Understanding the Importance of Stakeholder Management in Achieving Sustainable Ecotourism

Abstract

Ecotourism brings many economic, environmental, and socio-cultural benefits to the tourism destination, but its implementation is not simple. Several studies in the past have shown the importance of including stakeholders for the development of ecotourism in the area. Understanding stakeholders varied interests and their power of influence is vital to achieve sustainability in a tourism destination. The study aimed to develop a multi-stakeholder management model that could unite stakeholders towards achieving sustainable ecotourism in the area. A critical synthesis of the literature was conducted by classifying and then critically reviewing the literature to construct and integrate the variables that could help in the better management of stakeholders, which would lead towards the development of a framework that can guide in achieving sustainability in ecotourism. This study validates previous findings and also directs to develop a sustainable ecotourism framework through which the environmental, social, and economic benefits can be achieved in the destination. Understanding multiple stakeholders helps to achieve sustainability and, as a result, makes the tourist destination experience better for both the visitor and host. The developed model would add value to the literature by enriching tourism destination stakeholders understanding, precisely related to the multiple stakeholder management, and leads to achieving ecotourism sustainability.