Sustainable Tourism: The World Tourism Organization 

defines sustainable tourism

in the following manner:
“Sustainable tourism development meets the needs of present tourists and host regions while
protecting and enhancing opportunities for the future. It is envisaged 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 Development is the development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

 Goal 1: No Poverty: Economic growth must be inclusive to provide sustainable jobs and
promote equality.
 Goal 2: Zero Hunger: The food and agriculture sectors offer key solutions for
development, and are central for hunger and poverty eradication.
 Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being: Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being
for all at all ages is essential to sustainable development.
 Goal 4: Quality Education: Obtaining a quality education is the foundation to improving
people’s lives and sustainable development.
 Goal 5: Gender Equality: Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a
necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world
 Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation: Clean,
accessible water for all is an essential part of
the world we want to live in.
 Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy:
Energy is central to nearly every major
challenge and opportunity.
 Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic
Growth: Sustainable economic growth will
require societies to create the conditions that
allow people to have quality jobs.
 Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and
Infrastructure: Investments in infrastructure
are crucial to achieving sustainable
development.
 Goal 10: Reduced Inequality: To reduce
inequalities, policies should be universal in
principle, paying attention to the needs of
disadvantaged and marginalised populations.
 Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities: There needs to be a future in which cities
provide opportunities for all, with access to basic services, energy, housing, transportation
and more.
 Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production: There needs to be responsible
production and consumption.
 Goal 13: Climate Action: Climate change is a global challenge that affects everyone,
everywhere.
 Goal 14: Life Below Water: Careful management of this essential global resource is a
key feature of a sustainable future.
 Goal 15: Life on Land: Sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and
reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss.
  Goal 16: Peace and Justice Strong Institutions: Access to justice for all, and building
effective, accountable institutions at all levels.
 Goal 17: Partnerships to Achieve the Goal: Revitalise the global partnership for
sustainable development.

The Principles of Sustainable Tourism

 The Worldwide Fund for Nature(WWF) gives 10 principles for sustainable tourism.
There are following as:

1) Using resources sustainably. The conservation and sustainable use of resources- natural,

social and cultural – is crucial and makes long-term business sense.
2) Reducing over-consumption and waste. Reduction of over-consumption and waste
avoids the costs of restoring long-term environmental damage and contributes to the quality
of tourism.
3) Maintaining
biodiversity. Maintaining
and promoting natural,
social and cultural diversity
is essential for long-term
sustainable tourism and
creates a resilient base for
the industry.
4) Integrating tourism
into planning. Tourism
development which is
integrated into a national
and local strategic planning
framework and which
undertake environmental
impact assessments
increases the long-term
viability of tourism.
5) Supporting local
economies. Tourism that
supports a wide range of
local economic activities
and which takes
environmental costs and
values into account, both
protects these economies
and avoids environmental
damage.
6) Involving local
communities. The full
involvement of local communities in the tourism sector not only benefits them and the
environment in general but also improves the quality of the tourism experience.
7) Consulting stakeholders and the public. Consulting between the tourism industry and
local communities, organizations and institutions are essential if they are to work alongside
each other and resolve potential conflicts of interest.
8) Training staff. Staff training which integrates sustainable tourism into work practices,
along with recruitment of personnel at all levels, improves the quality of the tourism product.
9) Marketing tourism responsibly. Marketing that provides tourists with the full and
responsible information increases respect for the natural, social and cultural environments of
destination areas and enhances customer satisfaction.
10) Undertaking research. Ongoing research and monitoring by the industry using effective
data collection and analysis are essential to help solve problems and to bring benefits to
destinations, the industry, and consumers.
Some Ways to Promote Sustainable Tourism
If you want to become a more responsible tourist, here are some ways you can try:

1. Include sustainable tourism alternatives in your trip.

2. Go green at your hotel.
3. Reduce your carbon footprint.
4. Say NO to illegal trade.
5. Support sustainable options in island destinations.
6. Take care of heritage places.
7. Challenge yourself to step outside of your comfort zone.
8. Support community-based tourism and initiatives.
9. Respect the practices of local people.
10. Make Sustainable Tourism the “New Normal”
11. Travel responsibly to Less-Visited Destinations

6 Top Challenges to Promoting Sustainable Tourism

1. Working with local authorities and getting approval often takes a very long time, and
some authorities make it hard for communities to start these initiatives by instituting
purposefully complicated and difficult processes.
2. People residing in areas where ecotourism is possible are often illiterate and lack the
skills to make this happen. Training can take time.
3. Communities often do not have the money to sustain the services they provide, so
when support is gone, the program disappears.
4. Struggles for control over natural resources, such as land concessions, can cause
problems in ecotourism areas. When developers start cutting down trees and building
on the land, the place loses its ecotourism potential.
5. Lack of knowledge and access to materials needed can put a definitive halt on the
development of ecotourism. Local people often do not have the resources or
knowledge to start these initiatives or even improve the quality of their preexisting
products and services. As such, they cannot attract tour operators to send tourists to
their areas.
6. A lack of local capacity to manage and develop ecotourism programs both on the
community level and the government level also makes ecotourism hard to develop
and maintain.