DEVELOPING SUSTAINABILITY BY REDISCOVERING THE CONCEPT OF AUTHENTICITY

Abstract

In the past few decades, the concept of sustainability has entered almost all spheres of human activity while having an impact on environmental, economic, and social issues. Its definition varies from field to field adopting its meaning to different aspects, viewpoints, and conjectures. The polysemantic character of the concept requires a deeper insight into the intrinsic meaning of the notion itself. A proposition has been made to view sustainability from the aspect of a tourist destination. Namely, the objective of this article is to reconsider the concept of sustainability from the linguistical and etymological point of view by connecting it to the notion of authenticity in tourism. The authors consider that the lack of authenticity is a main drawback and an impediment to a true manifestation of sustainable development`s real nature in the future. This article thus argues that, if we omit to recognize the essentiality of sustainability as a concept, the mechanisms necessary for its implementation may be perceived as imposed, rigid, and ethically inconsistent.