tourism’. Many scholars note that it has been difficult to adequately define mass tourism. Very few academic sources adequately define mass tourism. Despite this, mass tourism may be explained and defined through its characteristics. Mass tourism takes place when a large number of people visit a particular destination at the same time. Mass tourism is the traditional large scale tourism that refers to the popular and common forms of leisure. Mass tourism is said to have pioneered in the late 1960s and early 1970s in North America, the Caribbean and southern Europe. The act of visiting a particular destination by many people at one given time is known to have advantages and disadvantages. Tourist destinations that receive massive influx of visitors are said to experience mass tourism (Bosselman, Peterson & McCarthy, 1999). Strengths and limitation of mass tourism Mass tourism brings prosperity to the host country in the sense that it earns it a lot of revenue in terms of foreign exchange (Dowling, 1993). Mass tourism also creates a lot of job opportunities for the residents of the host country to work in the tourism sector. Many communities are able to increase their incomes as the number of visitors increases in an area (Hunter & Shaw, 2007). Mass tourism is also known to cause a strain on the resources of the host country. As the number of people visiting a place increases, the strain on the resources of that particular place such as infrastructure, water and energy increases (Heath & Wall, 1991). This is because of the large number of people who demand these resources at the same time. This means that the impact on the environment and the culture so the people of the host country will be greater since the number of foreign visitors is high (Wight, 1997). Alternative Tourism Alternative tourism also needs to be managed properly so that it can be successful. If not managed well, alternative tourism can be more disastrous than beneficial. Cizmar and Lisjak (2007) define alternative tourism as the type of tourism that combines individual tourism services or other tourism products. In alternative tourism, apart from the visits made by the tourists, they are also provided with a combination of products and services such as eco-tourism, adventure such as horse riding, hiking, climbing, caving, diving and ski mountaineering and thematic tourism which is connected to the historical and cultural heritage (Eagles, McLean & Stabler, 2000). Alternative tourism aims at minimizing the effects of mass tourism which entails the mass movement of many visitors to one place at the same time. Alternative tourism aims to change the habits of many people visiting one particular destination at the same time (Buckley & Sommer, 2001). As the name suggests, alternative tourism was started so as to provide an alternative to mass tourism whereby a destination has been over-exposed to the same tourists repeatedly (Buckley & Sommer, 2001). Alternative tourism is aimed at providing alternative forms of tourism products and services so that tourists can be involved in other forms of leisure apart from going to common places in masses (Jennings, 2004). Alternative tourism was developed so as to reduce the strain caused by mass tourism on the environment and resources. This means that alternative tourism is more environmentally friendly as it seeks to provide alternatives aimed at reducing the strain put on the environment by tourists (Tiegland, 2000). Other alternative activities that are provided in alternative tourism include handicraft exhibitions, solidarity and justice tourism, traditional cuisine, religion, wine and the estoteric (Honey, 1999). Alternative tourism tries to counter the effects caused by mass tourism. Mass tourism has been seen to involve the visiting of a place by a very large group of tourists. This means that the place being visited is exposed to a lot of strain in terms of its resources so as to accommodate all the visitors at the same time. Alternative tourism ensures that tourism is available throughout the year and not only in seasons. This reduces the strain on the resources of a particular tourist destination as a result of massive influx of visitors. Alternative tourism also ensures that tourism does not concentrate on only one area in a country but is spread throughout the rest of the country. This means that all the regions in country will receive visitors and the possibility of one area being strained is greatly reduced (Cizmar & Lisjak, 2007). With alternative tourism, it is not easy to provide since it requires special and additional tourist products and services. It also requires the participation of local entrepreneurs and populations in the provision of these services. If the local businesses and populations are not willing to participate in tourism activities, the alternative tourism will face a lot of challenges and may fail to thrive (Heath & Wall, 1991). The need for sustainability in conventional mass tourism Alternative tourism promotes sustainability in mass tourism in the sense that it ensures that tourists are provided with the opportunity to enjoy a wider variety of tourist products and services. The need for sustainability in mass tourism is necessary because of the effects that mass tourism may have on the culture and development of a given area. Mass tourism entails the visiting of one single place by massive number of tourists (Heath & Wall, 1991). When alternative tourism is used instead of mass tourism, the strain on the resources, cultures and development of an area is greatly reduced since visitors do not flock one area in masses. This means that the strain on the environment and the culture of the local people will be very low. For tourism to realize its full potential, the need for sustainability is very essential. Sustainability has been described as the capacity and ability to endure in the sense that responsibility is maintained in terms of social, economic and environmental dimensions so as to ensure that resources are utilized in a manner that they can regenerate themselves without strain (Hunter & Shaw, 2007). Conventional mass tourism needs to be designed in such a way that the cultures of the local people and their environments are not affected by the activities of tourism that take place in their areas. This can be achieved through venturing into alternative tourism. However, it is important to note that alternative tourism must be managed properly so as to ensure that it promotes sustainability. By doing this, the negative impacts of mass tourism on the environment will be greatly reduced. These negative impacts are mostly caused as a result of the strain on the resources of a place by the large number of visitors (Bosselman, Peterson & McCarthy, 1999). Alternative tourism can be used to promote sustainability because it combines various tourism products and services so that tourists can enjoy a wider variety of tourism activities. Ways of developing sustainability in mass tourism There are many ways in which sustainability in mass tourism can be ensured. One major way is by ensuring that many places within a country are attractive to the tourists so as to reduce the possibility of them visiting only one particular place in that country. By making many areas in a country attractive to tourists, they are more likely to visit all these areas in the country equally instead of simply focusing on one particular area. Sustainability in mass tourism can also be developed by making conditions favorable for the local entrepreneurs so that they can invest their resources in providing alternative tourism. This will ensure that mass tourism is not the only form of tourism. Another way of ensuring sustainability in mass tourism is to ensure that tourism is evenly spread throughout the year. Seasons should be eliminated so that tourists can visit a country at any time of the year, thus reducing the possibility of large masses of people visiting an area simultaneously (Hunter & Shaw, 2007). References Bosselman, F. P., Peterson, C. A., & McCarthy, C. (1999). Managing tourism growth: issues and applications. Washington, DC: Island Press. Buckley, R., & Pannell, J. (1990). Environmental impacts of tourism and recreation in national parks and conservation reserves. Journal of Tourism Studies, 1(1), 24-32. Buckley, R. & Sommer, M. (2001). Tourism and Protected Areas: Partnerships in Principle and Practice. Sydney: CRC for Sustainable Tourism Pty Ltd. and Tourism Council Australia. Cizmar, S., & Lisjak, S. (2007). Tourism master plans: An effective tourism destination management tool in SEE. South East European Journal of Economics & Business, 2(1), 48-57. Dowling, R. K. (1993). Tourism Planning, People and the Environment in Western Australia. Journal of Travel Research 31(4): 52–58. Driml, S., & Common, M. (1995). Economic and Financial Benefits of Tourism in Major Protected Areas. Australian Journal of Environmental Management, 2(2), 19-39. Eagles, P., McLean, D., & Stabler, M. (2000). Estimating the Tourism Volume and Value in Parks and Protected Areas in Canada and the USA. George Wright Forum, 17(3), 62-76. Fenell, D. (1999). Ecotourism. 2nd ed. London: Routledge. Hall, M. C., & Lew, A. A. (1998). Sustainable tourism: a geographical perspective. London: Longman Publishing. Heath, E., & Wall, G. (1991). Marketing tourism destinations: A strategic planning approach. New York: John Wiley and Sons. Honey, M. (1999). Ecotourism and Sustainable Development: Who Owns Paradise? Washington, DC: Island Press. Hunter, C., & Shaw, J. (2007). The ecological footprint as key indicator of sustainable tourism. Tourism Management, 28, 46-57. Jennings, S. (2004). Coastal tourism and shoreline management, Annals of Tourism Research. 31(4), 899-922. Paul, F. J., McCool, S. F., & Haynes, C. D. (2002). Sustainable tourism in protected areas: guidelines for planning and management, UK: IUCN Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge. Tiegland, J. (2000). The Effects on Travel and Tourism Demand from Three Mega-trends: Democratization, Market Ideology and Post-materialism as Cultural Wave. Trends in Outdoor Recreation, Leisure and Tourism, 37-46. Van Sickle, K., & Eagles, P. F. J. (1998). User Fees and Pricing Policies in Canadian Senior Park Agencies. Tourism Management, 19(3), 225-235. Wight, P. (1997). North American ecotourists: market profile and trip characteristics. Journal of Travel Research, 24(4), 2-10. World Tourism Organization (1997). Tourism market trends: the world. Madrid, Spain: World Tourism Organization. World Tourism Organization (1999). Tourism satellite account: the conceptual framework. Madrid, Spain: World Tourism Organization. World Tourism Organization (2001). Sustainable development of tourism: a compilation of good practices. Madrid, Spain: World Tourism Organization. Read More

Tourism has been seen to have a lot of benefits to many host countries such as ensuring economic and infrastructural development. However, Paul, McCool and Haynes (2002) argue that tourism places a lot of demand on the resources of the host country. This leads to situations where the host countries experience excessive energy use, waste generation, water consumption and other resource and infrastructural demands. If not managed properly, such demands may have a lot of negative impacts on the local communities, their cultures and the environment at large (Bosselman, Peterson & McCarthy, 1999).

It is important to note that tourism needs to be managed properly so as to benefit from it. Sustainable tourism cannot be a success if not treated with the seriousness it deserves. The WTO notes that there has been an exponential growth in global tourism in the last century or so. By the year 2000, more than 650 million international visitors were reported to have travelled to various tourist destinations across the world (Paul, McCool & Haynes, 2002). This was a growth from 25 million in 1950.

Such growth has been aided by several factors such as increased living standards in developed countries, declining travel costs and increased allowances for holiday vacations (Cizmar & Lisjak, 2007). This means that the strain on the resources of host countries is likely to continue growing at worrying rates because the number of international visitors has always been on an upward trend (Hunter & Shaw, 2007). Global tourism forecasts estimate that the upward trends and growth being experienced in the tourism sector are set to grow between 3 to 6 % annually, depending on the place.

Estimates from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) in 2002 show that 11% of the world’s GDP is generated by tourism and activities related to it. With such growth in the tourism sector, the need for sustainable tourism is growing higher day by day (Buckley & Sommer, 2001). The growth being experienced in the tourism sector means that great stress will continue to be placed on the indigenous cultures and the biologically diverse habitats. Host countries need to ensure that their environments are not negatively impacted by tourism.

They need to protect and preserve their cultures and resource so as to minimize the effects of tourism. This is where sustainable tourism comes into play (Fenell, 1999). Sustainable tourism has been described as tourism that attempts to have the lowest negative impact on local cultures and the environment, while assisting the local people to generate future employment (World Tourism Organization, 2001). Sustainable tourism is aimed at bringing development to local people, to the tourists, to the tourism companies and to the environment in general.

Mass Tourism Mass tourism has been branded the ‘grandest scale of tourism’. Many scholars note that it has been difficult to adequately define mass tourism. Very few academic sources adequately define mass tourism. Despite this, mass tourism may be explained and defined through its characteristics. Mass tourism takes place when a large number of people visit a particular destination at the same time. Mass tourism is the traditional large scale tourism that refers to the popular and common forms of leisure.

Mass tourism is said to have pioneered in the late 1960s and early 1970s in North America, the Caribbean and southern Europe. The act of visiting a particular destination by many people at one given time is known to have advantages and disadvantages. Tourist destinations that receive massive influx of visitors are said to experience mass tourism (Bosselman, Peterson & McCarthy, 1999). Strengths and limitation of mass tourism Mass tourism brings prosperity to the host country in the sense that it earns it a lot of revenue in terms of foreign exchange (Dowling, 1993).

Mass tourism also creates a lot of job opportunities for the residents of the host country to work in the tourism sector.

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