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046<br />
SECTION 4:<br />
THE NEED FOR ENVIRONMENTALLY-<br />
SOUND TOURISM<br />
If tourism is to continue to expand and be profitable, it must develop and operate<br />
in an environmentally-sound manner. Environment stewardship is the key concept<br />
here. Just as product manufacturers work continually to improve the quality of<br />
their goods, so the tourism industry must put back what it takes from the primary<br />
product, which it receives practically free of charge: the environment.<br />
Environmentallysound<br />
tourism is<br />
tourism that<br />
meets the needs<br />
of the present<br />
generation while<br />
maintaining and<br />
enhancing the<br />
beauty and<br />
integrity of<br />
destinations<br />
for future<br />
generations.<br />
What is Environmentally-Sound Tourism?<br />
Environmentally-sound or sustainable tourism can be defined as ‘tourism<br />
development and management that meets the needs of today’s tourists and<br />
tourism businesses without compromising the ability of future tourists and<br />
tourism businesses to enjoy and profit from the same destinations’. In other<br />
words, environmentally-sound tourism is tourism that meets the needs of the<br />
present generation while maintaining and enhancing the beauty and integrity of<br />
destinations for future generations.<br />
In theory, tourist destinations go through a cycle of evolution: exploration,<br />
followed by evolvement, development and consolidation, leading to stagnation<br />
and, eventually, either rejuvenation or decline. Environment impacts begin to<br />
occur right at the very beginning during the exploration stage, and if no planning<br />
and control measures are put in place, they increase during evolvement and<br />
development, their full consequences becoming apparent during the consolidation<br />
stage. Environment degradation is a key factor in a destination’s stagnation and<br />
eventual decline, while environment improvement is vital for its regeneration.<br />
Environmentally-sound tourism will ensure that a destination’s stagnation period<br />
is reduced to a minimum and that it passes from consolidation to continuous<br />
rejuvenation.<br />
4.1 The Framework for Environmentally-<br />
Sound Tourism<br />
Environmentally-sound, sustainable tourism, requires an all-round effort in the<br />
planning, delivery, monitoring and end disposal of all goods and services<br />
involved:<br />
1) A sustainable tourism master plan is critical to ensure overall<br />
environment improvement in the destination. This master plan must<br />
be developed and implemented in collaboration with other businesses<br />
linked to tourism: regulators, local government, educational<br />
establishments, non-government bodies and citizens’ groups.<br />
2) Environment criteria must be incorporated into all legislation relevant<br />
to tourism – land use, planning, building and construction, facility<br />
operation, emissions standards, waste disposal, demolition, protectedarea<br />
management, visitor management, etc. Legislation should aim to:<br />
• Facilitate environment management;<br />
• Reward those who improve their environment performance;<br />
• Prevent waste and pollution in the first place, and not simply deal<br />
with them once they have been created;<br />
• Ensure that environment improvement in one area does not result in<br />
increased resource use or waste output in others;<br />
• Ensure that cleaner and safer technology is available and affordable.<br />
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