PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABLE TOURISM

Then, we need to emphasize the main principles of sustainable tourism wich are divided by three interconnected aspects: environmental, socio-cultural and economic.

1)      Make optimal use of environmental resources that constitute a key element in tourism development, maintaining essential ecological processes and helping to conserve natural heritage and biodiversity.

- It conserves resources. Environmentally aware travellers favour businesses that minimize pollution, waste, energy consumption, water usage, landscaping chemicals, and unnecessary nighttime lighting.

- It strives for quality, not quantity. Communities measure tourism success not by sheer numbers of visitors, but by length of stay, money spent, and quality of experience.

2)      Respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities, conserve their built and living cultural heritage and traditional values, and contribute to inter-cultural understanding and tolerance.

- It's informative. Travellers not only learn about the destination, they learn how to help sustain its character while deepening their own travel experiences. Residents learn that the ordinary and familiar may be of interest and value to outsiders.

- It benefits residents. Travel businesses do their best to employ and train local people, buy local supplies, and use local services.

- It respects local culture and tradition. Foreign visitors learn about and observe local etiquette, including using at least a few courtesy words in the local language. Residents learn how to deal with foreign expectations that may differ from their own.

3)      Ensure viable, long-term economic operations, providing socio-economic benefits to all stakeholders that are fairly distributed, including stable employment and income-earning opportunities and social services to host communities, and contributing to poverty alleviation.

- It supports integrity of place. Destination-savvy travellers seek out businesses that emphasize the character of the locale in terms of architecture, cuisine, heritage, aesthetics, and ecology. Tourism revenues in turn raise local perceived value of those assets.

- It does not abuse its product. Stakeholders anticipate development pressures and apply limits and management techniques to prevent the "loved to death" syndrome. Businesses cooperate to sustain natural habitats, heritage sites, scenic appeal, and local culture.

ECOTOURISM VS SUSTAINABLE TOURISM

Sometimes it is defined as a sub-category of sustainable tourism or a segment of the larger nature tourism market. It includes an interpretation/learning experience, is delivered to small groups by small-scale businesses, and stresses local ownership, particularly for rural people.

Principals of ecotourism often include:

• Natural areas
• Contains educational and interpretive features
• Generally for small groups
• Minimizes negative impacts
• Supports the protection of natural areas by generating economic benefits for host communities, organizations and authorities managing natural areas with conservation purposes

RESPONSIBLE TOURISM