Commentary - 'Local Agenda 21 and Community Participation in Tourism Policy and Planning: Future or Fallacy' by Jackson and Morpeth

Abstract

This commentary on Jackson and Morpeth's paper confirms that in pursuit of appropriate tourism development, the tourism industry should ratify the Agenda 21 framework for sustainable development. Local Agenda 21 (LA21) provides an ample blueprint for the vital host community, tourism community interaction that is obligatory for sustainable tourism. Yet it needs to be recognised that one of the main obstacles to further development of the LA21 mandate is lack of impetus from the local community. To mitigate this lack of support, national levels of government should further advocate LA21 planning at a national level. To enhance the implementation of LA21, local levels of government need to actualise the concept of community empowerment. Local governments need to transcend beyond the rhetoric of community planning and facilitate positive discussion, leading to the endorsement of local initiatives. Community involvement in sustainable tourism planning within an LA21 framework can foster a sense of attachment and ownership to local initiatives and help to maintain the sociocultural, natural and built environment. LA21 provides a framework to overcome the obstacles confronting the reality of sustainable tourism development.