Sustainable Tourism: Development Challenges

Sustainable tourism Development Ch exclusivelyengesIntroduction touristry is an superannuated phenomenon and already the people during the times of the Mesopotamian society travelled. However, touristry precisely mavinted to lucubrate signifi arsetly post-Cook be of 1880 and mass touristry appeared post-war 1950s (Weaver and Oppermann, 2000). Following were rapid, errant and unsustainable tourism destination ripening as can be find on the Spanish Coast, where large hotels make the once regional, physical and social structures indistinguishable from many other mass tourism coastal airfields (Richards and Hall, 2000). This helter-skelter mass tourism has led not only to irreversible environmental, socio-cultural and economical damages, but also has it made those destinations undesirable to tourists. And in fact thither are examples from al close e genuinely country in the world, where tourism development has been identified as being the main cause of environmental abj ection (Lickorish and Jenkins, 199985).Therefore, sustainable tourism development seems to be one of the fad quarrel of modern tourism management, and is and then on all the tourist companies agendas.The avocation assignment will investigate the issue of sustainable tourism, how serious and tortuous the subject really is? It will by no means be an extensive assignment, due to the time and word limitations at hand. Therefore progress research would need to be undertaken to gain a full designate of the issue.DiscussionSustainable development and estimable tourism?Sustainability is a modern-day issue in tourism development that came in fashion during the last(prenominal) 20 years (Winpenny, 1991). Con lookring the Brundtland Commission in 1987, development is sustainable when it meets the require of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own demand (1987, cited in Winpenny, 19913). A different translation of sustainability is offere d at the Globe 90 Conference in Vancouver Sustainable tourism development is envisaged as leash to management of all resources in such a way that we can fulfil economic, social and aesthetic take bit maintaining cultural integrity, internal ecological processes, biological diversity and life support frames (tourism Stream exploit Committee 1990, Ledbury cited in Hein, 199730). These definitions show how complex the subject of sustainability is in its very nature of having to encompass so many amours. And also In the ground forces GNP per capita is $24,240 whilst in Kenya it is $964. Are the needs of either countries population met? And who is to fix what these needs are? The UN? Or perhaps the World Bank, who service the needs of developed economies by removing greater wealth from Africa through dept repayments than is injected through meagerly aid budgets? This reality that some people meet their needs by preventing others from meeting theirs is overlooked ( simplycher, 2003131). Therefore leaving the choices those countries (third world) are faced with is to take back aid or investment on the terms offered, or not accept them at all (Butcher, 2003 123). Now the question is, is this really sustainable, and most of all honorable?The impacts of tourism are divided into common chord elements economical, environmental and socio-cultural (Coltman, 1989). Therefore, it could be argued that the sustainable discussion should be looked at in those trey headings. According to this concept of sustainable tourism at that place are three points that are to be achieved through tourism developmentIncreasing economic value of tourismAn improvement in the life quality of peopleProtection and obligated use of natural resources (Keyser, 2002)McKercher (1993131) states that the inherent vagueness of sustainability is its greatest weakness and he notes on how the term is used to legitimize and justify activities and policies by the industry and the conservation movement for mutually exclusive activities. McKercher is not the only one supporting views along this notion. Smith and Duffy (2003) argue that business moral philosophy is about reacting to customers values and expectations and is merely an attempt to improve an industries image and therefore increase its sales.Along with this fad for sustainability, many new terms for election tourism puzzle emerged. Hein (1997) actually suggests that many of those new forms of tourism, like greenness, forward-moving and alternative tourism is purely a reaction to the contemporary green and environmental movement that we are experiencing in Western societies. Therefore, that would then call for certain superficiality and that this whole trend is more about attracting customers, instead than being really concerned about sustainability. However, Fennell (2003) on the other side notes that the trend has initiated many new fashionable tourism forms, like ecotourism, which when utilize proper ly, should be beneficial. However, caution should be the word to consider, as those labels are advantageously abused as marketing tools.The chances of marketing abuse is debatably encouraged by the argument that consumers are driving this movement at least partially, as their demands are changing when it comes to the consumption of tourism services. Goodwin (cited in Jenkins et al. 2002) argues that the movement for responsible forms of tourism is beginning to impact mainstream consumer preferences. And Butcher (2003) notes that there has been an important shift to a growth in good consumption, not only in tourism, taking Body Shop as one success example.And while this ethical tourism is debatably having a clean image of being high-priced, it may not be all as shiny as it sounds. respectable consumption ends up moralizing about exaggerated problems mingled with people, hosts and tourists, and moreover, neglects an assessment of the social inequalities that characterize relati onships between nations (Butcher, 20033). He also argues that the furtherance of nature-based tourism shows little prospects in regards to the potential to address the real problem, viz. the poverty and inequality.A good example is Ethiopia and the case of the 5 star Sheraton Hotel in Addis Ababa. The owner of the hotel was p revived for his sensitive treatment and re-homing of the shack-dwellers who used to live there. However, the area of this luxurious hotel is surrounded by poverty. And for being in one of the poorest countries in the world, it is alleged(prenominal) of how moral it is to rub such wealth of a sumptuousness 5 star Sheraton Hotel into the faces of the people who have to live under essential poverty (Smith and Duffy, 2003).Codes of ethics and chain of distribution and the impact on the tourism industryFirstly one should outline what scarce a economy of ethics is. A . computer codes of ethics or conduct are lists knowing to elicit a change in behaviour of pa rticular stakeholder groups a form of compliance for acceptable behaviour at a tourism setting (Fennell, 200311).Environmental commitment, responsibility, integrated planning, environmentally sound management, cooperation between last makers, and public awareness, are according to Genot (1995, cited in Fennell, 2003) the core principals of any code of ethics.One can easily recognise the complexity of the subject, especially when considering that it has to be applied to everyone involved in the tourism process and thereof all the chains of distributions. Arguably a code of ethics could have convinced(p) impacts on the tourism industry and its channel of distributions. Simply because it would clarify what exactly ethical and sustainable development and tourism is. However it would prove near unacceptable to monitor al the chain of distribution outlets. And also may the codes be against certain chains own value system, which bring us to the locality of ethics which will be discuss ed later on in the assignment. Wheeler (1994, cited in Fennell, 2003186) is also critical of the implementation of codes of ethics and the sustainability and ecotourism trends, and so he notes a never-ending series of laughable codes of ethics codes of ethics for travellers codes of ethics for tourists, for government and for tourism businesses. Codes for all or, more likely, codeine for all. But who really believes these codes are effective?In Zimbabwe there is the aid-funded Communal Areas focusing Programme for Indigenous Resources (Campfire). Limited ecotourism and game hunting are organise here where the revenues support the rural population. While this is advertised as leave development but is this symbiosis per se a good thing? (Butcher, 2003). And moreover, how is it going to be possible to ensure that everyone adheres to the code of ethics, when the people are rural and unable to identify with the Western values and ethics system?Fair trade and ethical tourismEthical t ourism has been give tongue to to be synonymous with sustainable tourism, alternative tourism, appropriate tourism or sympathetic tourism (Hall and Lew, 1998). Hall and Lew (1998) argue that it is Western values and ethics that provide the base for the implementation of the concept of ethical tourism, and in thus impose its Western culture on the host domination. Is this then ethical in itself?Following are some examples for fair trade and ethical tourism initiatives illustrated in the case of the GambiaFair Trade practices in tourism (just like Fair Trade bananas) are being established by the Gambia Experience in conjunction with Tourism fill ( originator Unknown, 2002).TUI and First survival take part in a revolutionary scheme to raise awareness of under-aged prostitution. Therefore the Crimestoppers lines in the UK now accept calls from holidaying British people. Those tourists have on their flight into the Gambia been taught the signs, and encouraged to report inappropriate behaviour of under-aged prostitution (Baldwin, 2004).The Gambia Tourism Concern has various initiatives a street newspaper called Concern Magazine, an in-flight video aiming to raise awareness and encourage appropriate behaviour (Smith, 2002) and there is a weekly radio programme for the locals, educating them about issues of tourism (Williams, 2002). This debatably is to swear both, the tourist and the locals, of appropriate ethical behaviour towards the other party.ConclusionThe definition of sustainability and hence the term sustainable tourism can be construe in various ways, and thus makes measurement a difficult task. It is questionable whether sustainability in tourism really does exist as there are always some aspects of concern. However, sustainability and ethical consumption seems to be in fashion, and hence making the possibilities of the terms being (ab)used for marketing purposes even bigger.To clarify the standards for sustainability, ethical codes should be implemen ted across the tourism industry. However, this again in itself ability pose an unethical aspect, as it might impose culturally estimable aspects on host communities, and what is right in one community, may not be right in another community. Also would it be impossible to control the adherence of the different chains of distribution units.To conclude, it could be tell that there is no single answer to this complex conundrum of sustainable and ethical tourism. And while there may be some superficiality in its use within the industry, it may be questioned whether it is not at least better to have some effort, than none at all.ReferencesAuthor Unknown (2002) Small operators push change, touch off Trade Gazette UK Ireland, 26/08/2002, Issue 2528, p20Baldwin N. (2004) Sex tourism fight scores first victory, Travel Weekly The Choice of Travel Professionals (Reed), 20/08/2004, Issue 1732, p68Butcher J. (2003) The moralisation of Tourism, Sun, Sand And Saving The World? London Routled geColtman M. M. (1989) Introduction to Travel Tourism, An international Approach, New York Van Nostrand ReinholdFennell D. A. (1999 2003) Ecotourism, An Introduction (2nd edn.), London RoutledgeHall C. M. and Lew A. A. (1998) Sustainable Tourism, A Geographical Perspective, New York LongmanHein W. (1997) Tourism and Sustainable Development, Hamburg Deutsches Uebersee-InstitutJenkins T., Birkett D., Goodwin H., Goldstein P., Butcher J. and Leech K. (2002) Ethical Tourism, Who Benefits?, Reading Hodder StoughtonKeyser H. (2002) Tourism Development, Cape Town Oxford University PressLickorish L. J. and Jenkins C. L. (1997) An Introduction to Tourism, OxfordButterworth-HeinemannMcKercher B. (1993) The unrecognized threat to tourism, Can tourism survive sustainability?, Tourism Management, April 1993.Richards G. and Hall D. (2000) Tourism and Sustainable Community Development, London RoutledgeSmith M. K. (2003) Issues in Cultural Tourism Studies, London RoutledgeSmith M. and Duffy, R. (2003) The Ethics of Tourism Development, London RoutledgeWeaver D. and Oppermann M. (2000) Tourism Management, Brisbane John Wiley Sons Australia, LtdWilliams S. 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