Sustainable Forms Of Tourism Research Articles

An integrative geotourism approach: bridging conflicts in tourism landscape research

Landscapes have a central position in many rural tourism destinations. They provide both assets and bounds for tourism development, and they indirectly provide the framework in which tourism is often envisaged as a regional development tool. However, the complexity of the interactions between landscapes and tourism has resulted in multiple and sometimes contrasting interpretations and research focuses dealing with landscape–tourism interactions. These contrasts have impeded constructive discussion, dynamism and progress in tourism landscape research in general. To manoeuvre in this complex and ‘chaotic’ field, we argue that a reinterpretation of the concept of geotourism provides a structured way forward. A focus on geotourism, although highly contested as a scientific concept, creates opportunities to bridge the gap between tourism-centred and landscape-centred strands that dominate and hence divide current tourism landscape research. The adapted geotourism framework presented here, in which geotourism is re-interpreted as an approach to study landscape–tourism interactions instead of currently contrasting definitions as either geological niche tourism or a form of sustainable tourism, builds on the idea that landscapes and tourism are inextricably connected. Landscapes provide natural and cultural assets for tourism development, with destination images being constructed by emplaced social and power relations. Simultaneously, the created ‘tourismscape’ has constitutive power to shape the landscape and the processes within it. By building on this continuum between tourism and landscape, the proposed geotourism approach provides a solid conceptual foundation for future research on landscape–tourism interactions and the interrelations between tourism landscapes and regional development.

Assessing tourism's global environmental impact 1900–2050

This paper pioneers the assessment of tourism's total global resource use, including its fossil fuel consumption, associated CO2 emissions, fresh water, land, and food use. As tourism is a dynamic growth system, characterized by rapidly increasing tourist numbers, understanding its past, current, and future contributions to global resource use is a central requirement for sustainable tourism assessments. The paper introduces the concept of resource use intensities (RUIs), which represent tourism's resource needs per unit of consumption (e.g. energy per guest night). Based on estimates of RUIs, a first assessment of tourism's global resource use and emissions is provided for the period 1900–2050, utilizing the Peeters Global Tourism Transport Model. Results indicate that the current (2010) global tourism system may require c.16,700 PJ of energy, 138 km3 of fresh water, 62,000 km2 of land, and 39.4 Mt of food, also causing emissions of 1.12 Gt CO2. Despite efforts to implement more sustainable forms of tourism, analysis indicates that tourism's overall resource consumption may grow by between 92% (water) and 189% (land use) in the period 2010–2050. To maintain the global tourism system consequently requires rapidly growing resource inputs, while the system is simultaneously becoming increasingly vulnerable to disruptions in resource flows.

Tourism and Willing Workers on Organic Farms: a collision of two spaces in sustainable agriculture

The purpose of this paper is to offer a conceptual analysis of the space created by the Willing Workers on Organic Farms (WWOOF) host as a part of the organic farming movement and how that space now collides with the idea of tourism heterotopias as the changing market sees WWOOFers who may be less motivated by organic farming and more by a cheaper form of holiday. The resulting contested space is explored looking at the role and delicate balance of WWOOFing as a form of sustainable tourism in the context of socially constructed understandings of space. Poststructural concepts of space suggest that it is impermanent, fragile and under constant threat of change. Space is constantly produced and reproduced in the process, spaces become sites where struggle and contestation occur, in this instance as one discourse or discursive practice, namely WWOOFing, intersects with and is influenced by the more dominant capital centric discourse of mass tourism.

Resources for development of the Raca Municipality as a rural tourism destination

The attractiveness of rural areas is the basis for development of tourist offer of rural tourism destination. Bearing in mind that the villages are ecologically and environmentally preserved integrities, it is a sustainable form of tourism, which contributes to the development of rural economy. Villages that foster traditional values are of attractive tourist destinations. Staying of tourists in the villages enables active involvement of other economic activities in the creation of the integrated tourism product. Tourism of the Raca Municipality, despite the existence of attractive resources, is not adequately developed. Tourist offer is of a modest scale and based on the sites of cultural and historical heritage and events. The development of tourism in this municipality requires institutional support of local government, investments and cooperation of holders of the tourism offer. In this paper, the emphasis is on the analysis of the current situation of tourism development in the municipality of Raca, with emphasis on resources for the development of rural tourism. Based on examples of good practice - rural tourism destinations in Europe and Serbia, the contribution of labor is reflected in providing guidelines for the future development of rural tourism in Raca.

The role of small-scale sports events in developing sustainable sport tourism – a case study of fencing

Promoting sports and sport tourism is considered as a strategic development objective at the local, regional and national levels in Hungary. However, sport tourism is present in many different forms, depending on the type of sport activity, the related sport events and its participants, therefore it is challenging to decide on the type of sports and sports events that should be supported to ensure long-term social and economic benefits for a local community. The scale of sports events ranges from the small, local competitions to the international mega sports events. Although the economic benefits of mega sports events are generally appreciated, there has been growing critique about their negative social and environmental impacts. Smallscale sports events also have important potential for tourism, and they may have more advantages for the local community than the mega events by providing additional incomes, using the already existing infrastructure, raising local pride and community spirit. Sport tourism related to small-scale events is generally considered to be a more sustainable form of tourism. The purpose of this paper is to examine the tourism development potential of small-scale sports events, particularly focusing on fencing competitions. It highlights the demand side of the sport tourism market, investigating the behavioral profile of the participants of an international fencing tournament. A questionnaire survey was conducted at the Budapest WestEnd Women's Epee Grand Prix 2014. The data revealed that participants of the sporting event spend only a short period of time at the destination, and shopping and eating out are the most preferred free time activities. The paper identifies and discusses issues regarding the role of sports organizations and tourism agencies in cities hosting such events to increase the tourism potential of small-scale sports events in the future.

Community-Based Ecotourism: The Transformation of Local Community

Community-based ecotourism (CBET) is considered a sustainable form of tourism that improves the quality of life of hosts at the tourist destination. Scholars have yet to explore the long-term operation of CBET in relation to its effects on the local way of life. Consequently, the purpose of this paper is to examine the transformation of a local community due to the operation of CBET in relation to sociocultural, economic and environmental aspects. The findings reveal that the community encounters both positive and negative impacts of transformation. However, unintended impacts of the CBET operation lay embedded in the transformation of relationships among the community members. The study identifies that close relationships among the villagers has been initially transformed to loose relationships due to forgotten communal goals; CBET has transformed from being a conservation tool to being a business-oriented goal which causes conflicts of interest among local people and alters traditional social structure. The study also agrees with the notion of social exchange theory for villagers to enhance environmental sustainability, and proposes that slight inequalities of benefits received from CBET causes social transformation at the local level.

Visiting friends and relatives tourism and implications for community capital

Visiting friends and relatives (VFR) tourism accounts for a substantial amount of worldwide travel, yet has received comparatively little attention regarding its impacts on sustainability. This paper provides an initial discussion that situates VFR tourism within a discussion on sustainable tourism development. The community capitals framework is used as a basis for the discussion. A review of academic literature on VFR and sustainable tourism provides the foundations for this paper. Due to the personal relationships inherent in VFR there are significant consequences regarding the social impacts of VFR tourism. Additionally, the economic implications of VFR tourism include a more stable demand, greater dispersal of spending, and engagement of residents as consumers. The ability of communities to absorb VFR tourism relative to other forms of tourism has positive indications for the cultural and environmental aspects of community development. As debates within the more recent literature consider the opportunities and possibilities for mass tourism to become more sustainable, this paper suggests that VFR could reasonably be considered a sustainable form of tourism and offers destinations a viable strategy for sustainable tourism development.

Hong Kong Geopark: a paradigm of urban sustainable tourism

Geotourism is a form of sustainable tourism that specifically focuses on geology and landscape. Geotourism has five essential characteristics, namely, being geologically based, environmentally sustainable, informative, beneficial and tourist-satisfactory. In the recent decade, many countries have set up geoparks as a means to promote geotourism and nature conservation. A geopark is a designated area where outstanding and rare geological landforms are protected and where a sustainable economic development strategy is in place. Hong Kong Geopark was open in 2009 as an urban geopark established in the setting of a densely populated metropolis. Because of proximity, Hong Kong Geopark integrates with the city to form a geopark-city tourism system in such a way that the park and the city play separate but complementary roles in the development of geotourism. The major aim of this paper is to examine the relationship between Hong Kong Geopark and geotourism and explain how the park achieves sustainable tourism.

The regional-local nexus: a landscape-based integral design strategy for sustainable tourism development

The purpose – The purpose of this project is to investigate what a landscape architecture approach could add to sustainable tourism development. Design – Spatial design is used as tool to investigate the chances and possibilities of sustainable tourism. Methodology – In the project we used research by design as method. This is done by doing a case study on the Dubrovnik Riviera, where we tested our concepts, ideas and methods in practice. During the case study we used participation, the layer approach of de Hoog and Sijmons (1996) and the landscape approach of Koh (2010) as our main methods. Approach – Using the local landscape and culture as base and inspiration for the development of sustainable tourism. Combined with tourism trends and the input of local stakeholders we worked out a spatial plan. Findings – The landscape including natural and cultural qualities can serve as a perfect base for the development of new forms of sustainable tourism: − A touristic region should function as a system, where all villages are working together adding something unique to the whole system − An efficient extensive public transport network and zoning can help developing a region sustainable − A combination between a bottom-up and top-down approach is needed to implement sustainable tourism, creating preconditions for each other to function optimally. So, we can conclude that a landscape-based design approach gives a significant new insight in how sustainable tourism can be developed in practice. The originality of this research – The landscape architecture approach fills the gap between ideas about sustainable tourism and the practical applicability of it. Using the local landscape and culture sets a sustainable framework for developing sustainable tourism and results in a working tourism system led by the local community. Using landscape architecture in sustainable tourism development is a new, but very interesting and promising addition to the current research and concrete development.

Global Geotourism – An Emerging Form of Sustainable Tourism

Geotourism is a new form of tourism based on the geological environment. Whilst ecotourism and biodiversity have been described in the academic literature for over thirty years, geotourism and its attendant concepts of geoheritage, geodiversity, geoconservation, and geotours , is relatively new. Geotourism is defined as tourism which focuses on an area’s geology and landscape as the basis of fostering sustainable tourism development. It begins with an understanding of the Abiotic (non-living) environment, to build greater awareness of the Biotic (living) environment of plants and animals as well as the Cultural environment of people, past and present. It is argued that geotourism offers a new form of sustainable tourism which is more holistic than previous niche forms of tourism.

Development of Sustainable Romanian Eco-Tourism - Concepts and Features

Given that ecotourism, as a form of sustainable tourism, registered a further develop in recent decades, and an increasing interest from tourists and specialists in the study of tourism, this paper is timely and appropriate. The tourism, like a socio-economic phenomenon, has experienced continuous growth and diversification, wearing new forms, such as rural tourism, agro-tourism, ecotourism, etc. This study includes both theoretical concepts, documentation obtained from the literature and a series of concrete results on the degree of development of ecotourism in Romania. Is shown, in particular, organized ecotourism situation as a form of tourism in protected areas.

Sustainable Cycle Tourism along the Danube Cycle Route in Austria

During July and August up to 80,000 cyclists pass by the town of Krems on the Danube cycle route. The high numbers of cycle tourists are encouraging for tourism managers and traffic planners alike. These tourists spend money on lodging, dining and shopping and strengthen the local economy without generating motorised traffic in the region. We can infer that cycle tourism strongly depends on good tourist infrastructure in combination with regional attractions and a beautiful landscape. Cycle tourism can be assumed to be one of the most sustainable forms of tourism. Surveys reveal that cycle tourists enjoy all the amenities other tourists also favour, without causing environmental pollution as motorised modes of transport do. The Danube cycle route in Austria and the cycle tourism in this area can be models for sustainable tourism and other cycle routes in similarly attractive regions.

Questioning Slow As Sustainable

Although the authors of the lead-off article bring up some very valid points surrounding definitions that seem to be so much of the focus on tourism research, this author questions whether we are debating the right issues. First, this author questions what is the difference between sustainable tourism and ecologically sustainable development? This author believed that ecologically sustainable development was one of the pillars of sustainability: the balance of socio-cultural, environmental and economic factors for the long-term well being of contemporary and future generations? The authors of the lead-article asked much should sustainable tourism and sustainable development goals enter into the assessment of the future? This author believes the fundamental goals of the two are different? The question should not be how much but rather how? The issues that call for more sustainable forms of tourism and tourism development arose from the same concerns over general sustainable development over twenty years ago (Bramwell and Lane 1993; Eber 1992; Hall and Jenkins 1995). If the tourism industry is going to carry on into the future, then perhaps the question should be how to implement these goals more successfully rather than debating another definition which possibly outlines the same issue that the definition of sustainable tourism did originally? Since sustainable tourism development was first discussed, there has been an agreed-upon confusion about whose needs and what time frames should be considered (e.g., Butler 1993, 1998; Sharpley 2003). Today, however, there seems to be no debate that sustainable tourism is needed and the concepts of sustainable tourism are agreed upon:  Protect and conserve resources  Use a multi-stakeholder approach  Be environmentally responsible  Maintain the well-being and involvement of the local population or host community

Volunteer Tourism: Looking Forward

‘Volunteer Tourism: As Good as it Seems?’ provides an important critique of the often assumed benefits of volunteer tourism (VT). The author approaches these benefits as potential but not inevitable and thus provides a muchneeded deconstruction of the frequently cited advantages of VT. By bringing together research from a variety of projects and countries, the author is able to address the perception that VT is inherently ‘good’ and highlight the importance of VT receiving the same level of critical analysis as other forms of sustainable tourism. I congratulate the author for also addressing some of the unintended consequences of VT. If VT is to be perceived as a model of ‘best practice’ in tourism (Wearing 2004), then I believe it is essential that such consequences are further unravelled. The author argues that ‘if the work (of volunteers) is somehow detrimental to a host community, then the volunteers’ personal transformations become benefits earned at the expense of the host community’. In my opinion this statement is central to the future of VT because if VT exploits locals for tourists’ own personal gain, then it can no longer be seen as an ‘alternative’ and mutually beneficial form of tourism.

Primi spunti di riflessione per la valorizzazione delle ferrovie minori: il caso della Brescia-Iseo-Edolo

The Brescia-Iseo-Edolo railway line is a minor Lombard railway and it offers interesting ideas concerning the opportunities that a historically important, minor railway can offer for the areas and communities through which it runs. These potentials can only be concretely realised if a strong planning approach is employed by the actors involved. In this specifi c case, this is a question of the desire to propose a new image of Franciacorta which associates wine production with forms of sustainable tourism and country bicycle routes with opportunities to see the areas crossed.

Toward a product-based typology for nature-based tourism: a conceptual framework

The traditional view of nature-based tourists as a relatively homogeneous group has been questioned, and several scholars have suggested various segmentation typologies. This paper discusses market and industry changes and notes key trends, as Fordist tourist products have been replaced by post-Fordist and neo-Fordist products, with both McDonaldization and McDisneyization developments. A range of visitor-based typologies are reviewed, and the conflict between capturing the diversity of today's nature-based tourists while offering management bodies simple tools to segment visitors, identify core groups and improve their marketing is noted. In an attempt to overcome this conflict, the paper presents a conceptual framework which focuses on nature-based tourism products instead of tourist types, therefore incorporating aspects of both the demand and supply sides of the nature-based tourism industry market. A two-dimensional matrix is suggested, linking four basic travel motivations (nature conservation, nature experience, sports/adventure and hedonistic) to four different types of tourist products (independent, à la carte, customized and standardized), giving a total typology of 16 different types. The matrix should help protected area managers to better understand tourist needs, suggest management measures and help to create more sustainable forms of tourism. Empirical testing is suggested as a next step.

The residents' reactions to sustainable tourism development in the Red Sea coast of Egypt

The issues of tourism development and sustainability are now at the forefront of much tourism research to find new solutions to tourism resources management and destination problems. However, despite the value of such attention in the possible improvement of destination management and the development of more sustainable forms of tourism, the concepts have remained relatively poor when they are critically analysed from a public policy perspective. This paper aims to explain the attitudes of the local Red Sea citizens towards the socioeconomic indicators of tourism development. To achieve the research objectives, data have been collected through 133 questionnaires that were distributed among the local Red Sea citizens. The results revealed that tourism development has positive impacts on the Red Sea region from the viewpoints of the local people. The tourism development policies in the Red Sea should concentrate on tourism projects that fulfil the requirements of sustainable tourism development to guarantee a positive reaction toward tourism development. To maximise the benefits of tourism development in the Red Sea, it is essential to create local cultural consciousness for the importance of concentrating on sustainability requirements/criteria in the future.

Sustainable Tourism Policy—Rejuvenation or a Critical Strategic Initiative

ABSTRACT Many tourism destinations have historically been mass tourism destinations, focusing on sun, sea and sand package holidays. Destinations, particularly islands such as Malta and the Balearic islands in the Mediterranean have often been heavily developed on an ad-hoc basis during the 1960's and 1970s which has resulted in unplanned tourism resorts leading to much environmental and social degradation. Due to this degradation, these islands have been losing competitive advantage over other destinations and realise that both their tourism product and market is deteriorating. In response, they have developed sustainable tourism policies to counter this deterioration. This paper examines two island destinations which have attempted to implement a sustainable tourism policy: Malta and Calviá (on the island of Mallorca in the Spanish Balearics). Although different in terms of governance structure, many economic, social, environmental and political issues are compared which are similar in how they have affected successful movement towards more sustainable forms of tourism through policy development. The paper concludes with recommendations provided by stakeholders within the industry for moving towards more sustainable behaviour and provides insight into sustainable tourism policy implementation issues for other destinations.

GREEN WITH RED: ENVIRONMENT AND JIANGXI'S TOURISM DEVELOPMENT

Since the late 1990's, as China's development-induced environmental problems increased, there has been concomitant rise of environmental concern in policy and public discourse. This rising concern for the environment has influenced tourism development in two ways. On one hand, new attention has been directed at finding more sustainable ways of developing existing tourist resources. On the other hand, environmental protection is being used by local governments, tourism agencies and other institutions as a marketing strategy in their efforts to promote tourist sites and attract capital investment. This essay examines these two forms of “greening” in Jiangxi's tourism development and explores persistent tension between the environment and the economy that undermines efforts to create more sustainable forms of tourism. The analysis locates the greening process in the specific conditions of Jiangxi's tourism development strategy, most notably its dependence on Red Tourism to draw in large number of domestic visitors. This case study of tourism development in Jiangxi shows how discrepancies exist between promotional claims and the implementation of environmental protection. Local tourism practices may not necessarily be environmentally constructive despite efforts on different levels.

The General Agreement on Trade in Services and the Impact of Trade Liberalisation on Tourism and Sustainability

After years of protracted negotiation the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) was due to come into force at the end of 2002. This agreement, the first multilateral and legally enforceable liberalisation agreement covering trade in services, including tourism services, aims to eliminate obstacles and discriminatory barriers to service trade and increase markets for investment. The agreement, covering a range of sectors, promises to have a significant effect on tourism service provision and perhaps pose a significant challenge to the efforts to develop sustainable forms of tourism. The subject of considerable controversy, the GATS has been criticised by human rights, environmental and developing world activist groups, many of whom see it as nothing more than a front for corporate domination of global markets, accelerating environmental degradation and undermining local governance structures. Supporters, on the other hand, see the GATS potential in overcoming trade disputes and hold out the promise of regional development and employment through increased inward investment. This paper aims to outline the GATS, examine its legal principles and explain the enthusiasm of its supporters and the concerns of the critics. Furthermore, it considers the potential impact of the GATS on sustainability and on issues such as local community participation and tourism governance.