Bringing together diverse perspectives, including those of destination managers, policymakers, tour operators, local communities, and travellers Sustainable Tourism fosters a collective understanding of sustainability in tourism and inspires a shared commitment towards responsible tourism practices.

The ultimate goal of Sustainable Tourism is to empower the industry to achieve a harmonious balance between conservation and progress, forging a responsible and resilient tourism sector that caters not only to contemporary travellers but also safeguards the well-being of future generations.

Looking ahead to the 21st century, Sustainable Tourism explains the current thinking process that underlies the emerging international principles of more sustainable development in travel and tourism. Using international illustrations it draws on experience and good practice as they are being increasingly applied around the world in the late 1990s. In sharp contrast to the problem analysis approach adopted by so many authors to this subject, this book is focused on the pro-active role the private sector industry can play in partnership with the public sector to achieve solutions through its day-to-day operations and marketing, expecially in product enhancement and quality controls. Case material, contributed by senior professionals in the industry, include: *Kruger National Park, South Africa *Quicksilver Connections, Barrier Reef, Australia *Edinburgh's Old Town, UK *Ironbridge Gorge Museum, UK *Rutland Water, UK. Industry illustrations are drawn from British Airways, Grecotel, Inter-Continental Hotels and Resorts, the International Federation of Tour Operators, P&O and TUI. Professor Victor Middleton has had some thirty years' international experience of marketing practice covering most of the private and public sectors of travel and tourism. He holds appointments as Visiting Professor at Oxford Brookes University and University of Central Lancashire. Dr Rebecca Hawkins runs her own business specialising in environmental aspects of tourism projects and has undertaken a number of pioneering programmes in this role. She was Deputy Director of the World Travel and Tourism Environment Research Centre at Oxford Brookes University, where she worked with Victor Middleton.

Sustainable Tourism is vital reading for anyone seeking to understand the complexities associated with sustainable tourism development, and how government and industry have responded to the challenges the concept poses. The major areas addressed in this edited volume are: * perspectives and issues associated with the concept of sustainable tourism development * accreditation, education and interpretation, including specific examples such as Green Globe 21, the European Blue Flag Campaign and the WWF's PAN Parks Programme * sustainable tourism case studies of tourist destination regions, natural areas and tourism enterprises drawn from Africa, Australia, the South Pacific, North America, South-east Asia and the Caribbean An impressive international editorial team has combined to present in this text not only a variety of perspectives on sustainable tourism development, but also significant insights into barriers, challenges and current industry and government responses to it in various parts of the globe. 'Sustainable Tourism' will be a welcome addition to the libraries of tourism industry professionals, individuals involved in the management of natural areas; tourism policy makers; tourism academics; and students with an interest in the future sustainability of tourism and the industry that supports it.

Sustainable tourism is attracting enormous attention today throughout the world. This book provides an up-to-date, comprehensive coverage of the practice and management of the subject. It offers a range of definitions of sustainable tourism from different sectors of tourism and different parts of the world. Key issues and current debates are also discussed and a range of examples of sustainable tourism management practice are given. The book is designed to be interactive, with group and individual exercises and discussion points to further understanding of the subject

Offering conceptual, empirical and policy contributions from leading international scholars in the field, this comprehensive Handbook investigates a broad range of innovations and new approaches to tourism aimed at enhancing sustainability.

Ethical and Responsible Tourism explains the methods and practices used to manage the environmental impact of tourism on local communities and destinations. The three core themes of the book – destination management, environmental and social aspects of ethical sustainable development and business impacts – are discussed across both topic and case study chapters, alongside explanatory editorial analysis with all chapters clearly signposted and interlinked. The case studies address specific and practical examples from a global range of examples including sites in Australia, Central America, Europe Union countries, Japan, North America and South America. Used as a core textbook, the linking of theory in the topic chapters, and practice gained through case studies, alongside further reading and editorial commentary, Ethical and Responsible Tourism provides a detailed and comprehensive learning experience. Specific case studies can be used as standalone examples as part of a case teaching approach, and the editorial and discussion elements are designed to be suitable for those simply seeking a concise overview, such as tourism professionals or potential investors in sustainable tourism projects. This book will be essential reading for students, researchers and practitioners of tourism, environmental and sustainability studies.

Today, tourism is an important component of development, not only in economic terms but also for knowledge and human welfare. Tourism today is an activity accessible to a growing number of people. The phenomenon has many more advantages than disadvantages. New forms of economic development and increasing wealth of human societies depend on tourism. Our knowledge of the world now includes a strong component due to tourism. Human welfare has physiological and psychological elements, which tourism promotes, both because of the enjoyment of knowing new territories and increasing contacts with near or far away societies and cultures. The tourism industry has nevertheless given rise to some serious concerns, including social costs and ecological impacts. Many ancient local cultures have practically lost their identity. Their societies have orientated their economy only to this industry. Both the natural and cultural – rural or urban – landscapes have also paid a high price for certain forms of tourism. These problems will persist if the economic benefit is the only target, leading to economic gains that eventually become ruinous. It is also important to consider that visitors nowadays are increasingly demanding in cultural and environmental terms. Never before have transport and communication links been so important as today. Natural ecosystems are now a rarity on the planet and ecologists talk today about ‘socio-ecosystems’. Given this, tourism and environmental education are facing a major challenge. Tourism also plays an important role in the natural environmental changes that are strongly affected by technological and social developments. Natural changes are inherent in the Earth’s ecosystem (the ‘ecosphere’). Also, technological and social changes are inherent to mankind (the ‘noosphere’) and are now becoming widespread. Cities are growing rapidly and industry requires increasingly larger areas. Many traditional rural areas are being abandoned. However, many historic agricultural districts have maintained, or even recovered, their local population numbers through intelligent strategies of tourism focused on nature and rural culture. Natural landscapes and biodiversity are becoming increasingly appreciated. The tourism industry must be able to respond to these aspirations. The 9th International Conference on Sustainable Tourism had the aim of finding ways to protect the natural and cultural landscape through the development of new solutions which minimise the adverse effects of tourism. A selection of the papers presented at the meeting form this volume.

Tourism is the world’s fastest growing industry, and impacts globally upon ecology, economies, peoples, cultures and the built environment. Development, therefore, must be sustainable and sympathetic in order to preserve the environment and culture it exploits. Despite sustainable tourism being an area of considerable recent interest, there has been no synthesis of the diverse considerations of sustainable tourism, and the language and terms particular to this subject. An important resource for researchers of tourism, this reference work defines and explains terms associated with considering and preserving the environment, host peoples, communities, cultures, customs, lifestyles and social and economic systems.