Sustainable Tourism: Development Challenges

Sustainable tourism Development ChallengesIntroductionTourism is an ancient phenomenon and already the people during the times of the Mesopotamian society travelled. However, touristry plainly wizardted to expand significantly post-Cook ar of 1880 and down touristry appeared post-war 1950s (Weaver and Oppermann, 2000). Following were rapid, uncontrolled and unsustainable tourism destination breeding as can be discover on the Spanish Coast, where large hotels make the once regional, physical and kind structures indistinguishable from many other mass tourism coastal areas (Richards and Hall, 2000). This chaotic mass tourism has led not only to irreversible environmental, socio-cultural and economical damages, but likewise has it made those destinations undesirable to tourists. And in fact There are examples from or so every country in the world, where tourism development has been identified as being the main cause of environmental degradation (Lickorish and Jenkins, 199985). Therefore, sustainable tourism development seems to be one of the fad words of modern tourism management, and is thus on all the tourist companies agendas.The following assignment will investigate the jazz of sustainable tourism, how serious and complex the subject really is? It will by no means be an extensive assignment, due to the time and word limitations at hand. Therefore further research would need to be undertaken to gain a full picture of the issue.DiscussionSustainable development and ethical tourism?Sustainability is a coeval issue in tourism development that came in fashion during the past 20 years (Winpenny, 1991). Considering the Brundtland Commission in 1987, development is sustainable when it meets the ask of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own involve (1987, cited in Winpenny, 19913). A different definition of sustainability is offered at the Globe 90 throng in Vancouver Sustainable tourism development is envisag ed as leading to management of all resources in such a way that we can fulfil economic, social and aesthetic needs while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity and life support systems (Tourism Stream Action Committee 1990, Ledbury cited in Hein, 199730). These definitions leaven how complex the subject of sustainability is in its very nature of having to encompass so many things. And also In the USA GNP per capita is $24,240 whilst in Kenya it is $964. Are the needs of either countries population met? And who is to decide what these needs are? The UN? Or perhaps the World Bank, who service the needs of developed economies by removing greater wealth from Africa finished dept repayments than is injected through meagre aid budgets? This reality that some people meet their needs by preventing others from meeting theirs is overlooked (Butcher, 2003131). Therefore leaving the choices those countries (third world) are go about with is to accept aid or investment on the preconditions offered, or not accept them at all (Butcher, 2003 123). Now the question is, is this really sustainable, and close of all ethical?The jars of tourism are divided into three elements economical, environmental and socio-cultural (Coltman, 1989). Therefore, it could be argued that the sustainable discussion should be looked at in those three headings. consort to this concept of sustainable tourism there are three points that are to be achieved through tourism developmentIncreasing economic value of tourismAn improvement in the life quality of peopleProtection and responsible 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 notio n. metalworker and Duffy (2003) argue that business ethical motive is about reacting to customers values and expectations and is merely an attempt to improve an industries image and thus increase its sales.Along with this fad for sustainability, many new-fashioned terms for alternative tourism have emerged. Hein (1997) actually suggests that many of those new forms of tourism, like green, progressive 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 imply 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 applied properly, should be beneficial. However, caution should be the word to consider, as those labels are easily abused as ma rketing 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 ethical 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 good, it may not be all as shiny as it sounds. Ethical consumption ends up moralizing about exaggerated problems between people, hosts and tourists, and moreover, neglects an assessment of the social inequalities that characterize relationships between nations (Butcher, 20033). He also argues that the promotion of nature-based tourism shows little prospects in regards to the p otential to address the real problem, namely 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 praised 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 self-styled of how moral it is to rub such wealth of a luxury 5 star Sheraton Hotel into the faces of the people who have to live under extreme poverty (Smith and Duffy, 2003).Codes of ethics and chain of distribution and the impact on the tourism industryFirstly one should outline what scarcely a code of ethics is. A .codes of ethics or conduct are lists designed to elicit a change in behavior of particular 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 decision makers, and public awareness, are according to Genot (1995, cited in Fennell, 2003) the outcome 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 accordingly all the arrange of distributions. Arguably a code of ethics could have positive 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 almost impossible 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 discussed 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 t rends, 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 Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (Campfire). Limited ecotourism and crippled hunting are organized here where the revenues support the rural population. While this is advertised as appropriate 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 tourism has been said 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 compel 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 accompaniment with Tourism Concern (Author Unk promptlyn, 2002).TUI and First Choice 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 alley 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 inform 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 understand in various ways, and thus makes measurement a difficult task. It is questionable whether sustainability in tourism really does exist as there are ever so 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 implement across the tourism industry. However, this again in itself might pose an unethical aspect, as it might impose culturally dependable aspects on host communities, and what is remunerate 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 said 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, croak 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 Moralization of Tourism, Sun, Sand And Saving The World? capital of the United Kingdom RoutledgeColtman M. M. (1989) Introduction to Travel Tourism, An International Approach, untried York Van Nostrand ReinholdFennell D. A. (1999 2003) Ecotourism, An Introduction (2nd edn.), London RoutledgeHall C. M. and Lew A. A. 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