Sustainable Tourism Development: Protecting the Environment and Supporting Local Communities

Poor tourism practices harm the planet. It’s hard to think about that while you’re flying into the sunset and swimming with dolphins, but our travel choices often negatively impact people and wildlife. Sustainable tourism development can help mitigate and improve that. 

According to the Ecotourism Global Market Report by The Business Research Company, the Ecotourism and sustainable tourism market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.5% until 2028. However small, this growth will bring enormous benefits to everyone. 

Here’s what sustainable tourism development is and why you need to care – whether you are a tourism developer, a local businessman, or merely a tourist booking a zero-emission flight. 

Definition of Sustainable Tourism Development

In a world ridden with careless urbanization, sustainable tourism development is a forward-thinking practice that aims to reverse the harmful effects of excessive globetrotting. Its goal is to help provide exciting travel experiences that don’t harm but benefit habitats and communities. 

Sustainable tourism development leans heavily on environmentalism, preservation, and conservation, with which it shares common goals. However, despite its commitment to keeping nature, wildlife, and rural communities pristine, sustainable tourism development is not about anti-tourism.

More than anything else, this practice advocates for a holistic approach to global tourism, which would unify environmental, economic, and socio-cultural sustainability. Ultimately, such tourism development would be for the mutual welfare of destinations, tourists, and the industry at large. 

Ideally, tourism should bring more jobs and help secure economic prosperity in underdeveloped areas, simultaneously popularizing and protecting exotic and off-the-beaten-path locations. This is challenging but not impossible as long as tourism remains conscious about ecology and culture.  

Principles of Sustainable Tourism Development

Sustainable tourism development can be defined as a set of 12 aims or principles:

1. Economic viability – A developing tourism destination, project, or initiative must be able to cover its costs and remain financially sustainable. Moreover, it must be able to reinvest and prosper in order to benefit the people and wildlife impacted by a surge in tourism. 
2. Local prosperity – Tourism development must benefit the host location’s economy by providing new opportunities for employment and business growth for residents and local businesses. A proportion of visitor spending must be retained or reinvested locally. 
3. Employment quality – Sustainable tourism development aims to create jobs for locals within the industry, but not just any jobs. It vows to ensure employment quality by offering fair wages, decent working conditions, and opportunities for professional growth. 
4. Social equity – The prosperity spurred by tourism development must be accessible to all local communities and residents, regardless of race, religion, or social background. This principle aims to eradicate discrimination and give a voice to marginalized groups.
5. Visitor fulfillment – Sustainable tourism must create positive and meaningful experiences for visitors while minimizing negative impacts on the environment, culture, and local communities. This is done through responsible practices that benefit everyone involved. 
6. Local control – Tourism projects and initiatives must be developed in collaboration with local authorities, businesses, and other stakeholders in the region. Those affected by the changing landscape must have decision-making power and control over the process. 
7. Community wellbeing – In addition to economic opportunities and social equity, the host location should be able to benefit from tourism development in other ways. In this context, community wellbeing refers to the region’s overall health, happiness, and prosperity. 
8. Cultural richness – Tourism is in a unique position to promote and preserve the unique cultural heritage and traditions of a host location. The local customs, cuisine, arts, and language provide authentic experiences but must be valued and protected in return. 
9. Physical integrity – Increased tourist activity must not endanger or harm the natural beauties, landscapes, and historic sites of a host location. It should, in fact, contribute to the responsible use and conservation of the region’s natural resources and physical goods. 
10. Biological diversity – The plants, animals, and microorganisms within the host location’s unique ecosystem must be protected and preserved. Sustainable development can also help maintain the health and resilience of local wildlife and natural resources. 
11. Resource efficiency – Tourism development teams must work together with local authorities to ensure the efficient use of water, energy, and other resources. Sustainable practices should also help minimize waste and reduce the environmental impact of bustling tourism.
12. Environmental purity – The development of new hotels, tourist attractions, and event venues must not change the natural landscape of the host location or pollute its environment. The industry is expected to minimize the pollution and waste caused by visitors.

These principles were officially released as the 12 aims of Sustainable Tourism by the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) and the World Tourism Organisation (WTO). In which way can tourism development teams use them in practice? The following strategies come to mind:

Conservation of Resources

In tourism and beyond, sustainable practices are implemented through responsible development and use of natural resources. The region’s air, water, and land are the holy trinity that must be preserved not only during development but also from thoughtless visitors and hyper tourism. 

The best practice is to commit to sustainability in the long run. Green initiatives should be incorporated into project development from the beginning and advertised to visitors as such.

It is in everyone’s best interest to attract the attentive and conscious type of traveler. Luckily, nearly 74% of today’s travelers expect sustainable travel options. Development can lure them in with eco-friendly accommodations and zero-impact tourist activities curated by local guides.

Community Involvement

In Rome, most travelers enjoy doing things as the Romans do. So, the point of tourism development is not to urbanize nature and westernize the locals but to use the local culture with its authentic customs as a selling point. The question is: how do we do that without exploiting the locals? 

The answer is so simple – we share our plans with local stakeholders and help them profit. Community involvement is paramount for the success of sustainable tourism development. 

Mdumbi, “a backpackers with panoramic Wild Coast views” is an award-winning initiative that promotes community involvement and sustainable eco-tourism. Mdumbi’s ownership model is as unique as its landscape, with the local employees and the amaXhosa community holding shares. 

Economic Viability 

Tourism is an 11.39 trillion industry, so we can’t pretend that tourism development isn’t about money. Nevertheless, successful projects and initiatives can generate enough profits to make these ventures worthwhile to developers and hosts and stay economically viable in the future. 

Ideally, development should keep generating profits in the long run, thus benefiting local businesses, helping develop local infrastructure, and contributing to the region’s economy. 

Let’s take an example from Bhutan. The East Himalayas’ remote kingdom is unique in the world, so it attracts a lot of visitors. Strict entry requirements and visitor tariffs not only protect Bhutan’s landscape from overcrowding but also bring money for free health care and education. 

Minimizing Negative Impacts

Roughly 8% of the world’s carbon emissions come from tourism. And there’s more. During peak tourist season, marine litter in the Mediterranean region was found to increase by up to 40%. Sustainable tourism development has a very responsible task to put an end to all that. 

How do we start? By promoting ecotourism and introducing responsible practices that preserve wildlife, minimize the greenhouse effect, and lower the use of water and fossil fuels. 

A positive example comes from Fiji. Six Senses Fiji is a zero-impact resort that is 100% powered by solar energy and designed with zero-waste infrastructure that includes water filtration and rainwater capture. On-brand with these initiatives, the resort offers “harmony and balance.” 

Importance of Sustainable Development in Tourism

To say that sustainable development tourism is important would be a gross understatement. Tourism’s negative environmental impacts are reaching alarming proportions, with resource over-consumption and pollution gradually depleting the industry’s star product – our planet’s beauty. 

By preserving the planet, sustainable development can secure the industry’s future. The environmental, economic, social, and cultural benefits of responsible and mindful tourism can create a better tomorrow for every single stakeholder, from an endangered butterfly to a wealthy investor. 

Environmental Benefits 

By partnering with local communities, scientists, and volunteers, sustainable tourism development can ensure the preservation of species and the conservation of precious resources that bad tourism is hurting. Think of the Great Barrier Reef, Indonesian orangutans, or the Galapagos Islands. 

Look at Costa Rica. This absolute marvel of biodiversity started introducing sustainable practices to domestic tourism development over a decade ago, and the results are astonishing. Today, 93% of the country runs on renewable energy, and 30% is covered by protected reserves. 

Economic Benefits

The country of Benin is usually described as one of the best-kept tourist secrets in West Africa. Benin is small and seemingly insignificant but continues to live an authentic life in contact with nature. Travelers love this – 80% have a desire to learn about the local culture when on vacation. 

With a lot to offer to tourists hungry for authentic experiences, the country of Benin runs on tourism. This is an incredible example of how smart tourism development can turn one country’s tourism potential into an economic lifeline that supports infrastructure, communities, and wildlife.

Social Benefits

When we talk about the social benefits of sustainable tourism development, we refer to the improved quality of life for local communities. As a region, country, or city starts attracting tourists that bring jobs and prosperity without causing harm, do ordinary people benefit from that? 

Of course. The positive answer comes from Switzerland, where green tourism projects keep changing the country’s infrastructure for the better. For example, the Swiss have set up over 1200 km of bicycle paths to promote zero-impact transport, delighting both the visitors and the locals. 

Cultural Benefits 

When asked about their preferred type of travel experience, the majority of travelers (70%) said that they were interested in cultural immersion. This renewed interest in people as well as places has forced tourism developers to start planning projects focused on cultural heritage and traditions.

The benefits of cultural immersion in travel are multifold. Local cultures receive the recognition and respect they deserve while also profiting from enhanced tourist activity. The profits from selling local handiwork, arts, produce, food, etc. can be reinvested in culture preservation. 

Factors of Sustainable Tourism Development

However beneficial, sustainable tourism development is a huge step forward. Because of its commitment to environmental and cultural causes, it involves many stakeholders, policies, and practices that are often challenging to reconcile. There are several factors that play a key role in this: 

• Environmental factors – As mentioned before, environmental factors that are shaping tourism development are perhaps the most impactful from the macro perspective. They must preserve the planet as our natural habitat by implementing conservation strategies such as biodiversity protection, sustainable resource management, pollution and waste management, and carbon emission reduction. 
• Economic factors – Sustainable tourism development vows to be and stay economically viable in the future. The industry has a moral obligation to develop only projects that can promise economic growth in the region. That means that developers must work in unison with local stakeholders when assessing opportunities for market expansion. 
• Socio-cultural factors – The moral obligation of tourism development doesn’t stop at economic prosperity. It also includes social responsibility, which refers to the general quality of life and cultural preservation in the area. Every tourism project must be developed with local residents’ wellbeing in mind, with a special emphasis on their culture, religion, and traditions. 
• Technological factors – Digital technology has immense prediction power. Big data analysis and AI tools can help developers anticipate trends and assess risks involved with developing tourism attractions in a certain area. This can help minimize the environmental impact and prevent over-consumption of resources. 

Conclusion

Research shows that this is a good moment for advocates of sustainable tourism practices. In 2024, three in five (62%) travelers want to stay in some form of sustainable accommodation, and 66% want to have authentic travel experiences that represent the local culture and communities.

Now, everyone involved in tourism development must take the necessary steps to ensure that sustainable tourism becomes more than a passing trend. Where do we begin? Spreading awareness is a good way to start. Whatever side you belong to, nurture and promote responsible travel. 

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