the benefits of sustainable tourism and hospitality

9 Powerful Benefits of Sustainable Tourism and Why You Should Care

August 7, 2022

Let’s talk about the benefits of sustainable tourism. No, not just the part that tries to make you feel guilty and then fob you off with a bamboo toothbrush. But real, powerful, meaningful benefits. Turns out that travel is good for the planet. Let’s go.

Table of Contents

What is the Definition of Sustainable Tourism?

Gah, sustainable tourism. It’s sexy but it sure doesn’t sound like it.

The UNWTO Definition: “Tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities”

Yet it’s more than just green travel or responsible travel or even eco-friendly travel. The emphasis on sustainability refers to lots of different, important considerations. But one of them, is that people should be having fun. Otherwise, we’re missing the point.

With that in mind, let’s talk more about some of the top benefits of sustainable tourism.

The Benefits of Sustainable Tourism

1. Sustainable Tourism Directly Helps Save Endangered Animals

What’s the most powerful way of protecting endangered animals? Making them more valuable alive than dead.

And with sustainably run wildlife encounters, that’s exactly what happens. When communities earn their living by drawing visitors to see and appreciate wildlife in their natural habitats, the pressure to poach diminishes. The benefits of sustainable tourism extend beyond the travel industry as entire regions begin to see preserving local species as economically beneficial, as well as just morally so.

2. Sustainable Tourism Protects Landscapes and Environments

Just as with endangered animals, sustainable tourism creates a massive incentive for communities to protect landscapes as well as the creatures that live within them. While areas can be fenced off by authorities simply for their own protection, one of the benefits of sustainable tourism includes an income for the people who live nearby while also financing the protection of the area in question. And it’s not just “landscapes.” Marine life and aquatic environments can also benefit from the positive impact of sustainable tourism.

Note, this is generally the opposite of overtourism.

3. Sustainable Tourism Reduces Pollution

While sustainable tourism protects against poaching and the active destruction of habitats, as mentioned above, it also helps to reduce pollution.

With extra incentives to keep local areas clean to earn an income from visitors, it is easier to to get group cooperation to reduce pollution on an individual level, and a corporate and government level.

4. Sustainable Tourism Shares Knowledge

While “bad tourism” herds people into resorts where they have no idea where they are or what local traditions look like, sustainable tourism invites visitors and residents to share their experiences, exchange knowledge and have fun.

• Recommended reading: Learning about Jordanian food in Beit Sitti

5. Sustainable Tourism Prevents Cash Crops and Protects Livelihoods

Mass industry and thoughtless mass tourism leads to cash crops and precarious livelihoods. Areas can find themselves supported by only one crop or one corporation and then it only takes one small change in circumstances, like a hurricane or corporate failure, for the entire area to struggle.

Sustainable tourism encourages a diverse approach to accommodation, food, farming and the preservation of tradition in local communities.

With smaller boutique hotels, cooking classes, agroturismo and the tours woven into the tourism industry, communities are left less at the mercy of external events and the disadvantages of cash crop economies.

• Recommended reading: The Cheese Route in Austria and What does agroturismo have to teach in Greece?

6. Sustainable Tourism is Good for Your Health

Whether we’re talking physical health or mental health, one of the benefits of sustainable tourism is wellness.

Clean air, clean water, sustainable farming practices and beautiful natural landscapes are each known to improve health on a population level.

And laughter and meeting new friends helps too. Seriously. It’s all scientifically approved!

7. Sustainable Tourism Protects and Preserves Valued Traditions

Traditional practices bind cultures together. Almost by definition, they are sustainable and have survived for centuries when we all had far less. Yet globalisation threatens many traditional practices.

In the modern world, where is the market for all the artisanal produce and practices? Responsible tourism helps to bring together traders and customers for small, traditional practices, from gin distilleries to hand-woven carpets to any and every kind of local culture and tradition.

For examples, see:

• Uncovering tradition in the highest vineyards in Europe

8. Sustainable Tourism Doesn’t Require Charity

Sometimes, the best of intentions result in the most harm. Several efforts to help alleviate the 1980s famine in east Africa, for example, resulted in harm that lasted for decades.

Sustainable travel seeks a win-win situation.

It demands a formula that works for today  and  tomorrow.

A method that benefits tourists and local communities, that conserves the environment and which, crucially, is both affordable and makes enough money to keep the whole show on the road.

In the words of a banker turned philanthropist.

“If we become a loss-making organisation, we are no help at all. We must be stable and sustainable. Running a business that depends on yearly grants and fundraising provides no security at all.” Jean-Marc Debricon, founder of the Green Shoots Foundation.

Truly sustainable travel should support the local economy and local people without creating a dependency on fundraising or aid.

9. Sustainable Tourism Feels Good!

Travel is one of the most joyful and rewarding things we can do with our lives on this planet. People on their deathbeds don’t wish for more time in the office or better clothes. They wish for more time with their family and their friends, and to have travelled more.

One of the many benefits of sustainable tourism is also one of the simplest: it just feels good!

In Summary: The Benefits of Sustainable Tourism

• Protects endangered animals
• Protects landscapes and marine reserves under threat
• Reduces pollution and protects natural resources
• Shares knowledge
• Protects livelihoods and brings economic benefits
• Promotes health
• Develops independence
• Feels good!

What Sustainable Tourism Is Not

Sometimes, it’s easier to understand the benefits of sustainable tourism by talking about the opposite. What sustainable tourism is not.

Not Just a “Third World” Problem

Leaving aside for a moment the terminology, sustainable tourism applies to everyone everywhere. The Palace of Versailles outside Paris needs to manage the principles of sustainable tourism just as much as the Amazon rainforest does.

Not Paternalistic

It’s not about “rich white saviours” deciding what’s best for other people and their land. It’s about everyone working together.

Not Just Being Green

Ecotourism or green travel makes protecting the environment the main concern. Sustainable tourism goes further than that. It looks at protecting people, their culture and their future as well as their past. It also focuses on the traveller having a good time in whichever way that feels meaningful to them.

Why? Because…

It needs to make a profit to be economically sustainable.

Here’s the sustainable part. It has to make money. It cannot be a setup that relies on donations, which could stop at any time, or that relies on the traveller feeling good about feeling bad.

Some industries can just about pull that off. But travel cannot because…

“Travel is my one time to relax and take a break, goddammit!”

Not A Chore

Tourism has to be sustainable. Which means that it has to be manageable (and I’d wager pleasurable) to the traveller as well as the host community. That’s something that green travel and ethical travel and ecotourism occasionally lose sight of.

Responsible travel is almost the same thing. But it doesn’t sound much fun, does it?! What happened to taking a break from some of our responsibilities for a short while?!

And finally, we can all be  very  responsible for a short period of time. But is there a system in place that makes being responsible  sustainable? That’s the key question.

In Summary: What Sustainable Tourism Is Not

• For “third world” countries
• About “being green”
• “White saviours” dictating terms
• No fun for the traveller!

FAQs About Sustainable Tourism

Who benefits from sustainable tourism?

Everyone. Both locals and travellers and people who never visit the destination.

What is sustainable tourism?

It’s a model of tourism which benefits both people and places, as well as the environment and is economically sustainable on its own.

Why is sustainable tourism difficult to achieve?

I’m not convinced that it is, with the right mindset. But there is a temptation to cut corners and exploit natural resources for the fastest or cheapest result instead of the most beneficial one.

What are the benefits of responsible tourism?

All of the above!

Sustainable Living: The Key Takeaway…

We can’t wait until we’re perfect to start doing something better.

More on Sustainable Travel

• Start here: how to be a responsible tourist
• Is dark tourism ethical? What you need to know.
• Get inspired by this collection of the best sustainable travel blogs.
• The unmistakable emotional meaning of home
• Why you need to know about the cork trees in Portugal
• The importance of doing nothing
• How to find the most ethical travel destinations
• 15 sustainable beach tips for your next trip to the sea
• Five Ways Travel Can Help the Planet – rethinking Earth Day
• Voluntourism – the questions you should ask by Uncornered Market

5 thoughts on “9 Powerful Benefits of Sustainable Tourism and Why You Should Care”

The positive of sustainable tourism is to ensure that development is a positive experience for local people, tourism companies, and tourists themselves. I don’t know about before reading your article. Thank you so much for sharing such a valuable information.

Many efforts at sustainability focus on the environment, some on the residents. But for true success, we need to consider all three components. Thanks for stopping by!

Sustainable tourism is the key to establishing the balance between development and nature. It is indeed true that it helps protect endangered animals and birds, protects landscapes and promotes a healthy lifestyle. One such example is the Khonoma Village of Nagaland in India. The villagers were once hunters but now is mainly known for their preservation efforts, ecotourism and sustainable tourism

Thanks for the recommendation! Hope to check it out one day.

You’re welcome Abi. Dzulekie is another village near Khonoma known for the same.

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Improving sustainability in tourism & hospitality

H ospitality has been among the sectors hit hardest by COVID-19 shutdowns. But with travel beginning to return in parts of the world, many hotels are springing back to life.

The agenda for recovery cannot simply be about getting ‘back to normal,’ though. The travel market has changed—permanently. Leisure and business travelers alike have new priorities and needs. In both segments, sustainability is a bigger priority than ever before—especially but not only when it comes to carbon emissions.

Hospitality has a unique opportunity to take the lead on sustainability across all dimensions of ESG—environmental, social and governance—and build it into the core of the way the sector works. The industry players that thrive will be those who meet their customers’ demands for more sustainable travel options . Those who fall short risk being left behind.

Changing priorities, new opportunities

For many business travelers —a critical segment for many hospitality brands—the pandemic put an abrupt stop to their travel. Having been forced into an extended experiment with remote working and online meetings, many corporates are reconsidering their travel policies.

What’s more, businesses are under growing pressure to cut their emissions:

• Their own customers expect it—as do politicians and regulators as the global momentum for a cleaner, greener economy grows.
• For many corporations, their Scope 3 emissions—which include travel emissions—are a clear target for reductions.
• Combined with the new emphasis on smart travel decisions and maximizing the benefits of every single trip, a rapid return to pre-pandemic levels of travel is unlikely.

When it comes to consumers, the key dynamic is a deep rethinking among consumers about what matters in life. Some 50% of consumers globally have reassessed what’s important to them as a result of the pandemic, according to Accenture’s Life Reimagined research among 25,000 people. Sustainability is high among their priorities. Consumers are increasingly ready to switch away from brands that don’t align with their values—but the research also suggests they’re increasingly prepared to pay a premium for those that do.

In the post-pandemic battle for market share, winning customer sentiment and loyalty increasingly means meeting the new expectations on sustainability.

Destination sustainability

Can the sector afford sustainability.

Despite the rising importance of sustainability to both leisure and business travelers, some in the travel sector still struggle to make the business case for it. “Resources are limited—especially right now,” says Daniel Kowalewski, Managing Director at Accenture. “Companies are in a tight spot. They’re trying to be as prudent as they can.”

That is a real predicament when cashflow has been so disrupted by the pandemic. But the question should be less whether the sector can afford greater sustainability—and more whether it can afford to fall behind its customers’ evolving expectations. Recent Accenture research has found that 83% of 25- to 34-year-olds are willing to pay more for sustainable travel options. 1 Any hospitality business that struggles to align with its customers will find itself vulnerable to greener competitors.

And the return on investment for hotel decarbonization could be substantial, relatively quickly—one study found that such investments could yield internal returns of 38% after five years. 2

Investing in decarbonization

Some pro-sustainability switches can be made with minimal expense. India-based Chalet Hotels has committed to using 100% renewable energy by 2031. 3 “In a lot of countries, you can move to renewable electricity and it’s actually no more expensive than non-renewable electricity,” says Jesko Neuenburg, Managing Director and Global Travel & Aviation Sustainability Lead at Accenture.

The Sustainable Hospitality Alliance has calculated that hospitality needs to reduce per-room carbon emissions by at least 66% by 2030, and 90% by 2050, based on 2010 levels. 4 That level of decarbonization will require some investment—but the cost:benefit ratio is changing rapidly. With rising interest in green standards for hotels, and Google and Booking.com adding eco-certifications to search results, more and more customers are likely to make lower-carbon choices.

Responsible hospitality gets started

Some hospitality companies already have bold ESG strategies for tackling a wide range of priorities besides carbon emissions.

Waste is a key priority and food waste is particularly important:

bottles expected to stop going to landfills every year. By replacing single-use toiletry bottles in rooms with larger pump-topped bottles, Marriott International has made waste a key priority. 5

of Accor's generated waste and largest contributor to its biodiversity and water footprint comes from food—so it’s made food a priority in its latest sustainability strategy. 6

tons of food waste were diverted from landfills by MGM Resorts, repurposed into animal feed and converted into biofuel. 7

RELATED: Explore travel’s changing realities in The Guide digital travel magazine

Social impact—local communities

For the hospitality sector, impact on local communities is another critical dimension—especially in fragile natural ecosystems and in developing economies, where tourism can play a major economic role. Everyone suffers when unique destinations are damaged.

Hospitality also needs to engage closely with the communities where it operates. Supply chains are key. Procuring goods and services such as food locally can have a positive social impact—as well as cutting carbon emissions. Ensuring high labor standards is another priority. And global travel firms have a key role as local employers too, creating jobs and providing development opportunities in areas where they may otherwise be limited.

Positive social impact begins inside the business

Truly sustainable businesses don’t only take action to reduce and mitigate their external environmental impacts. They also take responsibility for their role as employers in addressing major social questions.

If employers don't act on today’s prominent social issues—be it increasing the number of women in leadership roles, reflecting racial and ethnic diversity or implementing fair labor standards in their supply chain—customers will quickly lose trust.

Hilton Hotels plans to achieve gender parity in its leadership roles globally by 2027 and increase ethnic diversity among its US leadership roles to 25%. 8 Its approach has earned it the number one spot on DiversityInc’s 2021 Top 50 Companies for Diversity list. 9

Social impact also extends to the sector’s critical role in the fight against human trafficking. Progress has been made on this issue in recent years: It needs to remain a priority. Marriott International, for instance, launched an enhanced version of its human-trafficking awareness training in July 2021, to help its people recognize and respond to the warning signs. 10

Decarbonization target corridors

Pandemic recovery, future growth and sustainability go hand in hand. There are two critical spheres for organizations to act in to meet changing customer demands and capture the opportunities of growth and a sustainable future.

The first is picking up the pace on decarbonization. A recent report from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) in collaboration with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and Accenture— A Net Zero Roadmap for Travel and Tourism —proposes a new roadmap framework for net zero. It sets out three different decarbonization target corridors, recognizing that some sectors will be able to move faster than others.

The first step is setting the right baselines and emission targets now for 2030 and 2050 goals. That needs to be followed by monitoring and reporting on progress.

The report also proposes collaboration within and across industries—a rich opportunity for hospitality businesses as a part of the broader travel industry , and for collaboration with local partners wherever they operate.

A net zero roadmap for travel & tourism

Building sustainability into hospitality’s dna.

Hospitality companies need to be strategic about sustainability—and to do that they need to understand why it is so important. “What’s frequently missing is the why,” says Andrew Maliszewski, Business Strategy Senior Manager at Accenture.

To truly understand those business drivers and how they can be translated into an effective sustainability strategy, Accenture has developed a new framework for Sustainability DNA . It identifies Five Elements of Sustainable Leadership and 21 management practices, systems and processes spanning all dimensions of sustainability—from improving conditions and creating inclusion for employees, to building a learning culture and engaging in the development of local learning ecosystems.

As many hospitality brands operate a franchise-based business model, it’s vital that brands and owners work together closely as they adopt the Sustainability DNA framework.

The sustainability opportunity

The landscape for hospitality has changed permanently. The sector has a unique opportunity to lead the way on sustainability as it gets back to growth.

The benefits for hospitality are clear: aligning with consumers’ values and desire to be able to travel sustainably ; winning back business travelers as corporates bear down on their carbon emissions; capitalizing on the growing willingness of consumers to pay a little more for sustainability; and playing its part in the global effort to limit temperature rises and avoid catastrophic climate change.

Thriving in the new world means putting sustainability at the heart of your strategy for recovery.

For more on how hospitality can get back to growth more sustainably than ever—and our model for Sustainability DNA—read the full report: Mapping the Road Ahead: How can travel companies achieve a sustainable recovery?

SUSTAINABILITY IN AVIATION

1 Accenture Traveler Sustainability Preferences Survey, August 2021

2 Transforming Existing Hotels to Net Zero Carbon

3 Chalet Hotels becomes first hospitality company globally to join Climate Group's RE100, EP100 and EV100 initiatives

4 Global Hotel Decarbonisation Report

5 Marriott International To Eliminate Single-Use Shower Toiletry Bottles From Properties Worldwide, Expanding Successful 2018 Initiative

6 With Planet 21, Accor aims to provide a positive hospitality experience

7 Did The Pandemic Sabotage Hotel Sustainability Trends?

8 Hilton Sets Leadership Diversity Goals Ahead of Hotels Jobs Revival

9 Hilton Ranked #1 on DiversityInc’s Top 50 Companies for Diversity List

10 Marriott International Launches Enhanced Human Trafficking Awareness Training

Managing Director – Global Travel & Aviation Sustainability Lead

Jesko is leading Accenture’s global travel sustainability center of excellence.

Managing Director – Travel Industry, North America

Results-driven executive with over 20 years of experience focused on revenue management, pricing and strategy formulation.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the benefits of sustainable tourism and hospitality.

The landscape for hospitality has changed permanently. The sector has a unique opportunity to lead the way on sustainability as it gets back to growth. The benefits for tourism and hospitality are clear: aligning with consumers’ values and desire to be able to travel sustainably; winning back business travelers as corporates bear down on their carbon emissions; capitalizing on the growing willingness of consumers to pay a little more for sustainability; and playing its part in the global effort to limit temperature rises and avoid catastrophic climate change. Thriving in the new world means putting sustainability at the heart of your strategy for recovery.

How can hotels be more sustainable?

Hospitality has a unique opportunity to take the lead on sustainability across all dimensions of ESG—environmental, social and governance—and build it into the core of sector operations. The industry players that thrive will be those who meet their customers’ demands for more sustainable travel options. Those who fall short risk being left behind. Research by the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance has found that hotels need to reduce carbon emissions by at least 66% per room by 2030, and by 90% by 2050, compared with 2010 levels, to keep pace with the 2°C cap set out in the Paris Climate Agreement. Improving building efficiency will need upfront investment, but the cost: benefit calculation is changing. One study has found that decarbonizing hotels could yield internal returns of about 38% after five years. With rising interest in green standards for hotels and the addition of eco-certifications to search results, more and more customers are likely to make lower-carbon choices.

What are the main environmental impacts of the hospitality industry?

Of all the challenges facing the travel and tourism industry as it becomes more sustainable, decarbonization is the biggest. Greenhouse gases related to travel are one of the most significant contributors to our environmental footprint, along with the electricity we use in our locations. Additionally, the travel industry’s impact on its stakeholders across the societies where it operates is significant—especially in many developing nations, where tourism plays a major economic role. Tackling environmental initiatives is not simply limited to energy sources, but also its social impact on communities. This includes ensuring high labor standards that advance diversity in the workplace, create sustainable supply chains, cut carbon emissions, and drive economic development opportunities.

Why is sustainability important in the hospitality industry?

The UN Global Compact and Accenture report published in November 2021, Climate Leadership in the Eleventh Hour, found that 73% of global CEOs feel increasing pressure to act on climate change. Fifty-seven percent are prioritizing action as part of their pandemic recovery. This explains why more than 5,000 businesses have joined the UN-backed Race to Zero, committing to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 without using offsets. More than 200 companies have signed the Climate Pledge to achieve net zero by 2040. That pressure on CEOs will not just change their companies’ operations—it will filter through to their supply chains. Leadership teams need to convert their organizations’ sustainability goals and values into behavioral change at all levels, which means building sustainability into the DNA of the organization.

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Sustainable tourism and hospitality

source: Google Images

This article discusses the importance of sustainable tourism and hospitality practices. It explores how the tourism industry impacts the environment, local communities, and cultural heritage sites, and highlights strategies and best practices for sustainable tourism and hospitality.

The tourism industry is a major contributor to the global economy, generating billions of dollars in revenue and creating millions of jobs. However, the growth of tourism has also led to negative impacts on the environment, local communities, and cultural heritage sites.

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The concept of sustainable tourism and hospitality has emerged as a way to mitigate these negative impacts and promote responsible tourism practices. In this article, we will explore the importance of sustainable tourism and hospitality, its impact on the industry, and strategies and best practices for achieving sustainability in the tourism sector.

Definition of sustainable tourism and hospitality

Tourism and hospitality refer to a set of practices and principles that aim to reduce the negative impacts of tourism on the environment, local communities, and cultural heritage sites while promoting economic growth and social well-being.

Sustainable tourism and hospitality focus on long-term sustainability, which means that the benefits of tourism should be balanced with the preservation of natural and cultural resources for future generations.

The impact of tourism on the environment

The tourism industry can have significant negative impacts on the environment, including deforestation, pollution, and biodiversity loss. These impacts can be particularly severe in ecologically sensitive areas such as coral reefs, rainforests, and wildlife reserves.

Sustainable tourism and hospitality practices aim to mitigate these negative impacts by promoting responsible tourism practices, such as reducing energy consumption and waste generation, using renewable energy sources, and protecting natural resources.

The impact of tourism on local communities

Tourism can also have negative impacts on local communities, including the displacement of residents, the disruption of traditional cultures and ways of life, and the exploitation of local resources. Sustainable tourism and hospitality practices aim to mitigate these negative impacts by promoting community involvement and empowerment, supporting local businesses and economies, and protecting cultural heritage sites.

The impact of tourism on cultural heritage sites

Tourism can also have negative impacts on cultural heritage sites, including damage to historic structures and artifacts, and overcrowding. Sustainable tourism and hospitality practices aim to mitigate these negative impacts by promoting responsible tourism practices, such as limiting the number of visitors and educating tourists on the importance of preserving cultural heritage sites.

Strategies for sustainable tourism and hospitality

There are several strategies that hotels and other tourism businesses can implement to promote tourism and hospitality practices. These include reducing energy consumption and waste generation, using renewable energy sources, supporting local businesses and economies, protecting natural resources, and promoting community involvement and empowerment.

Best practices for sustainable tourism and hospitality

There are several best practices that hotels and other tourism businesses can follow to promote sustainable tourism and hospitality practices. These include implementing energy-efficient technologies and practices, reducing water consumption, using sustainable materials, promoting local and organic food, supporting local conservation efforts, and engaging with the local community.

Benefits of sustainable tourism and hospitality

Sustainable tourism and hospitality practices can have several benefits for hotels and other tourism businesses, including reduced costs, improved reputation, and brand image, increased customer loyalty and satisfaction, and enhanced employee morale and retention.

Challenges to achieving sustainable tourism and hospitality

While tourism and hospitality practices offer significant benefits, there are also several challenges that need to be overcome to achieve sustainability in the tourism sector. These include the lack of awareness and understanding of sustainable tourism and hospitality practices, the difficulty of balancing economic growth and environmental preservation, and the lack of resources and infrastructure to support sustainable tourism and hospitality practices.

The role of government and industry organizations

Government and industry organizations play a crucial role in promoting sustainable tourism and hospitality practices.

Governments can provide incentives and regulations to promote tourism and hospitality practices, while industry organizations can provide guidance and support to tourism businesses to implement sustainable practices.

Industry certifications such as LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and Green Globe provide guidelines and certification for sustainable practices in the hospitality industry.

Examples of sustainable tourism and hospitality

There are several examples of tourism and hospitality practices being implemented successfully around the world. In Costa Rica , for example, the government has implemented a sustainable tourism program that promotes responsible tourism practices and environmental conservation. Many hotels in Costa Rica have adopted sustainable practices such as using renewable energy sources and supporting local communities.

Tourism and hospitality are crucial for the long-term sustainability of the tourism industry. By promoting responsible tourism practices, reducing negative impacts on the environment, local communities, and cultural heritage sites, and balancing economic growth with environmental preservation, tourism businesses can create a more sustainable and responsible tourism industry.

While there are challenges to achieving sustainability in the tourism sector, there are also significant benefits, and government and industry organizations play a crucial role in promoting and supporting sustainable tourism and hospitality practices.

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Sustainable tourism

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Publications.

Tourism is one of the world's fastest growing industries and an important source of foreign exchange and employment, while being closely linked to the social, economic, and environmental well-being of many countries, especially developing countries. Maritime or ocean-related tourism, as well as coastal tourism, are for example vital sectors of the economy in small island developing States (SIDS) and coastal least developed countries (LDCs) (see also: The Potential of the Blue Economy report as well as the Community of Ocean Action on sustainable blue economy).

The World Tourism Organization defines sustainable tourism as “tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities".

Based on General assembly resolution 70/193, 2017 was declared as the  International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.

In the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development SDG target 8.9, aims to “by 2030, devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products”. The importance of sustainable tourism is also highlighted in SDG target 12.b. which aims to “develop and implement tools to monitor sustainable development impacts for sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products”.

Tourism is also identified as one of the tools to “by 2030, increase the economic benefits to Small Island developing States and least developed countries” as comprised in SDG target 14.7.

In the Rio+20 outcome document The Future We want, sustainable tourism is defined by paragraph 130 as a significant contributor “to the three dimensions of sustainable development” thanks to its close linkages to other sectors and its ability to create decent jobs and generate trade opportunities. Therefore, Member States recognize “the need to support sustainable tourism activities and relevant capacity-building that promote environmental awareness, conserve and protect the environment, respect wildlife, flora, biodiversity, ecosystems and cultural diversity, and improve the welfare and livelihoods of local communities by supporting their local economies and the human and natural environment as a whole. ” In paragraph 130, Member States also “call for enhanced support for sustainable tourism activities and relevant capacity-building in developing countries in order to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development”.

In paragraph 131, Member States “encourage the promotion of investment in sustainable tourism, including eco-tourism and cultural tourism, which may include creating small- and medium-sized enterprises and facilitating access to finance, including through microcredit initiatives for the poor, indigenous peoples and local communities in areas with high eco-tourism potential”. In this regard, Member States also “underline the importance of establishing, where necessary, appropriate guidelines and regulations in accordance with national priorities and legislation for promoting and supporting sustainable tourism”.

In 2002, the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg called for the promotion of sustainable tourism development, including non-consumptive and eco-tourism, in Chapter IV, paragraph 43 of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation.

At the Johannesburg Summit, the launch of the “Sustainable Tourism – Eliminating Poverty (ST-EP) initiative was announced. The initiative was inaugurated by the World Tourism Organization, in collaboration with UNCTAD, in order to develop sustainable tourism as a force for poverty alleviation.

The UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) last reviewed the issue of sustainable tourism in 2001, when it was acting as the Preparatory Committee for the Johannesburg Summit.

The importance of sustainable tourism was also mentioned in Agenda 21.

For more information and documents on this topic,  please visit this link

UNWTO Annual Report 2016

In December 2015, the United Nations General Assembly declared 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. This is a unique opportunity to devote a year to activities that promote the transformational power of tourism to help us reach a better future. This important cele...

UNWTO Annual Report 2015

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Unwto regional conference enhancing brand africa - fostering tourism development.

Tourism is one of the Africa’s most promising sectors in terms of development, and represents a major opportunity to foster inclusive development, increase the region’s participation in the global economy and generate revenues for investment in other activities, including environmental preservation.

• January 2017 International Year of Tourism In the context of the universal 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the International Year aims to support a change in policies, business practices and consumer behavior towards a more sustainable tourism sector that can contribute to the SDGs.
• January 2015 Targets 8.9, 12 b,14.7 The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development commits Member States, through Sustainable Development Goal Target 8.9 to “devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products”. The importance of sustainable tourism, as a driver for jobs creation and the promotion of local culture and products, is also highlighted in Sustainable Development Goal target 12.b. Tourism is also identified as one of the tools to “increase [by 2030] the economic benefits to Small Island developing States and least developed countries”, through Sustainable Development Goals Target 14.7.
• January 2012 Future We Want (Para 130-131) Sustainable tourism is defined as a significant contributor “to the three dimensions of sustainable development” thanks to its close linkages to other sectors and its ability to create decent jobs and generate trade opportunities. Therefore, Member States recognize “the need to support sustainable tourism activities and relevant capacity-building that promote environmental awareness, conserve and protect the environment, respect wildlife, flora, biodiversity, ecosystems and cultural diversity, and improve the welfare and livelihoods of local communities” as well as to “encourage the promotion of investment in sustainable tourism, including eco-tourism and cultural tourism, which may include creating small and medium sized enterprises and facilitating access to finance, including through microcredit initiatives for the poor, indigenous peoples and local communities in areas with high eco-tourism potential”.
• January 2009 Roadmap for Recovery UNWTO announced in March 2009 the elaboration of a Roadmap for Recovery to be finalized by UNWTO’s General Assembly, based on seven action points. The Roadmap includes a set of 15 recommendations based on three interlocking action areas: resilience, stimulus, green economy aimed at supporting the tourism sector and the global economy.
• January 2008 Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria The Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria represent the minimum requirements any tourism business should observe in order to ensure preservation and respect of the natural and cultural resources and make sure at the same time that tourism potential as tool for poverty alleviation is enforced. The Criteria are 41 and distributed into four different categories: 1) sustainability management, 2) social and economic 3) cultural 4) environmental.
• January 2003 1st Int. Conf. on Climate Change and Tourism The conference was organized in order to gather tourism authorities, organizations, businesses and scientists to discuss on the impact that climate change can have on the tourist sector. The event took place from 9 till 11 April 2003 in Djerba, Tunisia.
• January 2003 WTO becomes a UN specialized body By Resolution 453 (XV), the Assembly agreed on the transformation of the WTO into a United Nations specialized body. Such transformation was later ratified by the United Nations General Assembly with the adoption of Resolution A/RES/58/232.
• January 2002 World Ecotourism Summit Held in May 2002, in Quebec City, Canada, the Summit represented the most important event in the framework of the International Year of Ecosystem. The Summit identified as main themes: ecotourism policy and planning, regulation of ecotourism, product development, marketing and promotion of ecotourism and monitoring costs and benefits of ecotourism.
• January 1985 Tourism Bill of Rights and Tourist Code At the World Tourism Organization Sixth Assembly held in Sofia in 1985, the Tourism Bill of Rights and Tourist Code were adopted, setting out the rights and duties of tourists and host populations and formulating policies and action for implementation by states and the tourist industry.
• January 1982 Acapulco Document Adopted in 1982, the Acapulco Document acknowledges the new dimension and role of tourism as a positive instrument towards the improvement of the quality of life for all peoples, as well as a significant force for peace and international understanding. The Acapulco Document also urges Member States to elaborate their policies, plans and programmes on tourism, in accordance with their national priorities and within the framework of the programme of work of the World Tourism Organization.

How global tourism can become more sustainable, inclusive and resilient

A sanitary mask lies on the ground at Frankfurt Airport Image:  Reuters/Ralph Orlowski

.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo{-webkit-transition:all 0.15s ease-out;transition:all 0.15s ease-out;cursor:pointer;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;outline:none;color:inherit;}.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo:hover,.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo[data-hover]{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo:focus,.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo[data-focus]{box-shadow:0 0 0 3px rgba(168,203,251,0.5);} Ahmed Al-Khateeb

.chakra .wef-9dduvl{margin-top:16px;margin-bottom:16px;line-height:1.388;font-size:1.25rem;}@media screen and (min-width:56.5rem){.chakra .wef-9dduvl{font-size:1.125rem;}} Explore and monitor how .chakra .wef-15eoq1r{margin-top:16px;margin-bottom:16px;line-height:1.388;font-size:1.25rem;color:#F7DB5E;}@media screen and (min-width:56.5rem){.chakra .wef-15eoq1r{font-size:1.125rem;}} The Great Reset is affecting economies, industries and global issues

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Stay up to date:, the great reset.

• Tourism rose to the forefront of the global agenda in 2020, due to the devastating impact of COVID-19
• Recovery will be driven by technology and innovation – specifically seamless travel solutions, but it will be long, uneven and slow
• Success hinges on international coordination and collaboration across the public and private sectors

Tourism was one of the sectors hit hardest by the global pandemic. 2020 was the worst year on record for international travel due to the global pandemic, with countries taking decisive action to protect their citizens, closing borders and halting international travel.

The result was a 74% decline in international visitor arrivals, equivalent to over $1 trillion revenue losses , and an estimated 62 million fewer jobs . The impact on international air travel has been even more severe with a 90% drop on 2019 , resulting in a potential $1.8 trillion loss. And while the economic impact is dire in itself, nearly 2.9 million lives have been lost in the pandemic.

The path to recovery will be long and slow

Countries now face the challenge of reopening borders to resume travel and commerce, while protecting their populations’ health. At its peak, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) reported in April 2020 that every country on earth had implemented some travel restriction , signalling the magnitude of the operation to restart travel.

Have you read?

Tourism industry experts fear long road to recovery, how we can prioritize sustainability in rebuilding tourism, covid-19 could set the global tourism industry back 20 years.

Consequently, the path to recovery will be long and slow. The resurgence of cases following the discovery of new variants towards the end of last year delivered another disappointing blow to the travel industry. Any pickup over the summer months was quashed following a second wave of lockdowns and border closures . Coupled with mixed progress in the roll-out of vaccination programs, I predict that we will not see a significant rebound in international travel until the middle of this year at best.

Others echo my fears. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) forecasts a 50.4% improvement on 2020 air travel demand, which would bring the industry to 50.6% of 2019 levels . However, a more pessimistic outlook based on the persistence of travel restrictions suggests that demand may only pick up by 13% this year, leaving the industry at 38% of 2019 levels. McKinsey & Company similarly predict that tourism expenditure may not return to pre-COVID-19 levels until 2024 .

How to enhance sustainability, inclusivity and resilience

Given its economic might – employing 330 million people, contributing 10% to global GDP before the pandemic, and predicted to create 100 million new jobs – restoring the travel and tourism sector to a position of strength is the utmost priority.

The Great Reset provides an opportunity to rethink how tourism is delivered and to enhance sustainability, inclusivity and resilience. We must also address the challenges – from climate change and “ overtourism ” to capacity constraints – that we faced before the pandemic, while embracing traveller preferences, as we rebuild.

A 2018 study found that global tourism accounted for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions from 2009 to 2013 ; four times higher than previous estimates. Even more worryingly, this puts progress towards the Paris Agreement at risk – recovery efforts must centre around environmental sustainability.

Furthermore, according to a study on managing overcrowding, the top 20 most popular global destinations were predicted to add more international arrivals than the rest of the world combined by 2020 . While COVID-19 will have disrupted this trend, it is well known that consumers want to travel again, and we must address the issues associated with overcrowding, especially in nascent destinations, like Saudi Arabia.

The Great Reset is a chance to make sure that as we rebuild, we do it better.

Seamless solutions lie at the heart of travel recovery

Tourism has the potential to be an engine of economic recovery provided we work collaboratively to adopt a common approach to a safe and secure reopening process – and conversations on this are already underway.

Through the G20, which Saudi Arabia hosted in 2020, our discussions focused on how to leverage technology and innovation in response to the crisis, as well as how to restore traveller confidence and improve the passenger experience in the future .

At the global level, across the public and private sectors, the World Economic Forum is working with the Commons Project on the CommonPass framework , which will allow individuals to access lab results and vaccination records, and consent to having that information used to validate their COVID status. IATA is trialling the Travel Pass with airlines and governments , which seeks to be a global and standardized solution to validate and authenticate all country regulations regarding COVID-19 travel requirements.

The provision of solutions that minimize person-to-person contact responds to consumer wants, with IATA finding that 85% of travellers would feel safer with touchless processing . Furthermore, 44% said they would share personal data to enable this, up from 30% months prior , showing a growing trend for contactless travel processes.

Such solutions will be critical in coordinating the opening of international borders in a way that is safe, seamless and secure, while giving tourists the confidence to travel again.

Collaboration at the international level is critical

The availability of vaccines will make this easier, and we have commenced our vaccination programme in Saudi Arabia . But we need to ensure processes and protocols are aligned globally, and that we support countries with limited access to vaccinations to eliminate the threat of another resurgence. It is only when businesses and travellers have confidence in the systems that the sector will flourish again.

In an era of unprecedented data and ubiquitous intelligence, it is essential that organizations reimagine how they manage personal data and digital identities. By empowering individuals and offering them ways to control their own data, user-centric digital identities enable trusted physical and digital interactions – from government services or e-payments to health credentials, safe mobility or employment.

The World Economic Forum curates the Platform for Good Digital Identity to advance global digital identity activities that are collaborative and put the user interest at the center.

The Forum convenes public-private digital identity collaborations from travel, health, financial services in a global action and learning network – to understand common challenges and capture solutions useful to support current and future coalitions. Additionally, industry-specific models such as Known Traveller Digital Identity or decentralized identity models show that digital identity solutions respecting the individual are possible.

The approach taken by Saudi Arabia and its partners to establish consensus and build collaborative relationships internationally and between the public and private sectors, should serve as a model to be replicated so that we can maximize the tourism sector’s contribution to the global economic recovery, while ensuring that it becomes a driver of prosperity and social progress again.

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The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

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Sustainability in the Hospitality Industry: Challenges and Opportunities

Industry and academic experts convened online to make the business case for sustainability initiatives.

The hospitality industry has been shifting its focus and taking a robust approach when it comes to sustainability. From better managing energy and water consumption to eliminating single-use plastics and food waste, the industry is working toward championing responsible business and tourism. In an effort to accurately measure their impact and provide transparency to investors, customers, and employees, companies have begun scrutinizing their sustainability practices, moving from symbolic initiatives to those that actually combat climate change. With the help of technology companies are uncovering their true environmental impact, and quantifying less-tangible indirect emissions that are adversely affecting the planet.

On June 10th, the Cornell Nolan School of Hotel Administration’s (SHA) Center for Hospitality Research (CHR) hosted a virtual keynote webinar to explore the challenges and opportunities of sustainability in the hospitality industry. The keynote was moderated by SHA Assistant Professor Aaron Adalja . He was joined by Patrick Flynn , global head of sustainability at Salesforce ; Geraldine Guichardo ’10 , global head of research for the hotels & hospitality group, as well as director of Americas hotels research at JLL ; Denise Naguib , vice president of sustainability and supplier diversity for global operations at Marriott International ; and Jake Shirmer MBA ’12 senior manager and sustainability specialist at Deloitte .

Here are the top takeaways from the discussion:

Emissions scopes and opportunities.

Owing, in part, to scoping complexity and varying industry standards, Jake Shirmer explained the difficulties that companies have when attempting to understand their full and true environmental impact. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, he said, are measured in terms of scope. Scope 1 is defined as direct emissions from sources owned or controlled by a company, think diesel burned in facilities or vehicles. Scope 2 is the electricity or steam purchased to keep the lights on in an operation. And lastly, Scope 3 includes essentially everything else, for example, upstream emissions from suppliers and downstream emissions from a company’s consumers.

Reducing Scope 3 value chain emissions, the largest complexity, is about influencing vendors, suppliers, employees, and customers to change their sustainability practices. One way that companies are reducing Scope 3 emissions, for example, is adding climate breach and remediation fees to procurement contracts, binding suppliers and vendors into setting carbon neutral goals or paying the fees, and initiating a form of collective accountability that ensures sustainability is of utmost importance in business to business transactions. If vendors and suppliers don’t buy in to their customers’ sustainability initiatives, they could lose that business.

Greenhouse gas accounting, actionable insights, and standardization

After understanding and defining emissions scopes, companies can begin to quantify their impact. Patrick Flynn explained that there is a lack of skilled individuals who can standardize and fill in the gaps in the data and asked leaders to consider how many people in their organization conduct financial accounting compared to greenhouse gas accounting, suggesting that companies need to prioritize the latter as much as they do the former.

Salesforce has found ways to turn emissions data into actionable insights with their Sustainability Cloud, which Flynn described as “a comprehensive single source of truth for your full Scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas emissions picture, coupled with the data analytics and visualization you need to take…action.”

Meanwhile, other industry tools are tackling standardization. Denise Naguib shared how, in 2012, the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, the World Travel & Tourism Council, and 23 global hospitality companies co-created the Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative (HCMI) and the Hotel Water Measurement Initiative (HWMI), consistent methodologies to help hotels measure guests’ carbon footprint and water consumption.

Getting stakeholder buy-in

Conceptualizing and communicating the value of sustainability initiatives to guests, hotel owners, brand operators, and other stakeholders can be a challenge, but their collective buy-in is crucial to any initiative’s success.

Hotels have a unique ownership and management structure, which, according to Geraldine Guichardo, means that stakeholder goals are not always aligned. Oftentimes, in order to align stakeholders, sustainability leaders must appeal to their wallets. Business leaders who have a tendency to focus on the bottom line might be surprised to learn, as Naguib elaborated, that there are real revenue implications and cost reductions associated with environmental practices. For example, a hotel owner may want to introduce a sustainability initiative that may not be in line with the brand standards of the management company operating the property. If the owner can demonstrate cost-savings to the brand, she might get the green light on her initiative.

Naguib also explained that matching service offerings to the needs of customers, who are increasingly interested in sustainable products and services, can reduce environmental impact and drive revenue, a practice that is critical for companies wanting to capture this demand and increase their market share. For example, organic or plant-based options at food and beverage outlets are popular, known to drive revenue, and reduce emissions associated with meat consumption and non-organic food. Similarly, replacing single-use plastic water bottles with reusable ones can encourage sustainable behavior among guests and, for the hotel, shift spending to more sustainable products.

Going green—from niche to mainstream

Today, companies that fail to take sustainability initiatives seriously risk going out of business as a result of rising conscious consumerism. Guichardo reminded viewers that Generation Z has $183 billion of buying power in the United States alone, and they are concerned about businesses’ efforts to combat climate change. Corporate behavior is shifting too as institutional capital increasingly favors sustainable business practices, and governments offer incentives and tax benefits for going green.

Naguib challenged companies to reframe sustainability initiatives so that they’re not always predicated on guests’ willingness to pay more. “It’s about [companies’] willingness to be competitive,” she said, and sometimes, that means sustainability initiatives will be at parity with cost. The outcome though is a better product or service that is also better for the environment. Instead of branding sustainability initiatives as the “expensive avenue,” Naguib suggested focusing on ways to “effectively compete…to drive the best value holistically” to truly make an impact.

To learn more about the opportunities and challenges of sustainability in hospitality, watch the keynote .

Learn more about the CHR 

• Student Voices
• The Nolan School

Drew Conte is pursuing a Master of Management in Hospitality degree at Cornell University. Prior to enrolling in graduate school, Drew was completing Marriott’s manager-in-training program in the rooms division, at one of the largest non-casino hotels in the country, the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, TN. There, he was able to apply his customer service and leadership skills at a corporate level operation, working on projects to increase employee engagement and guest satisfaction. Drew graduated from Johnson & Wales University Magna Cum Laude in 2019, with a degree in hotel and lodging management. He solidified his passion for hospitality and travel after completing several internships, ranging from front office operations in MI to destination marketing in RI. Currently, Drew is expanding his knowledge of the industry and hopes to transition into a marketing role upon graduation.

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The role of tourism in sustainable development.

• Robert B. Richardson Robert B. Richardson Community Sustainability, Michigan State University
• https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199389414.013.387
• Published online: 25 March 2021

Sustainable development is the foundational principle for enhancing human and economic development while maintaining the functional integrity of ecological and social systems that support regional economies. Tourism has played a critical role in sustainable development in many countries and regions around the world. In developing countries, tourism development has been used as an important strategy for increasing economic growth, alleviating poverty, creating jobs, and improving food security. Many developing countries are in regions that are characterized by high levels of biological diversity, natural resources, and cultural heritage sites that attract international tourists whose local purchases generate income and support employment and economic development. Tourism has been associated with the principles of sustainable development because of its potential to support environmental protection and livelihoods. However, the relationship between tourism and the environment is multifaceted, as some types of tourism have been associated with negative environmental impacts, many of which are borne by host communities.

The concept of sustainable tourism development emerged in contrast to mass tourism, which involves the participation of large numbers of people, often in structured or packaged tours. Mass tourism has been associated with economic leakage and dependence, along with negative environmental and social impacts. Sustainable tourism development has been promoted in various ways as a framing concept in contrast to these economic, environmental, and social impacts. Some literature has acknowledged a vagueness of the concept of sustainable tourism, which has been used to advocate for fundamentally different strategies for tourism development that may exacerbate existing conflicts between conservation and development paradigms. Tourism has played an important role in sustainable development in some countries through the development of alternative tourism models, including ecotourism, community-based tourism, pro-poor tourism, slow tourism, green tourism, and heritage tourism, among others that aim to enhance livelihoods, increase local economic growth, and provide for environmental protection. Although these models have been given significant attention among researchers, the extent of their implementation in tourism planning initiatives has been limited, superficial, or incomplete in many contexts.

The sustainability of tourism as a global system is disputed among scholars. Tourism is dependent on travel, and nearly all forms of transportation require the use of non-renewable resources such as fossil fuels for energy. The burning of fossil fuels for transportation generates emissions of greenhouse gases that contribute to global climate change, which is fundamentally unsustainable. Tourism is also vulnerable to both localized and global shocks. Studies of the vulnerability of tourism to localized shocks include the impacts of natural disasters, disease outbreaks, and civil unrest. Studies of the vulnerability of tourism to global shocks include the impacts of climate change, economic crisis, global public health pandemics, oil price shocks, and acts of terrorism. It is clear that tourism has contributed significantly to economic development globally, but its role in sustainable development is uncertain, debatable, and potentially contradictory.

• conservation
• economic development
• environmental impacts
• sustainable development
• sustainable tourism
• tourism development

Introduction

Sustainable development is the guiding principle for advancing human and economic development while maintaining the integrity of ecosystems and social systems on which the economy depends. It is also the foundation of the leading global framework for international cooperation—the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (United Nations, 2015 ). The concept of sustainable development is often associated with the publication of Our Common Future (World Commission on Environment and Development [WCED], 1987 , p. 29), which defined it as “paths of human progress that meet the needs and aspirations of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.” Concerns about the environmental implications of economic development in lower income countries had been central to debates about development studies since the 1970s (Adams, 2009 ). The principles of sustainable development have come to dominate the development discourse, and the concept has become the primary development paradigm since the 1990s.

Tourism has played an increasingly important role in sustainable development since the 1990s, both globally and in particular countries and regions. For decades, tourism has been promoted as a low-impact, non-extractive option for economic development, particularly for developing countries (Gössling, 2000 ). Many developing countries have managed to increase their participation in the global economy through development of international tourism. Tourism development is increasingly viewed as an important tool in increasing economic growth, alleviating poverty, and improving food security. Tourism enables communities that are poor in material wealth, but rich in history and cultural heritage, to leverage their unique assets for economic development (Honey & Gilpin, 2009 ). More importantly, tourism offers an alternative to large-scale development projects, such as construction of dams, and to extractive industries such as mining and forestry, all of which contribute to emissions of pollutants and threaten biodiversity and the cultural values of Indigenous Peoples.

Environmental quality in destination areas is inextricably linked with tourism, as visiting natural areas and sightseeing are often the primary purpose of many leisure travels. Some forms of tourism, such as ecotourism, can contribute to the conservation of biodiversity and the protection of ecosystem functions in destination areas (Fennell, 2020 ; Gössling, 1999 ). Butler ( 1991 ) suggests that there is a kind of mutual dependence between tourism and the environment that should generate mutual benefits. Many developing countries are in regions that are characterized by high levels of species diversity, natural resources, and protected areas. Such ideas imply that tourism may be well aligned with the tenets of sustainable development.

However, the relationship between tourism and the environment is complex, as some forms of tourism have been associated with negative environmental impacts, including greenhouse gas emissions, freshwater use, land use, and food consumption (Butler, 1991 ; Gössling & Peeters, 2015 ; Hunter & Green, 1995 ; Vitousek et al., 1997 ). Assessments of the sustainability of tourism have highlighted several themes, including (a) parks, biodiversity, and conservation; (b) pollution and climate change; (c) prosperity, economic growth, and poverty alleviation; (d) peace, security, and safety; and (e) population stabilization and reduction (Buckley, 2012 ). From a global perspective, tourism contributes to (a) changes in land cover and land use; (b) energy use, (c) biotic exchange and extinction of wild species; (d) exchange and dispersion of diseases; and (e) changes in the perception and understanding of the environment (Gössling, 2002 ).

Research on tourism and the environment spans a wide range of social and natural science disciplines, and key contributions have been disseminated across many interdisciplinary fields, including biodiversity conservation, climate science, economics, and environmental science, among others (Buckley, 2011 ; Butler, 1991 ; Gössling, 2002 ; Lenzen et al., 2018 ). Given the global significance of the tourism sector and its environmental impacts, the role of tourism in sustainable development is an important topic of research in environmental science generally and in environmental economics and management specifically. Reviews of tourism research have highlighted future research priorities for sustainable development, including the role of tourism in the designation and expansion of protected areas; improvement in environmental accounting techniques that quantify environmental impacts; and the effects of individual perceptions of responsibility in addressing climate change (Buckley, 2012 ).

Tourism is one of the world’s largest industries, and it has linkages with many of the prime sectors of the global economy (Fennell, 2020 ). As a global economic sector, tourism represents one of the largest generators of wealth, and it is an important agent of economic growth and development (Garau-Vadell et al., 2018 ). Tourism is a critical industry in many local and national economies, and it represents a large and growing share of world trade (Hunter, 1995 ). Global tourism has had an average annual increase of 6.6% over the past half century, with international tourist arrivals rising sharply from 25.2 million in 1950 to more than 950 million in 2010 . In 2019 , the number of international tourists reached 1.5 billion, up 4% from 2018 (Fennell, 2020 ; United Nations World Tourism Organization [UNWTO], 2020 ). European countries are host to more than half of international tourists, but since 1990 , growth in international arrivals has risen faster than the global average, in both the Middle East and the Asia and Pacific region (UNWTO, 2020 ).

The growth in global tourism has been accompanied by an expansion of travel markets and a diversification of tourism destinations. In 1950 , the top five travel destinations were all countries in Europe and the Americas, and these destinations held 71% of the global travel market (Fennell, 2020 ). By 2002 , these countries represented only 35%, which underscores the emergence of newly accessible travel destinations in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and the Pacific Rim, including numerous developing countries. Over the past 70 years, global tourism has grown significantly as an economic sector, and it has contributed to the economic development of dozens of nations.

Given the growth of international tourism and its emergence as one of the world’s largest export sectors, the question of its impact on economic growth for the host countries has been a topic of great interest in the tourism literature. Two hypotheses have emerged regarding the role of tourism in the economic growth process (Apergis & Payne, 2012 ). First, tourism-led growth hypothesis relies on the assumption that tourism is an engine of growth that generates spillovers and positive externalities through economic linkages that will impact the overall economy. Second, the economic-driven tourism growth hypothesis emphasizes policies oriented toward well-defined and enforceable property rights, stable political institutions, and adequate investment in both physical and human capital to facilitate the development of the tourism sector. Studies have concluded with support for both the tourism-led growth hypothesis (e.g., Durbarry, 2004 ; Katircioglu, 2010 ) and the economic-led growth hypothesis (e.g., Katircioglu, 2009 ; Oh, 2005 ), whereas other studies have found support for a bidirectional causality for tourism and economic growth (e.g., Apergis & Payne, 2012 ; Lee & Chang, 2008 ).

The growth of tourism has been marked by an increase in the competition for tourist expenditures, making it difficult for destinations to maintain their share of the international tourism market (Butler, 1991 ). Tourism development is cyclical and subject to short-term cycles and overconsumption of resources. Butler ( 1980 ) developed a tourist-area cycle of evolution that depicts the number of tourists rising sharply over time through periods of exploration, involvement, and development, before eventual consolidation and stagnation. When tourism growth exceeds the carrying capacity of the area, resource degradation can lead to the decline of tourism unless specific steps are taken to promote rejuvenation (Butler, 1980 , 1991 ).

The potential of tourism development as a tool to contribute to environmental conservation, economic growth, and poverty reduction is derived from several unique characteristics of the tourism system (UNWTO, 2002 ). First, tourism represents an opportunity for economic diversification, particularly in marginal areas with few other export options. Tourists are attracted to remote areas with high values of cultural, wildlife, and landscape assets. The cultural and natural heritage of developing countries is frequently based on such assets, and tourism represents an opportunity for income generation through the preservation of heritage values. Tourism is the only export sector where the consumer travels to the exporting country, which provides opportunities for lower-income households to become exporters through the sale of goods and services to foreign tourists. Tourism is also labor intensive; it provides small-scale employment opportunities, which also helps to promote gender equity. Finally, there are numerous indirect benefits of tourism for people living in poverty, including increased market access for remote areas through the development of roads, infrastructure, and communication networks. Nevertheless, travel is highly income elastic and carbon intensive, which has significant implications for the sustainability of the tourism sector (Lenzen et al., 2018 ).

Concerns about environmental issues appeared in tourism research just as global awareness of the environmental impacts of human activities was expanding. The United Nations Conference on the Human Environment was held in Stockholm in 1972 , the same year as the publication of The Limits to Growth (Meadows et al., 1972 ), which highlighted the concerns about the implications of exponential economic and population growth in a world of finite resources. This was the same year that the famous Blue Marble photograph of Earth was taken by the crew of the Apollo 17 spacecraft (Höhler, 2015 , p. 10), and the image captured the planet cloaked in the darkness of space and became a symbol of Earth’s fragility and vulnerability. As noted by Buckley ( 2012 ), tourism researchers turned their attention to social and environmental issues around the same time (Cohen, 1978 ; Farrell & McLellan, 1987 ; Turner & Ash, 1975 ; Young, 1973 ).

The notion of sustainable development is often associated with the publication of Our Common Future , the report of the World Commission on Environment and Development, also known as the Brundtland Commission (WCED, 1987 ). The report characterized sustainable development in terms of meeting “the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (WCED, 1987 , p. 43). Four basic principles are fundamental to the concept of sustainability: (a) the idea of holistic planning and strategy making; (b) the importance of preserving essential ecological processes; (c) the need to protect both human heritage and biodiversity; and (d) the need to develop in such a way that productivity can be sustained over the long term for future generations (Bramwell & Lane, 1993 ). In addition to achieving balance between economic growth and the conservation of natural resources, there should be a balance of fairness and opportunity between the nations of the world.

Although the modern concept of sustainable development emerged with the publication of Our Common Future , sustainable development has its roots in ideas about sustainable forest management that were developed in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries (Blewitt, 2015 ; Grober, 2007 ). Sustainable forest management is concerned with the stewardship and use of forests in a way that maintains their biodiversity, productivity, and regeneration capacity as well as their potential to fulfill society’s demands for forest products and benefits. Building on these ideas, Daly ( 1990 ) offered two operational principles of sustainable development. First, sustainable development implies that harvest rates should be no greater than rates of regeneration; this concept is known as maximum sustainable yield. Second, waste emission rates should not exceed the natural assimilative capacities of the ecosystems into which the wastes are emitted. Regenerative and assimilative capacities are characterized as natural capital, and a failure to maintain these capacities is not sustainable.

Shortly after the emergence of the concept of sustainable development in academic and policy discourse, tourism researchers began referring to the notion of sustainable tourism (May, 1991 ; Nash & Butler, 1990 ), which soon became the dominant paradigm of tourism development. The concept of sustainable tourism, as with the role of tourism in sustainable development, has been interpreted in different ways, and there is a lack of consensus concerning its meaning, objectives, and indicators (Sharpley, 2000 ). Growing interest in the subject inspired the creation of a new academic journal, Journal of Sustainable Tourism , which was launched in 1993 and has become a leading tourism journal. It is described as “an international journal that publishes research on tourism and sustainable development, including economic, social, cultural and political aspects.”

The notion of sustainable tourism development emerged in contrast to mass tourism, which is characterized by the participation of large numbers of people, often provided as structured or packaged tours. Mass tourism has risen sharply in the last half century. International arrivals alone have increased by an average annual rate of more than 25% since 1950 , and many of those trips involved mass tourism activities (Fennell, 2020 ; UNWTO, 2020 ). Some examples of mass tourism include beach resorts, cruise ship tourism, gaming casinos, golf resorts, group tours, ski resorts, theme parks, and wildlife safari tourism, among others. Little data exist regarding the volume of domestic mass tourism, but nevertheless mass tourism activities dominate the global tourism sector. Mass tourism has been shown to generate benefits to host countries, such as income and employment generation, although it has also been associated with economic leakage (where revenue generated by tourism is lost to other countries’ economies) and economic dependency (where developing countries are dependent on wealthier countries for tourists, imports, and foreign investment) (Cater, 1993 ; Conway & Timms, 2010 ; Khan, 1997 ; Peeters, 2012 ). Mass tourism has been associated with numerous negative environmental impacts and social impacts (Cater, 1993 ; Conway & Timms, 2010 ; Fennell, 2020 ; Ghimire, 2013 ; Gursoy et al., 2010 ; Liu, 2003 ; Peeters, 2012 ; Wheeller, 2007 ). Sustainable tourism development has been promoted in various ways as a framing concept in contrast to many of these economic, environmental, and social impacts.

Much of the early research on sustainable tourism focused on defining the concept, which has been the subject of vigorous debate (Bramwell & Lane, 1993 ; Garrod & Fyall, 1998 ; Hunter, 1995 ; Inskeep, 1991 ; Liu, 2003 ; Sharpley, 2000 ). Early definitions of sustainable tourism development seemed to fall in one of two categories (Sharpley, 2000 ). First, the “tourism-centric” paradigm of sustainable tourism development focuses on sustaining tourism as an economic activity (Hunter, 1995 ). Second, alternative paradigms have situated sustainable tourism in the context of wider sustainable development policies (Butler, 1991 ). One of the most comprehensive definitions of sustainable tourism echoes some of the language of the Brundtland Commission’s definition of sustainable development (WCED, 1987 ), emphasizing opportunities for the future while also integrating social and environmental concerns:

Sustainable tourism can be thought of as meeting the needs of present tourists and host regions while protecting and enhancing opportunity for the future. Sustainable tourism development is envisaged as leading to management of all resources in such a way that we can fulfill economic, social and aesthetic needs while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity and life support systems. (Inskeep, 1991 , p. 461)

Hunter argued that over the short and long terms, sustainable tourism development should

“meet the needs and wants of the local host community in terms of improved living standards and quality of life;

satisfy the demands of tourists and the tourism industry, and continue to attract them in order to meet the first aim; and

safeguard the environmental resource base for tourism, encompassing natural, built and cultural components, in order to achieve both of the preceding aims.” (Hunter, 1995 , p. 156)

Numerous other definitions have been documented, and the term itself has been subject to widespread critique (Buckley, 2012 ; Hunter, 1995 ; Liu, 2003 ). Nevertheless, there have been numerous calls to move beyond debate about a definition and to consider how it may best be implemented in practice (Garrod & Fyall, 1998 ; Liu, 2003 ). Cater ( 1993 ) identified three key criteria for sustainable tourism: (a) meeting the needs of the host population in terms of improved living standards both in the short and long terms; (b) satisfying the demands of a growing number of tourists; and (c) safeguarding the natural environment in order to achieve both of the preceding aims.

Some literature has acknowledged a vagueness of the concept of sustainable tourism, which has been used to advocate for fundamentally different strategies for tourism development that may exacerbate existing conflicts between conservation and development paradigms (Garrod & Fyall, 1998 ; Hunter, 1995 ; Liu, 2003 ; McKercher, 1993b ). Similar criticisms have been leveled at the concept of sustainable development, which has been described as an oxymoron with a wide range of meanings (Adams, 2009 ; Daly, 1990 ) and “defined in such a way as to be either morally repugnant or logically redundant” (Beckerman, 1994 , p. 192). Sharpley ( 2000 ) suggests that in the tourism literature, there has been “a consistent and fundamental failure to build a theoretical link between sustainable tourism and its parental paradigm,” sustainable development (p. 2). Hunter ( 1995 ) suggests that practical measures designed to operationalize sustainable tourism fail to address many of the critical issues that are central to the concept of sustainable development generally and may even actually counteract the fundamental requirements of sustainable development. He suggests that mainstream sustainable tourism development is concerned with protecting the immediate resource base that will sustain tourism development while ignoring concerns for the status of the wider tourism resource base, such as potential problems associated with air pollution, congestion, introduction of invasive species, and declining oil reserves. The dominant paradigm of sustainable tourism development has been described as introverted, tourism-centric, and in competition with other sectors for scarce resources (McKercher, 1993a ). Hunter ( 1995 , p. 156) proposes an alternative, “extraparochial” paradigm where sustainable tourism development is reconceptualized in terms of its contribution to overall sustainable development. Such a paradigm would reconsider the scope, scale, and sectoral context of tourism-related resource utilization issues.

“Sustainability,” “sustainable tourism,” and “sustainable development” are all well-established terms that have often been used loosely and interchangeably in the tourism literature (Liu, 2003 ). Nevertheless, the subject of sustainable tourism has been given considerable attention and has been the focus of numerous academic compilations and textbooks (Coccossis & Nijkamp, 1995 ; Hall & Lew, 1998 ; Stabler, 1997 ; Swarbrooke, 1999 ), and it calls for new approaches to sustainable tourism development (Bramwell & Lane, 1993 ; Garrod & Fyall, 1998 ; Hunter, 1995 ; Sharpley, 2000 ). The notion of sustainable tourism has been reconceptualized in the literature by several authors who provided alternative frameworks for tourism development (Buckley, 2012 ; Gössling, 2002 ; Hunter, 1995 ; Liu, 2003 ; McKercher, 1993b ; Sharpley, 2000 ).

Early research in sustainable tourism focused on the local environmental impacts of tourism, including energy use, water use, food consumption, and change in land use (Buckley, 2012 ; Butler, 1991 ; Gössling, 2002 ; Hunter & Green, 1995 ). Subsequent research has emphasized the global environmental impacts of tourism, such as greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity losses (Gössling, 2002 ; Gössling & Peeters, 2015 ; Lenzen et al., 2018 ). Additional research has emphasized the impacts of environmental change on tourism itself, including the impacts of climate change on tourist behavior (Gössling et al., 2012 ; Richardson & Loomis, 2004 ; Scott et al., 2012 ; Viner, 2006 ). Countries that are dependent on tourism for economic growth may be particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change (Richardson & Witkoswki, 2010 ).

The early focus on environmental issues in sustainable tourism has been broadened to include economic, social, and cultural issues as well as questions of power and equity in society (Bramwell & Lane, 1993 ; Sharpley, 2014 ), and some of these frameworks have integrated notions of social equity, prosperity, and cultural heritage values. Sustainable tourism is dependent on critical long-term considerations of the impacts; notions of equity; an appreciation of the importance of linkages (i.e., economic, social, and environmental); and the facilitation of cooperation and collaboration between different stakeholders (Elliott & Neirotti, 2008 ).

McKercher ( 1993b ) notes that tourism resources are typically part of the public domain or are intrinsically linked to the social fabric of the host community. As a result, many commonplace tourist activities such as sightseeing may be perceived as invasive by members of the host community. Many social impacts of tourism can be linked to the overuse of the resource base, increases in traffic congestion, rising land prices, urban sprawl, and changes in the social structure of host communities. Given the importance of tourist–resident interaction, sustainable tourism development depends in part on the support of the host community (Garau-Vadell et al., 2018 ).

Tourism planning involves the dual objectives of optimizing the well-being of local residents in host communities and minimizing the costs of tourism development (Sharpley, 2014 ). Tourism researchers have paid significant attention to examining the social impacts of tourism in general and to understanding host communities’ perceptions of tourism in particular. Studies of the social impacts of tourism development have examined the perceptions of local residents and the effects of tourism on social cohesion, traditional lifestyles, and the erosion of cultural heritage, particularly among Indigenous Peoples (Butler & Hinch, 2007 ; Deery et al., 2012 ; Mathieson & Wall, 1982 ; Sharpley, 2014 ; Whitford & Ruhanen, 2016 ).

Alternative Tourism and Sustainable Development

A wide body of published research is related to the role of tourism in sustainable development, and much of the literature involves case studies of particular types of tourism. Many such studies contrast types of alternative tourism with those of mass tourism, which has received sustained criticism for decades and is widely considered to be unsustainable (Cater, 1993 ; Conway & Timms, 2010 ; Fennell, 2020 ; Gursoy et al., 2010 ; Liu, 2003 ; Peeters, 2012 ; Zapata et al., 2011 ). Still, some tourism researchers have taken issue with the conclusion that mass tourism is inherently unsustainable (Sharpley, 2000 ; Weaver, 2007 ), and some have argued for developing pathways to “sustainable mass tourism” as “the desired and impending outcome for most destinations” (Weaver, 2012 , p. 1030). In integrating an ethical component to mass tourism development, Weaver ( 2014 , p. 131) suggests that the desirable outcome is “enlightened mass tourism.” Such suggestions have been contested in the literature and criticized for dubious assumptions about emergent norms of sustainability and support for growth, which are widely seen as contradictory (Peeters, 2012 ; Wheeller, 2007 ).

Models of responsible or alternative tourism development include ecotourism, community-based tourism, pro-poor tourism, slow tourism, green tourism, and heritage tourism, among others. Most models of alternative tourism development emphasize themes that aim to counteract the perceived negative impacts of conventional or mass tourism. As such, the objectives of these models of tourism development tend to focus on minimizing environmental impacts, supporting biodiversity conservation, empowering local communities, alleviating poverty, and engendering pleasant relationships between tourists and residents.

Approaches to alternative tourism development tend to overlap with themes of responsible tourism, and the two terms are frequently used interchangeably. Responsible tourism has been characterized in terms of numerous elements, including

ensuring that communities are involved in and benefit from tourism;

respecting local, natural, and cultural environments;

involving the local community in planning and decision-making;

using local resources sustainably;

behaving in ways that are sensitive to the host culture;

maintaining and encouraging natural, economic, and cultural diversity; and

assessing environmental, social, and economic impacts as a prerequisite to tourism development (Spenceley, 2012 ).

Hetzer ( 1965 ) identified four fundamental principles or perquisites for a more responsible form of tourism: (a) minimum environmental impact; (b) minimum impact on and maximum respect for host cultures; (c) maximum economic benefits to the host country; and (d) maximum leisure satisfaction to participating tourists.

The history of ecotourism is closely connected with the emergence of sustainable development, as it was born out of a concern for the conservation of biodiversity. Ecotourism is a form of tourism that aims to minimize local environmental impacts while bringing benefits to protected areas and the people living around those lands (Honey, 2008 ). Ecotourism represents a small segment of nature-based tourism, which is understood as tourism based on the natural attractions of an area, such as scenic areas and wildlife (Gössling, 1999 ). The ecotourism movement gained momentum in the 1990s, primarily in developing countries in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa, and nearly all countries are now engaged in some form of ecotourism. In some communities, ecotourism is the primary economic activity and source of income and economic development.

The term “ecotourism” was coined by Hector Ceballos-Lascuráin and defined by him as “tourism that consists in travelling to relatively undisturbed or uncontaminated natural areas with the specific object of studying, admiring, and enjoying the scenery and its wild plants and animals” (Ceballos-Lascuráin, 1987 , p. 13). In discussing ecotourism resources, he also made reference to “any existing cultural manifestations (both past and present) found in these areas” (Ceballos-Lascuráin, 1987 , p. 14). The basic precepts of ecotourism had been discussed long before the actual use of the term. Twenty years earlier, Hetzer ( 1965 ) referred to a form of tourism “based principally upon natural and archaeological resources such as caves, fossil sites (and) archaeological sites.” Thus, both natural resources and cultural resources were integrated into ecotourism frameworks from the earliest manifestations.

Costa Rica is well known for having successfully integrated ecotourism in its overall strategy for sustainable development, and numerous case studies of ecotourism in Costa Rica appear in the literature (Chase et al., 1998 ; Fennell & Eagles, 1990 ; Gray & Campbell, 2007 ; Hearne & Salinas, 2002 ). Ecotourism in Costa Rica has been seen as having supported the economic development of the country while promoting biodiversity conservation in its extensive network of protected areas. Chase et al. ( 1998 ) estimated the demand for ecotourism in a study of differential pricing of entrance fees at national parks in Costa Rica. The authors estimated elasticities associated with the own-price, cross-price, and income variables and found that the elasticities of demand were significantly different between three different national park sites. The results reveal the heterogeneity characterizing tourist behavior and park attractions and amenities. Hearne and Salinas ( 2002 ) used choice experiments to examine the preferences of domestic and foreign tourists in Costa Rica in an ecotourism site. Both sets of tourists demonstrated a preference for improved infrastructure, more information, and lower entrance fees. Foreign tourists demonstrated relatively stronger preferences for the inclusion of restrictions in the access to some trails.

Ecotourism has also been studied extensively in Kenya (Southgate, 2006 ), Malaysia (Lian Chan & Baum, 2007 ), Nepal (Baral et al., 2008 ), Peru (Stronza, 2007 ), and Taiwan (Lai & Nepal, 2006 ), among many other countries. Numerous case studies have demonstrated the potential for ecotourism to contribute to sustainable development by providing support for biodiversity conservation, local livelihoods, and regional development.

Community-Based Tourism

Community-based tourism (CBT) is a model of tourism development that emphasizes the development of local communities and allows for local residents to have substantial control over its development and management, and a major proportion of the benefits remain within the community. CBT emerged during the 1970s as a response to the negative impacts of the international mass tourism development model (Cater, 1993 ; Hall & Lew, 2009 ; Turner & Ash, 1975 ; Zapata et al., 2011 ).

Community-based tourism has been examined for its potential to contribute to poverty reduction. In a study of the viability of the CBT model to support socioeconomic development and poverty alleviation in Nicaragua, tourism was perceived by participants in the study to have an impact on employment creation in their communities (Zapata et al., 2011 ). Tourism was seen to have had positive impacts on strengthening local knowledge and skills, particularly on the integration of women to new roles in the labor market. One of the main perceived gains regarding the environment was the process of raising awareness regarding the conservation of natural resources. The small scale of CBT operations and low capacity to accommodate visitors was seen as a limitation of the model.

Spenceley ( 2012 ) compiled case studies of community-based tourism in countries in southern Africa, including Botswana, Madagascar, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. In this volume, authors characterize community-based and nature-based tourism development projects in the region and demonstrate how community participation in planning and decision-making has generated benefits for local residents and supported conservation initiatives. They contend that responsible tourism practices are of particular importance in the region because of the rich biological diversity, abundant charismatic wildlife, and the critical need for local economic development and livelihood strategies.

In Kenya, CBT enterprises were not perceived to have made a significant impact on poverty reduction at an individual household level, in part because the model relied heavily on donor funding, reinforcing dependency and poverty (Manyara & Jones, 2007 ). The study identified several critical success factors for CBT enterprises, namely, awareness and sensitization, community empowerment, effective leadership, and community capacity building, which can inform appropriate tourism policy formulation in Kenya. The impacts of CBT on economic development and poverty reduction would be greatly enhanced if tourism initiatives were able to emphasize independence, address local community priorities, enhance community empowerment and transparency, discourage elitism, promote effective community leadership, and develop community capacity to operate their own enterprises more efficiently.

Pro-Poor Tourism

Pro-poor tourism is a model of tourism development that brings net benefits to people living in poverty (Ashley et al., 2001 ; Harrison, 2008 ). Although its theoretical foundations and development objectives overlap to some degree with those of community-based tourism and other models of AT, the key distinctive feature of pro-poor tourism is that it places poor people and poverty at the top of the agenda. By focusing on a very simple and incontrovertibly moral idea, namely, the net benefits of tourism to impoverished people, the concept has broad appeal to donors and international aid agencies. Harnessing the economic benefits of tourism for pro-poor growth means capitalizing on the advantages while reducing negative impacts to people living in poverty (Ashley et al., 2001 ). Pro-poor approaches to tourism development include increasing access of impoverished people to economic benefits; addressing negative social and environmental impacts associated with tourism; and focusing on policies, processes, and partnerships that seek to remove barriers to participation by people living in poverty. At the local level, pro-poor tourism can play a very significant role in livelihood security and poverty reduction (Ashley & Roe, 2002 ).

Rogerson ( 2011 ) argues that the growth of pro-poor tourism initiatives in South Africa suggests that the country has become a laboratory for the testing and evolution of new approaches toward sustainable development planning that potentially will have relevance for other countries in the developing world. A study of pro-poor tourism development initiatives in Laos identified a number of favorable conditions for pro-poor tourism development, including the fact that local people are open to tourism and motivated to participate (Suntikul et al., 2009 ). The authors also noted a lack of development in the linkages that could optimize the fulfilment of the pro-poor agenda, such as training or facilitation of local people’s participation in pro-poor tourism development at the grassroots level.

Critics of the model have argued that pro-poor tourism is based on an acceptance of the status quo of existing capitalism, that it is morally indiscriminate and theoretically imprecise, and that its practitioners are academically and commercially marginal (Harrison, 2008 ). As Chok et al. ( 2007 ) indicate, the focus “on poor people in the South reflects a strong anthropocentric view . . . and . . . environmental benefits are secondary to poor peoples’” benefits (p. 153).

Harrison ( 2008 ) argues that pro-poor tourism is not a distinctive approach to tourism as a development tool and that it may be easier to discuss what pro-poor tourism is not than what it is. He concludes that it is neither anticapitalist nor inconsistent with mainstream tourism on which it relies; it is neither a theory nor a model and is not a niche form of tourism. Further, he argues that it has no distinctive method and is not only about people living in poverty.

Slow Tourism

The concept of slow tourism has emerged as a model of sustainable tourism development, and as such, it lacks an exact definition. The concept of slow tourism traces its origin back to some institutionalized social movements such as “slow food” and “slow cities” that began in Italy in the 1990s and spread rapidly around the world (Fullagar et al., 2012 ; Oh et al., 2016 , p. 205). Advocates of slow tourism tend to emphasize slowness in terms of speed, mobility, and modes of transportation that generate less environmental pollution. They propose niche marketing for alternative forms of tourism that focus on quality upgrading rather than merely increasing the quantity of visitors via the established mass-tourism infrastructure (Conway & Timms, 2010 ).

In the context of the Caribbean region, slow tourism has been promoted as more culturally sensitive and authentic, as compared to the dominant mass tourism development model that is based on all-inclusive beach resorts dependent on foreign investment (Conway & Timms, 2010 ). Recognizing its value as an alternative marketing strategy, Conway and Timms ( 2010 ) make the case for rebranding alternative tourism in the Caribbean as a means of revitalizing the sector for the changing demands of tourists in the 21st century . They suggest that slow tourism is the antithesis of mass tourism, which “relies on increasing the quantity of tourists who move through the system with little regard to either the quality of the tourists’ experience or the benefits that accrue to the localities the tourist visits” (Conway & Timms, 2010 , p. 332). The authors draw on cases from Barbados, the Grenadines, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago to characterize models of slow tourism development in remote fishing villages and communities near nature preserves and sea turtle nesting sites.

Although there is a growing interest in the concept of slow tourism in the literature, there seems to be little agreement about the exact nature of slow tourism and whether it is a niche form of special interest tourism or whether it represents a more fundamental potential shift across the industry. Conway and Timms ( 2010 ) focus on the destination, advocating for slow tourism in terms of a promotional identity for an industry in need of rebranding. Caffyn ( 2012 , p. 77) discusses the implementation of slow tourism in terms of “encouraging visitors to make slower choices when planning and enjoying their holidays.” It is not clear whether slow tourism is a marketing strategy, a mindset, or a social movement, but the literature on slow tourism nearly always equates the term with sustainable tourism (Caffyn, 2012 ; Conway & Timms, 2010 ; Oh et al., 2016 ). Caffyn ( 2012 , p. 80) suggests that slow tourism could offer a “win–win,” which she describes as “a more sustainable form of tourism; keeping more of the economic benefits within the local community and destination; and delivering a more meaningful and satisfying experience.” Research on slow tourism is nascent, and thus the contribution of slow tourism to sustainable development is not well understood.

Impacts of Tourism Development

The role of tourism in sustainable development can be examined through an understanding of the economic, environmental, and social impacts of tourism. Tourism is a global phenomenon that involves travel, recreation, the consumption of food, overnight accommodations, entertainment, sightseeing, and other activities that simultaneously intersect the lives of local residents, businesses, and communities. The impacts of tourism involve benefits and costs to all groups, and some of these impacts cannot easily be measured. Nevertheless, they have been studied extensively in the literature, which provides some context for how these benefits and costs are distributed.

Economic Impacts of Tourism

The travel and tourism sector is one of the largest components of the global economy, and global tourism has increased exponentially since the end of the Second World War (UNWTO, 2020 ). The direct, indirect, and induced economic impact of global travel accounted for 8.9 trillion U.S. dollars in contribution to the global gross domestic product (GDP), or 10.3% of global GDP. The global travel and tourism sector supports approximately 330 million jobs, or 1 in 10 jobs around the world. From an economic perspective, tourism plays a significant role in sustainable development. In many developing countries, tourism has the potential to play a unique role in income generation and distribution relative to many other industries, in part because of its high multiplier effect and consumption of local goods and services. However, research on the economic impacts of tourism has shown that this potential has rarely been fully realized (Liu, 2003 ).

Numerous studies have examined the impact of tourism expenditure on GDP, income, employment, and public sector revenue. Narayan ( 2004 ) used a computable general equilibrium model to estimate the economic impact of tourism growth on the economy of Fiji. Tourism is Fiji’s largest industry, with average annual growth of 10–12%; and as a middle-income country, tourism is critical to Fiji’s economic development. The findings indicate that an increase in tourism expenditures was associated with an increase in GDP, an improvement in the country’s balance of payments, and an increase in real consumption and national welfare. Evidence suggests that the benefits of tourism expansion outweigh any export effects caused by an appreciation of the exchange rate and an increase in domestic prices and wages.

Seetanah ( 2011 ) examined the potential contribution of tourism to economic growth and development using panel data of 19 island economies around the world from 1990 to 2007 and revealed that tourism development is an important factor in explaining economic performance in the selected island economies. The results have policy implications for improving economic growth by harnessing the contribution of the tourism sector. Pratt ( 2015 ) modeled the economic impact of tourism for seven small island developing states in the Pacific, the Caribbean, and the Indian Ocean. In most states, the transportation sector was found to have above-average linkages to other sectors of the economy. The results revealed some advantages of economies of scale for maximizing the economic contribution of tourism.

Apergis and Payne ( 2012 ) examined the causal relationship between tourism and economic growth for a panel of nine Caribbean countries. The panel of Caribbean countries includes Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago. The authors use a panel error correction model to reveal bidirectional causality between tourism and economic growth in both the short run and the long run. The presence of bidirectional causality reiterates the importance of the tourism sector in the generation of foreign exchange income and in financing the production of goods and services within these countries. Likewise, stable political institutions and adequate government policies to ensure the appropriate investment in physical and human capital will enhance economic growth. In turn, stable economic growth will provide the resources needed to develop the tourism infrastructure for the success of the countries’ tourism sector. Thus, policy makers should be cognizant of the interdependent relationship between tourism and economic growth in the design and implementation of economic policy. The mixed nature of these results suggest that the relationship between tourism and economic growth depends largely on the social and economic context as well as the role of tourism in the economy.

The economic benefits and costs of tourism are frequently distributed unevenly. An analysis of the impact of wildlife conservation policies in Zambia on household welfare found that households located near national parks earn higher levels of income from wage employment and self-employment than other rural households in the country, but they were also more likely to suffer crop losses related to wildlife conflicts (Richardson et al., 2012 ). The findings suggest that tourism development and wildlife conservation can contribute to pro-poor development, but they may be sustainable only if human–wildlife conflicts are minimized or compensated.

Environmental Impacts of Tourism

The environmental impacts of tourism are significant, ranging from local effects to contributions to global environmental change (Gössling & Peeters, 2015 ). Tourism is both dependent on water resources and a factor in global and local freshwater use. Tourists consume water for drinking, when showering and using the toilet, when participating in activities such as winter ski tourism (i.e., snowmaking), and when using swimming pools and spas. Fresh water is also needed to maintain hotel gardens and golf courses, and water use is embedded in tourism infrastructure development (e.g., accommodations, laundry, dining) and in food and fuel production. Direct water consumption in tourism is estimated to be approximately 350 liters (L) per guest night for accommodation; when indirect water use from food, energy, and transport are considered, total water use in tourism is estimated to be approximately 6,575 L per guest night, or 27,800 L per person per trip (Gössling & Peeters, 2015 ). In addition, tourism contributes to the pollution of oceans as well as lakes, rivers, and other freshwater systems (Gössling, 2002 ; Gössling et al., 2011 ).

The clearing and conversion of land is central for tourism development, and in many cases, the land used for tourism includes roads, airports, railways, accommodations, trails, pedestrian walks, shopping areas, parking areas, campgrounds, vacation homes, golf courses, marinas, ski resorts, and indirect land use for food production, disposal of solid wastes, and the treatment of wastewater (Gössling & Peeters, 2015 ). Global land use for accommodation is estimated to be approximately 42 m 2 per bed. Total global land use for tourism is estimated to be nearly 62,000 km 2 , or 11.7 m 2 per tourist; more than half of this estimate is represented by land use for traffic infrastructure.

Tourism and hospitality have direct and indirect links to nearly all aspects of food production, preparation, and consumption because of the quantities of food consumed in tourism contexts (Gössling et al., 2011 ). Food production has significant implications for sustainable development, given the growing global demand for food. The implications include land conversion, losses to biodiversity, changes in nutrient cycling, and contributions to greenhouse emissions that are associated with global climate change (Vitousek et al., 1997 ). Global food use for tourism is estimated to be approximately 39.4 megatons 1 (Mt), about 38% than the amount of food consumed at home. This equates to approximately 1,800 grams (g) of food consumed per tourist per day.

Although tourism has been promoted as a low-impact, nonextractive option for economic development, (Gössling, 2000 ), assessments reveal that such pursuits have a significant carbon footprint, as tourism is significantly more carbon intensive than other potential areas of economic development (Lenzen et al., 2018 ). Tourism is dependent on energy, and virtually all energy use in the tourism sector is derived from fossil fuels, which contribute to global greenhouse emissions that are associated with global climate change. Energy use for tourism has been estimated to be approximately 3,575 megajoules 2 (MJ) per trip, including energy for travel and accommodations (Gössling & Peeters, 2015 ). A previous estimate of global carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions from tourism provided values of 1.12 gigatons 3 (Gt) of CO 2 , amounting to about 3% of global CO 2 -equivalent (CO 2 e) emissions (Gössling & Peeters, 2015 ). However, these analyses do not cover the supply chains underpinning tourism and do not therefore represent true carbon footprints. A more complete analysis of the emissions from energy consumption necessary to sustain the tourism sector would include food and beverages, infrastructure construction and maintenance, retail, and financial services. Between 2009 and 2013 , tourism’s global carbon footprint is estimated to have increased from 3.9 to 4.5 GtCO 2 e, four times more than previously estimated, accounting for about 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions (Lenzen et al., 2018 ). The majority of this footprint is exerted by and within high-income countries. The rising global demand for tourism is outstripping efforts at decarbonization of tourism operations and as a result is accelerating global carbon emissions.

Social Impacts of Tourism

The social impacts of tourism have been widely studied, with an emphasis on residents’ perceptions in the host community (Sharpley, 2014 ). Case studies include research conducted in Australia (Faulkner & Tideswell, 1997 ; Gursoy et al., 2010 ; Tovar & Lockwood, 2008 ), Belize (Diedrich & Garcia-Buades, 2008 ), China (Gu & Ryan, 2008 ), Fiji (King et al., 1993 ), Greece (Haralambopoulos & Pizam, 1996 ; Tsartas, 1992 ), Hungary (Rátz, 2000 ), Thailand (Huttasin, 2008 ), Turkey (Kuvan & Akan, 2005 ), the United Kingdom (Brunt & Courtney, 1999 ; Haley et al., 2005 ), and the United States (Andereck et al., 2005 ; Milman & Pizam, 1988 ), among others. The social impacts of tourism are difficult to measure, and most published studies are mainly concerned with the social impacts on the host communities rather than the impacts on the tourists themselves.

Studies of residents’ perceptions of tourism are typically conducted using household surveys. In most cases, residents recognize the economic dependence on tourism for income, and there is substantial evidence to suggest that working in or owning a business in tourism or a related industry is associated with more positive perceptions of tourism (Andereck et al., 2007 ). The perceived nature of negative effects is complex and often conveys a dislike of crowding, traffic congestion, and higher prices for basic needs (Deery et al., 2012 ). When the number of tourists far exceeds that of the resident population, negative attitudes toward tourism may manifest (Diedrich & Garcia-Buades, 2008 ). However, residents who recognize negative impacts may not necessarily oppose tourism development (King et al., 1993 ).

In some regions, little is known about the social and cultural impacts of tourism despite its dominance as an economic sector. Tourism is a rapidly growing sector in Cuba, and it is projected to grow at rates that exceed the average projected growth rates for the Caribbean and the world overall (Salinas et al., 2018 ). Still, even though there has been rapid tourism development in Cuba, there has been little research related to the environmental and sociocultural impacts of this tourism growth (Rutty & Richardson, 2019 ).

In some international tourism contexts, studies have found that residents are generally resentful toward tourism because it fuels inequality and exacerbates racist attitudes and discrimination (Cabezas, 2004 ; Jamal & Camargo, 2014 ; Mbaiwa, 2005 ). Other studies revealed similar narratives and recorded statements of exclusion and socioeconomic stratification (Sanchez & Adams, 2008 ). Local residents often must navigate the gaps in the racialized, gendered, and sexualized structures imposed by the global tourism industry and host-country governments (Cabezas, 2004 ).

However, during times of economic crisis, residents may develop a more permissive view as their perceptions of the costs of tourism development decrease (Garau-Vadell et al., 2018 ). This increased positive attitude is not based on an increase in the perception of positive impacts of tourism, but rather on a decrease in the perception of the negative impacts.

There is a growing body of research on Indigenous and Aboriginal tourism that emphasizes justice issues such as human rights and self-empowerment, control, and participation of traditional owners in comanagement of destinations (Jamal & Camargo, 2014 ; Ryan & Huyton, 2000 ; Whyte, 2010 ).

Sustainability of Tourism

A process or system is said to be sustainable to the extent that it is robust, resilient, and adaptive (Anderies et al., 2013 ). By most measures, the global tourism system does not meet these criteria for sustainability. Tourism is not robust in that it cannot resist threats and perturbations, such as economic shocks, public health pandemics, war, and other disruptions. Tourism is not resilient in that it does not easily recover from failures, such as natural disasters or civil unrest. Furthermore, tourism is not adaptive in that it is often unable to change in response to external conditions. One example that underscores the failure to meet all three criteria is the dependence of tourism on fossil fuels for transportation and energy, which are key inputs for tourism development. This dependence itself is not sustainable (Wheeller, 2007 ), and thus the sustainability of tourism is questionable.

Liu ( 2003 ) notes that research related to the role of tourism in sustainable development has emphasized supply-side concepts such as sustaining tourism resources and ignored the demand side, which is particularly vulnerable to social and economic shocks. Tourism is vulnerable to both localized and global shocks. Studies of the vulnerability of tourism to localized shocks include disaster vulnerability in coastal Thailand (Calgaro & Lloyd, 2008 ), bushfires in northeast Victoria in Australia (Cioccio & Michael, 2007 ), forest fires in British Columbia, Canada (Hystad & Keller, 2008 ); and outbreak of foot and mouth disease in the United Kingdom (Miller & Ritchie, 2003 ).

Like most other economic sectors, tourism is vulnerable to the impacts of earthquakes, particularly in areas where tourism infrastructure may not be resilient to such shocks. Numerous studies have examined the impacts of earthquake events on tourism, including studies of the aftermath of the 1997 earthquake in central Italy (Mazzocchi & Montini, 2001 ), the 1999 earthquake in Taiwan (Huan et al., 2004 ; Huang & Min, 2002 ), and the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in western Sichuan, China (Yang et al., 2011 ), among others.

Tourism is vulnerable to extreme weather events. Regional economic strength has been found to be associated with lower vulnerability to natural disasters. Kim and Marcoullier ( 2015 ) examined the vulnerability and resilience of 10 tourism-based regional economies that included U.S. national parks or protected seashores situated on the Gulf of Mexico or Atlantic Ocean coastline that were affected by several hurricanes over a 26-year period. Regions with stronger economic characteristics prior to natural disasters were found to have lower disaster losses than regions with weaker economies.

Tourism is extremely sensitive to oil spills, whatever their origin, and the volume of oil released need not be large to generate significant economic losses (Cirer-Costa, 2015 ). Studies of the vulnerability of tourism to the localized shock of an oil spill include research on the impacts of oil spills in Alaska (Coddington, 2015 ), Brazil (Ribeiro et al., 2020 ), Spain (Castanedo et al., 2009 ), affected regions in the United States along the Gulf of Mexico (Pennington-Gray et al., 2011 ; Ritchie et al., 2013 ), and the Republic of Korea (Cheong, 2012 ), among others. Future research on the vulnerability of tourist destinations to oil spills should also incorporate freshwater environments, such as lakes, rivers, and streams, where the rupture of oil pipelines is more frequent.

Significant attention has been paid to assessing the vulnerability of tourist destinations to acts of terrorism and the impacts of terrorist attacks on regional tourist economies (Liu & Pratt, 2017 ). Such studies include analyses of the impacts of terrorist attacks on three European countries, Greece, Italy, and Austria (Enders et al., 1992 ); the impact of the 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States (Goodrich, 2002 ); terrorism and tourism in Nepal (Bhattarai et al., 2005 ); vulnerability of tourism livelihoods in Bali (Baker & Coulter, 2007 ); the impact of terrorism on tourist preferences for destinations in the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands (Arana & León, 2008 ); the 2011 massacres in Olso and Utøya, Norway (Wolff & Larsen, 2014 ); terrorism and political violence in Tunisia (Lanouar & Goaied, 2019 ); and the impact of terrorism on European tourism (Corbet et al., 2019 ), among others. Pizam and Fleischer ( 2002 ) studied the impact of acts of terrorism on tourism demand in Israel between May 1991 and May 2001 , and they confirmed that the frequency of acts of terrorism had caused a larger decline in international tourist arrivals than the severity of these acts. Most of these are ex post studies, and future assessments of the underlying conditions of destinations could reveal a deeper understanding of the vulnerability of tourism to terrorism.

Tourism is vulnerable to economic crisis, both local economic shocks (Okumus & Karamustafa, 2005 ; Stylidis & Terzidou, 2014 ) and global economic crisis (Papatheodorou et al., 2010 ; Smeral, 2010 ). Okumus and Karamustafa ( 2005 ) evaluated the impact of the February 2001 economic crisis in Turkey on tourism, and they found that the tourism industry was poorly prepared for the economic crisis despite having suffered previous impacts related to the Gulf War in the early 1990s, terrorism in Turkey in the 1990s, the civil war in former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s, an internal economic crisis in 1994 , and two earthquakes in the northwest region of Turkey in 1999 . In a study of the attitudes and perceptions of citizens of Greece, Stylidis and Terzidou ( 2014 ) found that economic crisis is associated with increased support for tourism development, particularly out of self-interest. Economic crisis diminishes residents’ concern for environmental issues. In a study of the behavior of European tourists amid an economic crisis, Eugenio-Martin and Campos-Soria ( 2014 ) found that the probability of households cutting back on travel expenditures depends largely on the climate and economic conditions of tourists’ home countries, and households that do reduce travel spending engage in tourism closer to home.

Becken and Lennox ( 2012 ) studied the implications of a long-term increase in oil prices for tourism in New Zealand, and they estimate that a doubling of oil prices is associated with a 1.7% decrease in real gross national disposable income and a 9% reduction in the real value of tourism exports. Chatziantoniou et al. ( 2013 ) investigated the relationship among oil price shocks, tourism variables, and economic indicators in four European Mediterranean countries and found that aggregate demand oil price shocks generated a lagged effect on tourism-generated income and economic growth. Kisswani et al. ( 2020 ) examined the asymmetric effect of oil prices on tourism receipts and the sensitive susceptibility of tourism to oil price changes using nonlinear analysis. The findings document a long-run asymmetrical effect for most countries, after incorporating the structural breaks, suggesting that governments and tourism businesses and organizations should interpret oil price fluctuations cautiously.

Finally, the sustainability of tourism has been shown to be vulnerable to the outbreak of infectious diseases, including the impact of the Ebola virus on tourism in sub-Saharan Africa (Maphanga & Henama, 2019 ; Novelli et al., 2018 ) and in the United States (Cahyanto et al., 2016 ). The literature also includes studies of the impact of swine flu on tourism demand in Brunei (Haque & Haque, 2018 ), Mexico (Monterrubio, 2010 ), and the United Kingdom (Page et al., 2012 ), among others. In addition, rapid assessments of the impacts of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 have documented severe disruptions and cessations of tourism because of unprecedented global travel restrictions and widespread restrictions on public gatherings (Gössling et al., 2020 ; Qiu et al., 2020 ; Sharma & Nicolau, 2020 ). Hotels, airlines, cruise lines, and car rentals have all experienced a significant decrease globally because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the shock to the industry is significant enough to warrant concerns about the long-term outlook (Sharma & Nicolau, 2020 ). Qiu et al. ( 2020 ) estimated the social costs of the pandemic to tourism in three cities in China (Hong Kong, Guangzhou, and Wuhan), and they found that most respondents were willing to pay for risk reduction and action in responding to the pandemic crisis; there was no significant difference between residents’ willingness to pay in the three cities. Some research has emphasized how lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic can prepare global tourism for an economic transformation that is needed to mitigate the impacts of climate change (Brouder, 2020 ; Prideaux et al., 2020 ).

It is clear that tourism has contributed significantly to economic development globally, but its role in sustainable development is uncertain, contested, and potentially paradoxical. This is due, in part, to the contested nature of sustainable development itself. Tourism has been promoted as a low-impact, nonextractive option for economic development, particularly for developing countries (Gössling, 2000 ), and many countries have managed to increase their participation in the global economy through development of international tourism. Tourism development has been viewed as an important sector for investment to enhance economic growth, poverty alleviation, and food security, and the sector provides an alternative opportunity to large-scale development projects and extractive industries that contribute to emissions of pollutants and threaten biodiversity and cultural values. However, global evidence from research on the economic impacts of tourism has shown that this potential has rarely been realized (Liu, 2003 ).

The role of tourism in sustainable development has been studied extensively and with a variety of perspectives, including the conceptualization of alternative or responsible forms of tourism and the examination of economic, environmental, and social impacts of tourism development. The research has generally concluded that tourism development has contributed to sustainable development in some cases where it is demonstrated to have provided support for biodiversity conservation initiatives and livelihood development strategies. As an economic sector, tourism is considered to be labor intensive, providing opportunities for poor households to enhance their livelihood through the sale of goods and services to foreign tourists.

Nature-based tourism approaches such as ecotourism and community-based tourism have been successful at attracting tourists to parks and protected areas, and their spending provides financial support for biodiversity conservation, livelihoods, and economic growth in developing countries. Nevertheless, studies of the impacts of tourism development have documented negative environmental impacts locally in terms of land use, food and water consumption, and congestion, and globally in terms of the contribution of tourism to climate change through the emission of greenhouse gases related to transportation and other tourist activities. Studies of the social impacts of tourism have documented experiences of discrimination based on ethnicity, gender, race, sex, and national identity.

The sustainability of tourism as an economic sector has been examined in terms of its vulnerability to civil conflict, economic shocks, natural disasters, and public health pandemics. Most studies conclude that tourism may have positive impacts for regional development and environmental conservation, but there is evidence that tourism inherently generates negative environmental impacts, primarily through pollutions stemming from transportation. The regional benefits of tourism development must be considered alongside the global impacts of increased transportation and tourism participation. Global tourism has also been shown to be vulnerable to economic crises, oil price shocks, and global outbreaks of infectious diseases. Given that tourism is dependent on energy, the movement of people, and the consumption of resources, virtually all tourism activities have significant economic, environmental, and sustainable impacts. As such, the role of tourism in sustainable development is highly questionable. Future research on the role of tourism in sustainable development should focus on reducing the negative impacts of tourism development, both regionally and globally.

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1. One megatonne (Mt) is equal to 1 million (10 6 ) metric tons.

2. One megajoule (MJ) is equal to 1 million (10 6 ) joules, or approximately the kinetic energy of a 1-megagram (tonne) vehicle moving at 161 km/h.

3. One gigatonne (Gt) is equal to 1 billion (10 9 ) metric tons.

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Sustainability in the Hospitality and Tourism Industry

Sustainability is an important concept in the hospitality and tourism industry. The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) defines sustainable tourism as “tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment, and host communities.”  When we think about sustainability, it’s easy to think about the environmental aspects. However, as the definition suggests, sustainability principles not only refer to the environmental aspects but also the economic and socio-cultural aspects as well.

Thinking about the environmental aspects of the hospitality and tourism industry, many hospitality businesses have a huge impact on the environment through the consumption of energy, water and other resources. For example, many hotels and restaurants are guilty of using an excessive amount of energy on HVAC, lighting, fuel and other equipment. Also, they create a lot of waste and engage in unsustainable purchasing. All of these practices contribute to irresponsible tourism. Thus, raising awareness of environmental sustainability and conserving the natural heritage and biodiversity are vital in order to keep tourism sustainable.

Another important aspect of sustainable tourism is the economic impact on the local communities. An important economic concept in sustainable tourism is called leakage. Leakage happens when tourists spend money at a tourist destination and the money does not circulate within the local community but leaks out. An example of this would be when hospitality businesses purchase their resources from outside of the local community or have headquarters elsewhere. Such practices deprive locals of the opportunity to grow because they are excluded from the supply chain. Thus, hospitality businesses need to work closely with the locals in order to support their economy.

Finally, we need to think about the socio-cultural aspects of sustainability. The hospitality and tourism industry may affect the socio-cultural authenticity of local communities in the destinations as only a fraction of the actual culture is represented to the tourists. It is crucial that hospitality businesses conserve the cultural heritage and traditions of the host communities and are respectful of such cultural aspects.

As such, sustainability in the hospitality industry is an essential factor that needs to be addressed properly. By practicing sustainability, hospitality businesses can improve their guest experience, brand image, and customer loyalty as well as help sustain the local communities in the destinations that they operate in.

By: Daegeun (Dan) Kim, CHIA

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• Hospitality Industry

Sustainability: more relevant to the future of tourism than ever?

July 07, 2020 •

5 min reading

The “new normal” cannot be implemented without sustainability as a core value that underpins the entire business structure. From interior design to food waste, it’s now time to reconcile long-term vision with momentary short-term gains for the sake of the bigger picture.

As lockdowns begin lift and people start to travel again, hotels are scrambling to figure out the new normal. Experts confirm that those owners and managers who focus on innovation and sustainability will be most likely to bounce back and thrive in the future. A sustainable approach will be key in driving economic development globally. In fact, as travel restrictions have begun to lift, UNWTO secretary-general Zurab Pololikashvili remarked, “The timely and responsible easing of travel restrictions will help ensure the many social and economic benefits that tourism guarantees will return in a sustainable way. This will contribute to the livelihoods of many millions of people around the world.”

Finding the “middle way”

In the days leading up to the arrival of COVID-19, over-tourism was industry’s number one buzzword and bugaboo. From Amsterdam to Iceland and Bali, local residents were overwhelmed by the influx of travelers, while city and tourism planners were struggling to manage the throngs of visitors.

Now, these same places are more than eager to welcome guests again but with the understanding that this is an opportunity to better develop sustainable opportunities. In places like Venice, for example, one of the world’s most popular destinations, officials are planning to revamp tourism entirely with a sustainability underpinning. As Paola Mar, the city’s Councillor for Tourism said:

Our goal is to trigger a renaissance of the city. We want to attract visitors for longer stays and encourage a ‘slower’ type of tourism. Things can’t go back to how they were.

The Financial Times travel editor Tom Robbins recently wrote, “Perhaps the current crisis might nudge us towards a middle way—a more responsible, thoughtful way of travelling that minimizes carbon emissions, manages over-tourism and maximizes the contribution to local economies.”

For destinations and for the hospitality industry, sustainability is an overall approach designed to address the most pressing problems we face as a society - including climate change, economic inequality, food waste and insecurity - which require the contributions of everyone, everywhere. Carlos Martin-Rios, Associate Professor at EHL, explains:

That means reconciling a long-term vision and strategy with short-term financial gains. To further contribute to a sustainability program, EHL’s new Sustainability Institute features a series called “The Sustainable Future of Hospitality Think Tank” where several times a year a select group of industry senior executives will meet to advance business models and tools to monitor the transition toward sustainability.

How some leading hotel chains are intentionally integrating sustainability into their ethos and operations

Baking it into the business.

For sustainability to be authentic, it needs to be baked in rather than bolted on. In other words, sustainability is not one part of a business, it is essential to the whole business. As Marriott  states, “From design to the guest experience, sustainability is embedded into our business strategy.” The hotel conglomerate said it is building energy-efficient hotels, using renewable energy wherever possible and trying to find new ways to reduce waste and carbon emissions. The goal set by the company is to reduce water use by 15% and waste by 45%, and to use at least 30% renewable energy by 2025.

Lowering carbon emissions

As a major contributor to carbon emissions, experts conclude that the hotel industry as a whole must lower its emissions by 66% by 2030 and 90% by 2050 . Hilton is committed to bringing its properties in line with the carbon reductions outlined in the Paris Climate Agreement. The company’s goal is to cut the Hilton’s global environmental footprint in half by 2030 and claims that over the past decade it has reduced its carbon emissions by 30 percent. “As a global business, we see the impacts of climate change every day,” the company said. “From hurricanes to droughts, wildfires to floods, our Team Members and guests are facing an increasing number of extreme weather events and natural disasters caused or amplified by global climate change.” Radisson Hotel Group is lowering its carbon footprint across the chain by reducing demand for energy from CO2-intensive sources and increasingly making use of renewable energy sources. 

Reducing food waste

While 800 million people around the world don’t have enough to eat, one third of all food goes to waste. According to experts, food waste is a leading type of waste in the hospitality industry. The hotel industry group American Hotel and Lodging Association teamed up with the World Wildlife Fund to create  HotelKitchen.org in 2017 to teach the industry ways to reduce food waste. Hilton, Marriott International, Hyatt Hotels, InterContinental Hotels Group and AccorHotels have all participated in the program. EHL has also committed to reducing food waste by partnering with Swiss-based firm Kitro , an AI-based solution providing instant analyses of food waste within organizations.

Designing for the future

The Urban Land Institute in Washington, D.C. recently launched the results of a study entitled  Sustainability in Hotels: Opportunities and Trends Shaping the Future of Hospitality which outlines the business case for sustainability and the ways in which hotels are incorporating eco-friendly best practices into operations and construction. Hotels are currently among the highest per-square-foot energy and water users of all commercial buildings. Perhaps no hotel group more embodies the sustainability design ethos than Starwood brands, founded by Barry Sternlicht, who has since  gone on to launch brands like 1 Hotels  and Treehouse Hotels. While 1 Hotels is a nature-inspired luxury brand rooted in sustainability, Treehouse, according to the company, is less serious, more torn jeans and t-shirts and infinitely accessible. At the Treehouse London, which opened in December, composting, recycling and single-use plastics are very much part of the plan, and the 1Hotel London Mayfair, is set to open in 2022. As Sternlicht explains, 1 Hotel London will undoubtedly set a new standard in the city for the luxury hotel experience, while also advancing our brand mission to inspire conscious consumption and become a platform for change."

Director of Strategy & Sustainability

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• Sustainable hospitality and why it’s part of a bright, green future

Introduction to sustainable hospitality

In an age marked by increasing concern for environmental conservation and social responsibility, the concept of sustainability is having an impact in many industries. One sector undergoing a significant transformation toward sustainable practices is hospitality. Travel, leisure and accommodation are all moving into the area of sustainable hospitality, which seeks to blend exceptional guest experience with ecological and societal well-being.

Why is sustainability important?

Sustainability isn’t just a buzzword; it is necessary for the protection of our planet. The hospitality industry is a massive consumer of resources and can have a substantial impact on the environment and local communities. The importance of sustainable practices in this industry cannot be overstated. From curbing climate change and conserving natural resources to promoting responsible tourism, sustainability is a way that businesses, and each of us, can make changes that can make a big difference.

Overview of the hospitality industry

The hospitality industry encompasses a wide range of businesses, including hotels, restaurants, resorts and event venues, all of which offer services that cater to travelers, tourists and locals. This industry’s economic and social significance is undeniable, as it contributes significantly to local economies and employment opportunities .

However, this impact often comes at an environmental cost. As the industry grows, so do its ecological footprints, prompting the need for a shift toward sustainable practices. According to the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership , tourism contributes about 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions — a figure expected to rise by 130% by 2035.

What is sustainable hospitality?

Sustainable hospitality involves integrating eco-friendly practices into every aspect of the industry’s operations. This encompasses reducing waste, conserving energy and water, sourcing local and organic products and adopting responsible tourism practices. By doing so, the industry can reap a multitude of benefits, including reduced operational costs, improved brand reputation, enhanced guest loyalty and, most importantly, a positive impact on the environment.

Environmental impact on the hospitality sector

Carbon footprint.

The hospitality industry is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, primarily due to energy consumption, transportation and waste generation. The adoption of renewable energy sources, energy-efficient technologies and carbon offset programs can make a significant contribution to reducing the carbon footprint. This can be as simple as a hotel installing solar panels.

Water consumption

Water scarcity is a growing concern worldwide and the hospitality industry’s high water consumption exacerbates the problem. Implementing water-saving measures, such as low-flow fixtures, water recycling systems and guest education, can mitigate this issue. One of the most frequently seen examples is the small notices you might see in hotel bathrooms asking guests to place towels in the bath if they want them washed rather than having them washed automatically every day. Small changes such as this can make a big difference.

The hospitality sector is responsible for a substantial amount of food wastage, from production to consumption. By minimizing food waste through careful planning, portion control and donation initiatives, hotels and restaurants can significantly reduce their food waste. It’s also now common for hotels and restaurants to focus on local and seasonal produce, supporting local producers and reducing food miles on imported items.

Single-use plastics and other disposables

Single-use plastics have garnered global attention due to their detrimental effects on marine life and ecosystems. The industry can transition to biodegradable alternatives, promote reusable options and implement recycling programs to combat this issue. Some cafes are already offering reduced prices for drinks served in cups and containers you bring from home rather than in a single-use receptacle.

Negative impacts of the tourism industry

Unregulated tourism can lead to overcrowding, environmental degradation and cultural insensitivity. Sustainable tourism practices aim to preserve natural and cultural heritage while ensuring local communities benefit from the industry’s growth.

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Sustainable initiatives in the hospitality industry

From switching to renewable energy sources to enabling customers to make more sustainable choices like recycling, there are many ways in which the hospitality industry can incorporate sustainable initiatives.

Renewable energy utilization

Hotels and resorts can harness solar, wind and geothermal energy to power their operations and reduce their dependence on fossil fuels. It’s also often possible to select an energy provider that delivers green or renewable energy.

Waste reduction strategies

Implementing recycling programs, composting and waste-to-energy technologies can divert waste from landfill and minimize environmental impact. Ideas such as conserving water or reusing cooking and laundry water in garden areas can help cut back on water usage.

Positive hospitality practices

Encouraging guests to reuse towels and bed linens, reducing paper usage through digital communication and offering eco-friendly amenities are small changes that collectively make a significant impact.

Many guests these days are actively seeking out hotels where they know they aren’t contributing to any environmental damage and even small changes can improve sustainability and guest experience . According to a sustainable travel report issued in 2022 , 81% of global travelers said traveling sustainably is important to them, with half citing climate change as their influence on making better choices for the environment.

Sustainable Hospitality Alliance (SHA) and its impact

The SHA is a collective effort by industry leaders to promote sustainability in the hospitality sector. Its objectives include reducing carbon emissions, promoting responsible consumption and production and fostering social inclusion.

SHA programs and initiatives for sustainability

The alliance collaborates with its members to develop initiatives that address various sustainability challenges, from carbon reduction targets to ethical sourcing of products, for example supporting independent, local artisans rather than purchasing mass-produced items, in turn decreasing carbon footprint.

Collaboration with industry stakeholders

The SHA works closely with governments, NGOs and local communities to ensure sustainability efforts are holistic, impactful and aligned with global sustainability goals.

Examples of sustainable hospitality practices

• Sustainable hotel design and construction: green building practices, such as utilizing recycled materials, optimizing energy efficiency and incorporating natural lighting and ventilation, are becoming the norm in the construction of eco-friendly hotels. You can really make a mark in changing how hotels are run more sustainably with  a career in hotel management .
• Locally sourced and organic food options: offering locally grown food not only supports farmers but also reduces the carbon footprint from transporting food over long distances. Dishes can also taste better and deliver more value, as the food is fresh and in season. Even better are restaurants and hotels that have their own kitchen gardens.

Challenges of implementing sustainable practices in the hospitality industry

Mandarin Oriental CEO James Riley has talked about the challenges and steps being taken in the luxury hospitality space to improve sustainability and embed practices. As he says, changes like this aren’t immediate and it’s more of a mindset shift rather than introducing policies such as just reducing plastic usage.

There are often financial and cost barriers because implementing sustainable practices often requires an upfront investment, which can deter businesses due to concerns about profitability. There can also be resistance to change and a lack of awareness, so educating stakeholders about the benefits of sustainable practices is essential to overcoming this challenge.

Unlock prestigious opportunities with a master’s degree

Learn from experts in international hospitality to expand your skills in HR, leadership, marketing, corporate strategy and sustainability for a career that has global impact.

What are the career opportunities in sustainable hospitality?

If you’re interested in a career in hospitality , you have many choices. Let’s explore the options if you have a passion for sustainability in the tourism and hospitality industry .

• Sustainability coordinator/manager: you’ll be responsible for developing and implementing sustainability strategies within hospitality establishments.
• Eco-tourism specialist: focuses on promoting sustainable and responsible tourism practices, ensuring the local environment and communities benefit from tourism activities.
• Green event planner: organizes eco-friendly events , incorporating sustainable practices into event logistics, catering and waste management. Find out more about careers in event management .

In the realm of hospitality, sustainable practices are no longer a luxury but a necessity. As the world grapples with environmental concerns, the industry must embrace its role in promoting responsible consumption, conservation and social responsibility. The journey toward sustainable hospitality has challenges, but with industry collaboration and innovative strategies, the hospitality sector can pave the way for a greener, more responsible future.

If you’re interested in making a difference, why not take a look at the options available for hospitality degrees , or internships in the hospitality industry ? Studying at a hospitality school in Switzerland is the best way to kickstart your career by learning from the best. Swiss schools now account for around 70% of the top 10 institutions in the Hospitality & Leisure Management category of the QS World University Rankings. There’s no better way to drive the eco-friendly management of tourism and hospitality than by being part of the new generation of sustainability-conscious hospitality leaders.

Photo credits Main image: Maskot/Maskot via Getty Images

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Tourism – an economic and social phenomenon, share this content.

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Why Tourism?

Over the decades, tourism has experienced continued growth and deepening ‎diversification to become one of the fastest growing economic sectors in the world. ‎Modern tourism is closely linked to development and encompasses a growing number ‎of new destinations. These dynamics have turned tourism into a key driver for socio-‎economic progress.‎

Today, the business volume of tourism equals or even surpasses that of oil exports, ‎food products or automobiles. Tourism has become one of the major players in ‎international commerce, and represents at the same time one of the main income ‎sources for many developing countries. This growth goes hand in hand with an ‎increasing diversification and competition among destinations.‎

International tourist arrivals (overnight visitors) grew 4% in January-March 2019 compared to the same period last year, below the 6% average growth of the past two years.

This global spread of tourism in industrialised and developed states has produced ‎economic and employment benefits in many related sectors - from construction to ‎agriculture or telecommunications.‎

The contribution of tourism to economic well-being depends on the quality and the ‎revenues of the tourism offer. UN Tourism assists destinations in their sustainable ‎positioning in ever more complex national and international markets. As the UN agency ‎dedicated to tourism, UN Tourism points out that particularly developing countries stand to ‎benefit from sustainable tourism and acts to help make this a reality.‎

Sustainability in hospitality: the key challenges and opportunities

The hospitality industry is already making solid progress on conserving energy and reducing waste. Now hoteliers have an opportunity to lead the wider travel and tourism sector towards a more sustainable future.

When it opened in 2009,  The Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers  set its stall out to be one of the world’s most eco-friendly hotels. No stone was left unturned to deliver this aim. The building’s façade is lined with solar panels which provide renewable energy. In addition, there is a cutting-edge groundwater system which keeps the building cool during the summer months and warm during the winter months. Add in automatic intelligent light, water, and waste management measures, and there is little surprise that the hotel was voted the world’s greenest just a year after it began trading.

Could such eco-friendly practices become the norm? Certainly for new build projects we will see more and more features installed which reduce the environmental impact. For developments of historic buildings, or where there is a change of use involved, the situation is more complicated due to local regulations and difficulties in applying modern technology to a fabric that was not designed to accommodate it.

Why sustainability in hospitality matters

What there is no doubt about, however, is that pressure is building for hospitality companies to make sustainability a key priority.

And this pressure comes from two angles. First is at a stakeholder level, with the rise of ESG (environmental, social and governance) as investment criteria. We already see this becoming embedded in the United States, and growing fast in Europe, with the UK leading the way.

More pressingly, with energy costs soaring in most major economies, hotels and restaurants which do not take steps to reduce their energy consumption – or find alternative energy sources – will find it much harder to balance their budgets.

Expect to see energy conservation moving sharply up the corporate agenda in the coming months.

In the longer term we will surely see more formal systems and strategies put in place that steer capital towards companies with better ESG performance – and at that point it becomes a game-changer for environmental sustainability programs.

Customers want sustainable business

The other sustainability driver in the hotel industry is, of course, the customer – and in particular the millennials and Gen Zs who are more conscious consumers and who are also fast becoming the dominant market force.

According to a  study last year by Booking.com , 83% of global travellers think sustainable travel is vital, with 61% adding that the pandemic has made them want to travel more sustainably in the future.

Hoteliers cannot ignore the needs and desires of the younger generation. When I recently visited Dubai on a field trip with my students, I was interested to discover that the local headquarters for Hilton had appointed a youth board comprising 16 to 22 year olds, which could give a fresh perspective on decisions made by the main executive board.

There is much to learn about this topic for the industry’s future leaders. At Les Roches, we try to contribute to that conversation by setting our  MBA  students the task of researching what is happening on the ground in the hotel business. Twice in recent years  we have published these findings  in collaboration with the journal Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, including an investigation of how sustainability and the UN Sustainable Development Goals can be applied across the hotel industry.

For me, it is essential to have this open dialogue, because the biggest danger for hoteliers is to move too fast for their client base, and to overestimate their commitment to sustainability ahead of the little luxuries we enjoy during a hotel stay. After all, in hospitality customer satisfaction is our license to operate.

Putting innovations under the microscope

We also try to give innovative companies access to our students to cast their educated eyes over new products and services in development.

For example, our students in Marbella  recently assessed an innovative body drier  developed by the Spanish company Valiryo Technologies, looking at how it would promote sustainability by reducing towel usage, but also whether a valid business case could be made for its adoption within a typical hotel property.

One of the best ways to encourage hotel guests to behave more sustainably is to incentivise them. And one of the big trends I think we will see in the next couple of years is hotel operators incorporating rewards for sustainable behaviour into their loyalty programs.

For example, as part of its Planet21 initiative, Accor has pledged to “involve its customers”. I understand that Hyatt is also considering adding this element to its World of Hyatt program. It will surely take just one operator to formally introduce a sustainability component to its loyalty scheme and the floodgates will open.

What are the jobs in sustainability?

While all the major operators employ subject experts in various aspects of sustainability, perhaps the most exciting opportunities lie among the ecosystem of consultancies and suppliers of innovative platforms in the field of travel, tourism and hospitality.

One such business that I was introduced to recently is TravelPerk, which is headquartered in Barcelona and now has some 800 employees worldwide, having grown exponentially since its launch in 2015.

Although its core service is providing travel and expense management services to corporates, TravelPerk has also developed a new tool –  GreenPerk  – to facilitate sustainable business travel that reduces the traveller’s carbon footprint by 100%, thanks to offsetting measures involving  VERRA-certified  projects across the world.

As with everything in business, it pays to follow the money. And with the growing emphasis on ESG there is a lot of funding coming into sustainability, creating fertile conditions for innovation and entrepreneurship.

Can hospitality take a leadership role in sustainability?

I believe the answer to that question is yes; and we are already seeing this through the sharing of best practice at neutral organisations such as the UNWTO and the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).

We also see the wider hospitality sector – hotels, cruise lines, events, and others – taking more of a leading role in educating consumers, in particular around making progress towards the  UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 .

Is there more that can be done? Absolutely. With the reawakening of global travel after Covid we will surely see the issue of overtourism back in the spotlight.

The tourism and hospitality industry cannot call itself sustainable while major destinations are choked with tourists; and as we have already seen with cities like Venice and Amsterdam, if the industry cannot control tourist numbers the  authorities will do it for them .

As a  leading hospitality school , Les Roches is also endeavouring to move the debate along by launching a new Bachelor specialisation in Sustainable Developments and Practices, through which we hope to introduce students to sustainability practices and green initiative, so they can join the debate from an informed perspective when they graduate and get out into the workplace.

We have already come a long way in sustainable practices as an industry; the next generation of young talents must now have the drive – and the tools – to take us further when it comes to striking the perfect balance between guest experience and environmental impact.

Dr Dimitrios Diamantis is Professor and Executive Dean at Les Roches

• Brochure Download

Sustainability in hospitality: the key challenges and opportunities

The hospitality industry is already making solid progress on conserving energy and reducing waste.

Now hoteliers have an opportunity to lead the wider travel and tourism sector towards a more sustainable future – that’s the view of Dr Dimitrios Diamantis, Executive Academic Dean at Les Roches and a leading authority in ecotourism.

When it opened in 2009, The Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers set its stall out to be one of the world’s most eco-friendly hotels.

No stone was left unturned to deliver this aim. The building’s façade is lined with solar panels which provide renewable energy.

In addition, there’s a cutting-edge groundwater system which keeps the building cool during the summer months and warm during the winter months.

Add in automatic intelligent light, water, and waste management measures, and there’s little surprise that the hotel was voted the world’s greenest just a year after it began trading.

Could such eco-friendly practices become the norm? Certainly for new build projects we will see more and more features installed which reduce the environmental impact.

For developments of historic buildings, or where there’s a change of use involved, the situation is more complicated due to local regulations and difficulties in applying modern technology to a fabric that was not designed to accommodate it.

Why sustainability in hospitality matters

What there’s no doubt about, however, is that pressure is building for hospitality companies to make sustainability a key priority.

And this pressure comes from two angles. First is at a stakeholder level, with the rise of ESG (environmental, social and governance) as investment criteria. We already see this becoming embedded in the United States, and growing fast in Europe, with the UK leading the way.

More pressingly, with energy costs soaring in most major economies, hotels and restaurants which don’t take steps to reduce their energy consumption – or find alternative energy sources – will find it much harder to balance their budgets.

Expect to see energy conservation moving sharply up the corporate agenda in the coming months.

In the longer term we will surely see more formal systems and strategies put in place that steer capital towards companies with better ESG performance – and at that point it becomes a game-changer for environmental sustainability programs.

Customers want sustainable business

The other sustainability driver in the hotel industry is, of course, the customer – and in particular the millennials and Gen Zs who are more conscious consumers and who are also fast becoming the dominant market force.

According to a study last year by Booking.com , 83% of global travelers think sustainable travel is vital, with 61% adding that the pandemic has made them want to travel more sustainably in the future.

Hoteliers cannot ignore the needs and desires of the younger generation. When I recently visited Dubai on a field trip with my students, I was interested to discover that the local headquarters for Hilton had appointed a youth board comprising 16 to 22 year-olds, which could give a fresh perspective on decisions made by the main executive board.

There’s much to learn about this topic for the industry’s future leaders. At Les Roches, we try to contribute to that conversation by setting our MBA students the task of researching what is happening on the ground in the hotel business. Twice in recent years we’ve published these findings in collaboration with the journal Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, including an investigation of how sustainability and the UN Sustainable Development Goals can be applied across the hotel industry.

For me, it’s essential to have this open dialogue, because the biggest danger for hoteliers is to move too fast for their client base, and to overestimate their commitment to sustainability ahead of the little luxuries we enjoy during a hotel stay. After all, in hospitality customer satisfaction is our license to operate.

Putting innovations under the microscope

We also try to give innovative companies access to our students to cast their educated eyes over new products and services in development.

For example, our students in Marbella recently assessed an innovative body drier developed by the Spanish company Valiryo Technologies, looking at how it would promote sustainability by reducing towel usage, but also whether a valid business case could be made for its adoption within a typical hotel property.

One of the best ways to encourage hotel guests to behave more sustainably is to incentivize them. And one of the big trends I think we will see in the next couple of years is hotel operators incorporating rewards for sustainable behavior into their loyalty programs.

For example, as part of its Planet21 initiative, Accor has pledged to “involve its customers”. I understand that Hyatt is also considering adding this element to its World of Hyatt program. It will surely take just one operator to formally introduce a sustainability component to its loyalty scheme and the floodgates will open.

What are the jobs in sustainability?

While all the major operators employ subject experts in various aspects of sustainability, perhaps the most exciting opportunities lie among the ecosystem of consultancies and suppliers of innovative platforms in the field of travel, tourism and hospitality.

One such business that I was introduced to recently is TravelPerk, which is headquartered in Barcelona and now has some 800 employees worldwide, having grown exponentially since its launch in 2015.

Although its core service is providing travel and expense management services to corporates, TravelPerk has also developed a new tool – GreenPerk – to facilitate sustainable business travel that reduces the traveler’s carbon footprint by 100%, thanks to offsetting measures involving VERRA-certified projects across the world.

As with everything in business, it pays to follow the money. And with the growing emphasis on ESG there is a lot of funding coming into sustainability, creating fertile conditions for innovation and entrepreneurship.

Can hospitality take a leadership role in sustainability?

I believe the answer to that question is yes; and we are already seeing this through the sharing of best practice at neutral organizations such as the UNWTO and the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).

We also see the wider hospitality sector – hotels, cruise lines, events, and others – taking more of a leading role in educating consumers, in particular around making progress towards the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 .

Is there more that can be done? Absolutely. With the reawakening of global travel after Covid we will surely see the issue of overtourism back in the spotlight.

The tourism and hospitality industry cannot call itself sustainable while major destinations are choked with tourists; and as we’ve already seen with cities like Venice and Amsterdam, if the industry cannot control tourist numbers then the authorities will do it for them .

As a leading hospitality school , Les Roches is also endeavoring to move the debate along by launching a new Bachelor specialization in Sustainable Developments and Practices, through which we hope to introduce students to sustainability practices and green initiative, so they can join the debate from an informed perspective when they graduate and get out into the workplace.

We’ve already come a long way in sustainable practices as an industry; the next generation of young talents must now have the drive – and the tools – to take us further when it comes to striking the perfect balance between guest experience and environmental impact.

Dr Dimitrios Diamantis

Professor and Executive Dean

Dimitrios brings 20 years of lecturing experience to Les Roches , having taught at institutions in the UK, France and Malaysia. He has also worked extensively within the hospitality sector. Dimitrios has published several books on the globalization of tourism & hospitality, as well as on ecotourism. For the past five years he has been a member of the judging panel for the Greek Tourism Awards.

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Sustainability in Hospitality: Why It Is Important and How Industry Leaders Can Help

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Most people won’t feel good about a vacation if they know it’s adding to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a stretch of trash piling up in the ocean for thousands of miles. Nor will they feel positive about booking a vacation connected with an organization known for disregarding a local economy’s well-being. The idea of enjoying oneself at the expense of others’ meeting their basic needs doesn’t sit well with most people.

Sustainability — the mindful use of a resource so that it isn’t used up or damaged — plays a vital role in the hospitality industry. Hospitality organizations’ success depends on their preserving the natural and cultural attractions that compel tourists to visit their destinations. Not doing so has consequences. In 2018, the Thai government shut down one of its most famous beaches, Maya Bay, for three years after daily visits of 5,000 tourists ended up destroying most of its coral and threatening the very beauty that drew people to the area in the first place. Local tourism operators went out of business.

With the right leadership, hospitality organizations can adopt sustainable business strategies. Sustainability-minded hospitality leaders can also improve efficiency and attract a growing number of customers looking for environmentally and socially responsible products and services. Pursuing an online leadership and management degree or certificate can prepare professionals to lead their organizations to success through sustainability in hospitality.

Why Sustainability in Hospitality Matters

“All tourism relies on the natural and cultural resources that attract tourists and act as the main driver of growth and development in the tourism economy. Some destinations, such as those in the Caribbean, rely on pristine beaches and crystal clear waters to bring in tourists. Others, such as Paris, rely on their cultural heritage—architecture, museums, cuisine—to drive tourist visits,” explains Sergio Alvarez, assistant professor at the University of Central Florida’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management. “As diverse as these destinations may seem, they all share one thing in common: the attractions that make them world-class destinations are threatened by human activity, and in many cases, tourism itself is a main threat to these attractions.”

Sustainable practices make hospitality organizations stand out. Today’s travelers, restaurant patrons, hotel bookers and shoppers care about sustainability. They want to know that the companies they give their business to follow environmentally, socially and culturally sound practices. An overwhelming majority of millennials and Generation Zers will pay more for products and services that don’t harm the environment, deplete natural resources, or negatively affect the lives of people or wildlife.

As a case in point, a Nielson study found that nearly 75% of the respondents from these younger generations are willing to take action to support this attitude. A growing number of people from older generations also want companies to become environmental stewards. In fact, the Nielson study found that 51% of baby boomers will spend more for sustainable products and services as well. To stand out, hospitality organizations can focus on a few key aspects:

Conserving Energy

Energy conservation in the hospitality industry entails a two-pronged approach: reduction and efficiency. Organizations can start by training employees in behaviors that reduce energy use. These behaviors can range from turning off lights to changing the settings on washing machines and adjusting thermostats appropriately. Energy conservation may also include friendly reminders to guests about their use of towels or electricity. For efficiency, organizations can look for opportunities to use green technology or products. For example, they can install solar panels for heating and cooling or switch to energy-efficient LED lights.

Reducing Waste

Organizations have numerous opportunities to limit their waste. To cut down on food waste, companies can source their food locally or grow it on site. This reduces how much food spoils and ensures fresher products. Businesses can also adopt food-donation policies that let patrons know unused food will make it to the local food kitchen as opposed to just being discarded. Installing water-efficient products, such as water-saving filters, can also make a difference in reducing waste.

Using Organic Amenities

“At a global level, tourism is responsible for 8% of carbon emissions, which are causing changes in our climate and rising sea levels,” notes Alvarez. “Tourism’s substantial carbon footprint is not only caused by transportation of tourists, but also by the production and transportation of supplies such as food, beverages, towels and linens that are a must-have in every hotel.”

Organic products leave a lighter carbon footprint than others. By switching to organic, businesses demonstrate a commitment to sustainability. Organic amenities can include products made of all-natural ingredients and no harsh chemicals. For example, hotel toiletries, cleaning supplies, food and fragrances can all come in organic forms. Additionally, organizations can choose products that come in recyclable packaging or biodegradable cartons. Incorporating sustainable strategies into how an organization operates not only makes a good impression and potentially saves money; it can also protect the natural and cultural attractions guests have come to see.

The hospitality industry must ensure it works in harmony with the environment and is mindful of its social and economic impact by not overconsuming resources, working to conserve biodiversity, not polluting, and respecting local communities and workers. In doing so, the industry protects its very existence. For this reason and others, sustainable tourism has emerged. This practice showcases the environment and focuses on protecting ecological processes and conserving a location’s natural heritage. It also shows respect to host communities and works toward building cultural understanding with them.

The Benefits of Sustainability in Hospitality

Practicing sustainability in hospitality comes with many benefits. Aside from attracting more customers and responding responsibly to what many consider a moral imperative, in light of the current climate crisis, sustainable initiatives offer hospitality businesses incentives.

The federal government, along with states and some local governments, have enacted several programs to promote “green” business. Using renewable energy, reducing waste and implementing measures that enable reuse and recycling can add up to more than just energy conservation. Incentive programs reward businesses with tax write-offs, discounts on insurance premiums, financial grants and faster regulatory permitting. In addition, innovative, environmentally friendly technology can result in long-term cost savings. Though sustainable practices can require initial spending, the combined effects of energy efficiency, waste reduction and the like can lead to spending less money in the long run.

Many hospitality organizations have adopted sustainability plans. This intentional approach involves incorporating sustainable practices that reach across all business operations. Sustainability plans can help improve brand image. Most consumers care about sustainability, according to a recent Trip Advisor survey. It found that 62% of travelers had opted for more environmentally friendly hotels, food and transportation, and 69% of survey respondents said they intended to make even more environmentally responsible travel choices in the future.

In tourism, for instance, people often vote with their feet. If tourists learn that a business does not take the necessary steps to eliminate or significantly reduce its negative impact on the environment, this information will affect their perception of the company brand. Conversely, when organizations demonstrate their commitment to green practices, they can improve their brand image and draw more tourists. Additionally, business cultures that embrace sustainability can also better attract the elite work talent of younger generations looking for companies who share their values.

The Role of Leadership in Sustainability

How can the hospitality industry ensure it fully embraces sustainability? Leaders in this sector can play a key role by integrating sustainability concepts into their business goals and strategies.

Establishing Energy Management Programs

First, hospitality leaders can put energy management programs into place. These programs can involve creating a team responsible for setting up energy conservation plans with specific goals. For example, the team might strive to reduce the company’s energy use by 10% within a year. To help reach the goals, leaders might reward departments or individuals in the organization for reaching their milestone objectives.

Evaluating Energy Usage

Leaders can take another important action toward sustainability: determining how their businesses use energy. A clear understanding of energy usage allows leaders to identify areas for improvement. For example, in what area of a hotel is the most energy being used? Are there ways to reduce energy use in that area without negatively affecting guest experience? Additionally, leaders can routinely evaluate their energy use, seeking out energy-saving practices to improve efficiency and ultimately cut costs.

Embracing Renewable Energy

Besides reducing energy consumption and evaluating how energy is used in their businesses, hospitality leaders can reduce their business’ carbon footprint by embracing renewable sources of energy. In addition to building their brand image as a sustainable hospitality business, these investments pay off by reducing operational costs. For instance, back in 2015, the La Quinta Inn & Suites in Danbury, Connecticut, installed 400 solar panels on the property’s rooftops to generate 132,000 watts of solar electricity. By 2016, the property was saving approximately $1,500 a month in its energy bill, in addition to receiving approximately $16,000 in sales of electricity back to the grid.

Educating Employees

Sustainability in business requires a group effort. Educating employees and raising awareness about sustainable practices should play a part in onboarding and ongoing training. Every aspect of a business can adopt practices that take sustainability into account, considering such things as water and waste management, the use of organic products that do not contain harmful chemicals, and reuse and recycling. In this way, sustainability can become a part of an organization’s culture.

Directing an organization toward sustainability requires key skills. Hospitality leaders must inspire the people in their organizations to embrace sustainability as they work toward meeting expectations. To do this, hospitality leaders must excel in open communication, clear goal setting, positivity, teamwork, and being open to new ideas.

Challenges and Trends

While sustainability in hospitality offers clear advantages, professionals in this industry must still overcome challenges to build sustainable strategies. For one, they must correct misconceptions that sustainability costs more money and that consumers do not care about it, when in fact becoming more energy-efficient saves money and developing a brand known as sustainable attracts more patrons.

Advances in technology related to renewable energy have also lowered the costs for using sources such as solar or geothermal energy. Additionally, tour operators who protect ecosystems that serve as their main attraction, while cooperating with and supporting local economies and culture, also win financially in the long run. Some organizations worry sustainable practices can disrupt guest experience. However, if organizations carefully focus on what guests need and customize their services accordingly, they can improve this aspect of their business. Hersha Hospitality Trust, which owns 48 upscale hotels, has instituted sustainability initiatives that actually enhance customer experience, including:

• Smart thermostat technology in each room that allows guests to customize temperatures while lowering energy use
• Recycling options in guest rooms that allow guests to maintain their green habits while away from home
• Locally sourced foods and products that allow guests to support local vendors and try something unique to the area
• Free access to bicycles that allow guests to both get around and explore the new area while reducing their carbon footprints

Hospitality leaders can incorporate other current and emerging trends into their sustainability strategies, such as:

• Eliminating single-use plastic
• Creating paperless environments
• Sourcing from sustainable suppliers
• Purchasing green cleaning supplies
• Developing recycling programs

Explore How to Become a Hospitality Leader in Sustainability

“It is clear that tourism causes problems. However, leaders in hospitality and tourism have the power to be part of the solution, rather than being a part of the problem,” says. Alvarez. “The three pillars of sustainability — social, environmental, and economic — provide a roadmap for visionary leaders to transform their businesses and ensure that our cherished natural and cultural attractions are available for future generations of tourists to enjoy.”

The growing importance of sustainability in hospitality is obvious. Today’s hospitality organizations need leaders who can help implement sustainable practices and build a culture of social, environmental and economic responsibility. The University of Central Florida offers the following degree and certificate programs that prepare graduates to thrive in different areas of the industry:

• Destination Marketing and Management
• Event Leadership, MS
• Event Management
• Event Management, BS
• Financial Management for the Hospitality and Tourism Industry
• Hospitality and Tourism Management, MS
• Hospitality and Tourism Technologies
• Hospitality Management, BS
• Leadership and Strategy in Hospitality and Tourism
• Lifestyle Community Management, BS
• Lodging and Restaurant Management, BS
• Travel Technology and Analytics, MS

Explore how the University of Central Florida’s online leadership and management degrees and certificates can help aspiring hospitality leaders pursue their professional goals.

Online Leadership and Management Degrees at UCF

• Career and Technical Education, BS
• Career and Workforce Education, MA
• College Teaching and Leadership
• Corrections Leadership
• Educational Leadership, MA
• Emergency and Crisis Management, MECM
• Engineering Management, MS
• Health Informatics and Information Management, BS
• Health Services Administration, BS
• Industrial Engineering, MSIE
• Local Director of Career & Technical Education
• Master of Public Administration, MPA
• Nonprofit Management
• Nonprofit Management, MNM
• Police Leadership
• Project Engineering
• Public Administration

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7 ways to travel more sustainably.

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Sustainable travel can be fun, rewarding and not at all challenging

Sustainable travel is surging in popularity, but what does it mean? The vague term can refer to traveling in a way that’s conscientious of the environment and local communities, leaving less of an impact on a destination and perhaps even bettering the location in the process. Sustainable tourism, in many ways a reaction to overtourism, helps protect the planet, to ensure destinations are liveable and worth visiting for years to come. And while travel can certainly takes its toll, creating carbon emissions, waste and more, responsible tourism is an essential step in protecting the planet.

Sustainable Travel Tips

Responsible tourism helps the environment by limiting ecological impact, supporting indigenous wildlife, respecting cultural heritage, and not taking away from a destination as a visitor, be it removing a shell from a beach or littering on a hiking trail. Plenty of responsible travel itineraries are easily replicable, but many trips can be adapted to be more sustainable. There are so many ways, big and small, to travel more responsibly and sustainably. Here’s how to start:

1. TSA-Friendly Doesn’t Need To Be Earth Hostile

You can buy single use and tiny versions of pretty much every care product these days, but do you actually need to? Opt for refillable travel bottles to decant your normal products into, and you’ll always have TSA-friendly bottles of shampoo, lotion, whatever you need at the ready. If you prefer to travel without liquids, consider switching to bars of shampoo and conditioner toothpaste powder and other products, which are eco-friendly wherever you are.

Planning ahead can be a major factor in sustainable travel

2. Opt For Public Transit

Public transportation — buses, trains, light rail, etc. — is always more sustainable than a private ride. If possible, use public transit to get to and from your destination and learn your destination’s public transit system to navigate while you explore. Not only will you likely save money as well as lower your carbon footprint, you’ll get a taste of how locals live. If public transit isn’t an option, consider booking shared rides to the airport and excursions, or renting an electric or hybrid vehicle if driving solo is the only option.

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A bit of planning ahead can save considerable landfill waste. Bringing a reusable coffee cup for morning coffee runs and reusable water bottle will hopefully cut down the amount of single-use items you purchase on the go. Other easy to pack items including a reusable travel utensil set, reusable straws and reusable earplugs can help avoid creating more waste on the road. If you’re someone who discards beach reads, consider switching to an e-reader. Pack tote bags to carry souvenirs or other items purchased on the road that won’t require disposable plastic bags.

4. Eat Conscientiously

Eating local is the best way for your diet to support local eco-systems. Not only does dining at independent, small businesses (e.g. not chains), support local business people, but can often have lower environmental impact than major franchised restaurants that ship ingredients and supplies across the country. Making lower impact choices, including eating mostly plant-based, when possible, can also make travel a bit greener. If you don’t have anything to do with leftovers, consider ordering with a bit more restriction so you aren’t creating an excess of food waste.

Local culinary experiences can be healthy, fulfilling and sustainable

5. Book A Sustainable Hotel

Staying at a property dedicated to sustainability can make a big impact, especially by showing the travel industry that this is a priority for hospitality. Hotels are offered various certifications to prove their sustainable status, which can be achieved as a remote eco-lodge or luxury property in a major city. Several hotels are seeking LEED certification , the Green Hotels Association has a collection of vendors who prioritize sustainability, and the Leading Hotels of the World has a sustainability collection of five star properties.

6. Buy Carbon Offsets

While we technically can’t undo the damage we cause to the environment, there are initiatives to at least mitigate it. Carbon offsets allow consumers to compensate for their carbon footprint by funding projects that reduce carbon dioxide pollution. CoolEffect.org can help you decide how much to give, based on trip itinerary and logistics. For example, to offset air travel, a roundtrip, 6-hour flight would add about 1.89 tons of CO2 per passenger, and $31.17 of carbon offsets would help mitigate that.

Some airlines offer the option to purchase carbon offsets alongside airfare

7. Slow Down Your Travel

Slow travel is a buzzword that’s emerged in the 2020s, when work and leisure travel aka bleisure have melded more than ever, and the concept of working and even socializing remotely is totally normalized. Rather than a quick jaunt back and forth, slow travel emphasizes taking your time with tourism, be it living in a rental property for a month and enjoying the sights on the weekends, going backpacking, biking or hiking for an extended off the grid period, or traveling via train instead of air. Slow tourism has been proven to have a positive environmental impact .

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The Benefits of Tourism and Travel to the Tourist’s Well-Being: A Conceptual Discussion

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Daily hassles and negative life events are common occurrences for many people. Stressors, such as work-related problems, are detrimental to a person’s well-being and can be detrimental to health, especially if they persist over a long period of time. Many people resort to tourism to restore their mental and physical well-being. Restoration enables people to recover from mental fatigue and helps them meet the demands of everyday life. At the destination, tourists engage in activities that enable them to put aside thoughts about their work and other personal concerns. This paper explores how the engagement with different elements of the destination enables tourists to enhance their physiological and psychological well-being. The tourism activities considered in this paper are (i) engagement with nature, (ii) engagement with the physical environment, (iii) engagement with culture, (iv) engagement with the spiritual, (v) engagement with other people. For each, the implications for the tourist’s well-being are discussed.

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Ebejer, J. (2023). The Benefits of Tourism and Travel to the Tourist’s Well-Being: A Conceptual Discussion. In: Katsoni, V. (eds) Tourism, Travel, and Hospitality in a Smart and Sustainable World. IACuDiT 2022. Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-29426-6_38

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World Earth Day 2024: Hospitality Industry Embraces Earth Day With Sustainable Efforts

A s Earth Day dawns upon us, a chorus of voices rises from the hospitality industry, echoing a resounding commitment to sustainability. From opulent hotels to visionary tourism boards, these entities stand as beacons of environmental stewardship, weaving eco-conscious practices into the fabric of their operations. Let us embark on a journey through their inspiring initiatives, as they lead the charge towards a greener, more sustainable future.

Redefining Luxury with Responsibility

In the realm of luxury hospitality, ITC Hotels emerges as a trailblazer in the pursuit of Responsible Luxury. With a myriad of LEED Platinum certified properties under its belt, including the illustrious ITC Maurya, the brand sets a new standard for sustainable accommodation. Amaan Kidwai, Area Manager Luxury Hotels North & General Manager, ITC Maurya, extols the virtues of sustainable processes ingrained within the hotel’s ethos.

From renewable energy sources to innovative waste management practices, every facet of ITC Maurya’s operations reflects a deep-seated commitment to environmental conservation. As discerning travelers seek out experiences aligned with their eco-conscious values, ITC Maurya stands as an oasis of responsible hospitality, beckoning guests to indulge in luxury with a conscience.

A Sanctuary of Sustainable Luxury

Nestled amidst the bustling streets of Delhi, Taj Mahal, New Delhi, stands as a sanctuary of sustainable luxury, guided by its Paathya framework. Through a myriad of initiatives, from eco-conscious meetings to innovative automation solutions, the hotel epitomizes a harmonious blend of opulence and environmental stewardship. By phasing out single-use plastics and harnessing rainwater for conservation, Taj Mahal, New Delhi, exemplifies a commitment to sustainable practices that transcend luxury.

With a focus on energy efficiency, waste reduction, and water conservation, Taj Mahal, New Delhi, sets a shining example for sustainable hospitality in the heart of the city.

Charting a Path to Sustainable Destinations

Beyond individual properties, tourism boards like Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority play a pivotal role in shaping sustainable tourism practices. CEO Raki Phillips highlights their Silver Certification under EarthCheck’s Sustainable Destinations program and their innovative ‘Green Hotel Rating’ system. By spearheading initiatives to reduce energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and waste output, Ras Al Khaimah paves the way for a future where sustainability is the cornerstone of tourism excellence.

Nurturing a World of Care

Hyatt’s dedication to caring for both people and the planet shines through its holistic approach towards sustainability. Lokesh Sabharwal, Regional Vice President – Operations, India & South West Asia, underscores Hyatt’s unwavering commitment to environmental action through its World of Care platform. Focused on climate change mitigation, water conservation, waste reduction, and responsible sourcing, Hyatt harnesses the power of data-driven insights to drive meaningful change.

From phasing out single-use plastics to championing food waste reduction initiatives, Hyatt properties worldwide exemplify a steadfast dedication to minimizing their environmental footprint. Through innovative projects like rooftop apiaries and community-driven campaigns like Save Food, Share Food, Hyatt nurtures a world where sustainability is synonymous with hospitality excellence.

As we celebrate Earth Day, let us draw inspiration from these champions of sustainability in the hospitality industry. Their unwavering dedication to environmental stewardship not only preserves our planet for future generations but also sets a precedent for a more conscientious approach to travel. Together, let us embark on a journey towards a brighter, more sustainable future, where every stay is a celebration of our commitment to Mother Earth.