A healthy natural environment is a prerequisite for the tourism industry to thrive. Further degradation of the ecosystem will have negative effects on the sector itself and could even threaten its survival. Therefore, a transition to sustainable tourism is vital for the long-term development of the industry.
The World Tourism Organization describes sustainable tourism as follows:
“Sustainable tourism development meets the needs of present tourists and host regions while protecting and enhancing opportunities for the future. It is envisaged as leading 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 a life support system.”
A tourism sector that adopts sustainable practices can play a significant role in accelerating the achievement of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The tourism industry has the potential to contribute to many of these goals.
For example, Goal 15 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 15) encourages us to
“protect, restore and promote the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, and halt biodiversity loss.”
The tourism industry can help achieve this goal by reducing pollution, waste, and excessive consumption of natural resources, as well as by respecting and conserving terrestrial and marine ecosystems and biodiversity. Additionally, the industry can combat the poaching and trafficking of protected species.
Lack of Awareness as a Challenge for the Sustainable Development of the Tourism Sector
Academic research has identified a number of challenges for the sustainable development of the tourism industry, among which the lack of public awareness stands out for its pervasiveness.
For example, Pan et al. (2018) suggested that the lack of information exchange platforms leads to insufficient awareness among local communities and tourists, which in turn leads to an inadequate legal framework, unsustainable tourist behavior, and improper management. Furthermore, Thahir et al. (2021) examined tourism in the Togean Islands and pointed to a lack of awareness as a barrier to sustainable tourism, as evidenced by residents’ waste disposal in the sea, as well as inadequate waste management by private businesses.
Some degree of environmental knowledge is a prerequisite to generating environmental awareness (Maloney et al., 1975). However, the lack of environmental knowledge among tourism stakeholders has been extensively documented in academic studies.
For example, Figueroa and Rotarou (2018) suggested that the lack of qualified personnel with a good working knowledge of ecology is a barrier to the tourism sector’s sustainable development. To make meaningful progress towards sustainable tourism, more user-friendly and reliable information must be provided to help tourists understand the environmental impacts of their travel, as well as to assist business management in finding and utilizing available resources for their sustainability transition.
References:
Figueroa B., E., & Rotarou, E. S. (2018). Challenges and opportunities for the sustainable development of the wine tourism sector in Chile. Journal of Wine Research, 29(4), 243–264.
Maloney, M. P., Ward, M. P., and Braucht, G. N. (1975). A revised scale for the measurement of ecological attitudes and knowledge. Am. Psychol. 30, 787–790. doi: 10.1037/h0084394
Pan, S.-Y., Gao, M., Kim, H., Shah, K. J., Pei, S.-L., & Chiang, P.-C. (2018). Advances and challenges in sustainable tourism toward a green economy. Science of the Total Environment, 635, 452–469.
Thahir, H. , Hadi, S. , Zahra, F. , Arif, I. , & Lolo, M. H. . (2021). Issues, Challenges and Strengths of Sustainable Tourism Supply Chain After Covid-19 in Togean National Park-Sulawesi, Indonesia: A Preliminary Findings. Proceedings of the International Conference on Strategic Issues of Economics, Business, and, Education (ICoSIEBE 2020). doi: 10.2991/aebmr.k.210220.048
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