Abstract
The article aims to identify the degree to which tourism managers who work in Romania in the area of the Carpathian Mountains have implemented sustainable development practices. It also assesses the quantification of their availability to be informed and to apply voluntary tools of sustainable development. Qualitative research based on the method of semi-structured in-depth interviews was conducted, with 34 managers who work in the accommodation units in the Romanian Carpathians. Results show that most managers are concerned with issues linked to sustainable evolution of the accommodation unit they manage. The researchers have noticed a low interest in sustainable evolution negatively correlated with the comfort level of the accommodation unit and competitiveness. Based on these results the authors recommend the adoption of measures that may allow sustainable development, and for the Romanian authorities to encourage the increase in the number of tourism units that can use sustainable management systems. This can be done through accessible rules, development of networks that may offer information about good practices and codes of conduct, as well as the possibility to participate in exchange programs.
Highlights
The development of tourism has several positive influences on the economic evolution of a region, on the use of local labor, on the increase of revenue and quality of life
The socio-cultural aspects were not included in the interview guide, based on the fact that the accommodation units included in the sample are located in very different Romanian regions in terms of social development, the discrepancies being large and the average results irrelevant
The in-depth interviews conducted were analyzed under two aspects: (1) The vertical analysis, by individual approach of each interview, namely the opinions of each manager, showing the attention granted to the topics contained in the sub-themes of the in-depth interview
Summary
The development of tourism has several positive influences on the economic evolution of a region, on the use of local labor, on the increase of revenue and quality of life. All these cumulated elements help create psychological stability among residents [1]. The United Nations launched in 2015 the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development and, among the 17 objectives set, tourism is targeted directly by three of them [10]. The United Nations 70th General Assembly has designated 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development [11]
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