Tourism and the Environment - Tourism: Principles, Practices, Philosophies - page 376

Formulating a Development Plan

Re ect All Impacts in Costs Polluter Pays Principle

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Under the polluter pays principle it is the perpetrator of environmental impacts who bears the
responsibility for all costs incurred in delivering the tourism experience.

Minimize Risk Taking Precautionary Principle

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Careful risk assessment is an important component of sustainable tourism development. Where there
is limited evidence about the possible impact of a development or action, a cautious approach should
be adopted. The precautionary principle means putting in place measures to avoid damage before it
occurs rather than trying to repair it afterward.

Take a Life-Cycle Perspective

Life-cycle assessment means taking full account of impacts over the entire life of a product or service,
including initial resources used, siting and design, development and construction, all inputs to its
operation, and disposal and after-use implications.

Consider Functional Alternatives

Consideration should be given to whether the same function can be performed and the same result
achieved by doing things in a way that has more positive and less negative impacts on resources.

Respect Limits

The readiness and ability to limit the amount of tourism development or the volume of tourist flows in a
destination or site are central to the concept of sustainable tourism. Limiting factors may be ecological
resilience, resource capacity, community concerns, visitor satisfaction, and so on. Sound research can
determine the carrying capacity of a destination or site.

is de ned as the maximum
amount of development, use, growth, or change that a site or destination can endure without an
unacceptable alteration in the physical environment, the community

Carrying capacity

s social fabric, and/or the local
economy, and without an unacceptable decline in the quality of experience gained by the visitor.

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Managing the Destination on an Ongoing Basis

Adapt to Changing Conditions

Adaptive response and management is an important aspect of sustainable development. Tourism is
sensitive to external conditions in terms of its performance and the level of its impact.

Undertake Continuous Monitoring Using Indicators

Sound management of tourism requires to measure changes in impact over

time, so that adjustments to policies and actions can be made. Monitoring should be carried out using
speci c measures on the

continuous monitoring

(see Table 17.1).
These indicators focus on what managers need to know most to reduce their risk of inadvertently
making decisions that damage the natural and cultural environments on which the tourism industry
depends. These include measures of:

core indicators of sustainable tourism

The general relationship between tourism and the environment

&

The effects of environmental factors on tourism

&

The impacts of the tourism industry on the environment

&