The Sustainable Tourism Project is representative of an emerging approach in economic development to reconcile the need for economic growth with the quality of life and the protection of natural resources. The World Tourism Organization (WTO) identifies “sustainable tourism” as visitor industry development that has:
According to the WTO, sustainable tourism development meets the needs of present tourists and host regions while protecting and enhancing the opportunity for the future. It is seen as leading to management of all resources in such a way that economic, social and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled, while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity and life support systems. Sustainable tourism development connects tourists and providers of tourist facilities and services with advocates of environmental protection and community residents and their leaders who desire a better quality of life.
The major product of the Sustainable Tourism Project will be planning and analysis tools, in the form of an information database, a computer model, scenarios and recommendations, that will help policy makers reconcile tourism’s continued contribution to the economy with the need to protect environmental quality, provide infrastructure support, and enhance residents’ quality of life.
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