Tourism and the Environment - Tourism: Principles, Practices, Philosophies - page 373

Social sustainability, which means respecting
human rights and equal opportunities for all
in society. It requires an equitable distribution of
bene ts,withafocusona leviatingpoverty.
There is an emphasis on local communities,
maintaining and strengthening their life support
systems, recognizing and respecting different
cultures, and avoiding any form of exploitation.

&

The beach at Coral Bay in
Cyprus has been awarded
the Blue Flag, an exclusive
eco-label awarded to more
than 3,450 beaches and
marinas across Europe,
Africa, New Zealand, Brazil,
Canada, and the
Caribbean. The Blue Flag
Campaign is owned and
run by the independent,
nonpro

Environmental sustainability, which means
conserving and managing resources, espe-
cially those that are not renewable or are
precious in terms of life support. It requires
action to minimize pollution of air, land and
water, and to conserve biological diversity and
natural heritage.

&

t organization
Foundation for
Environmental Education
(FEE). Courtesyof
InternationalBlueFlag
Coordination.

It is important to appreciate that these three
pillars are in many ways interdependent and can
be both mutually reinforcing or in competition.
Delivering sustainable development means strik-
ing a balance between them.

Making All Tourism More Sustainable

Some commentators and institutions have implied that sustainable tourism is a particular kind of
tourism appealing to a market niche that is sensitive to environmental and social impacts, serviced by
particular types of products and operators, and usually

—
implying small in scale. This is a dangerous misapprehension. It must be clear that the term sustainable
tourism

— in contrast with high-volume tourism

refers to a
fundamental objective: to make all tourism more sustainable. The term should be used to refer to a
condition of tourism, not a type of tourism. Well-managed, high-volume tourism can, and ought to be,
just as sustainable as small-scale, dispersed special-interest tourism.

— meaning tourism that is based on the principles of sustainable development —

The World Tourism Organization ' sDe nition of Sustainable Tourism

'' Sustainable tourism development guidelines and management practices are applicable to all forms of

tourism in all types of destinations, including mass tourism and the various niche tourism segments.
Sustainability principles refer to the environmental, economic and sociocultural aspects of tourism
development, and a suitable balance must be established among these three dimensions to guarantee
its long-term sustainability.

3
Thus, sustainable tourism should:

''

1. Makeoptimaluseofenvironmental resourcesthatconstituteakeyelement intourismdevelopment,

maintaining essential ecological processes and helping to conserve natural resources and
biodiversity.

2. Respect the of host communities, conserve their built and living cultural

heritage and traditional values, and contribute to intercultural understanding and tolerance.

sociocultural authenticity

3. Ensure viable, long-term economic operations, providing socioeconomic bene ts to all stakeholders

that are fairly distributed, including stable employment and income-earning opportunities and social
services to host communities, and contributing to poverty alleviation.