Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
with a changing vision of sustainable approaches
(Hjalagar 1996). Acceptable attitudes and activities
vary over time and from place to place as a result
of fashion, education, the psychology of visitors
and the costs of developing more sustainable
features.
Some form of compromise is therefore
inevitable. Perhaps it is realistic to envisage a
spectrum along which the degree of sustainability
of each actor can be assessed. The aim for all
should be to move from a situation in which
damage, conflict and dissatisfaction are high
towards a more benign situation with higher
benefits and lower costs.
more important than scale alone is the capacity
of resources to absorb visitor numbers.
Blackpool, Torremolinos or Miami Beach can
absorb much larger numbers of people than the
trekking trails around Mount Everest, the area of
outstanding natural beauty in the north Pennines
in England, or in a small game park in East Africa,
before capacity levels are exceeded and costs
begin to outweigh benefits. It is partly a question
of the relative resilience of the natural
environment and indigenous culture that
determines capacity levels and partly a question
of the level of crowding that reduces the appeal
of a destination to tourists. That appeal also
depends on the characteristics of tourists at
different types of destination, as well as the
physical ability of particular destinations to
absorb visitors while still retaining the illusion
that relatively few tourists are present.
Some types of tourism, superficially at least,
reveal more sustainable characteristics than others.
This is highlighted in the theoretical contrasts that
exist between traditional large-scale mass package
tourism and ecotourism (see Table 23.3).
TYPES OF TOURISM AND
SUSTAINABILITY
Since it is large-scale traditional mass tourism that
has been accused of having so many adverse
impacts (Mathieson and Wall 1982; O'Grady
1990), small-scale developments are often used as
exemplars for the promotion of sustainable
approaches (O'Grady 1990; Bird 1995). However,
Table 23.3
Theoretical characteristics of mass package tourism and ecotourism.
Sources:
Burns and Holden 1995; Cater 1994: Shaw and Williams 1994.
