Sustainable Tourism

According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO, 2008), “tourism comprises the activities of persons travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes”.

Tourism output is not a simple product but, rather, a wide range of goods and services interacting to fulfil a tourist experience that comprises both tangible parts (e.g. hotel, restaurant, airline) and intangible aspects (e.g. sunset, scenery, mood). The actual purchase and consumption/production of tourist services (e.g. airline ticket, meal, admission ticket) may often be incidental to “non-market” activities, such as independent sightseeing, hiking, or sunbathing.

Travels have already become an inseparable part of human lives. However, tourism as any other economic field not does only bring economic benefits to states, but it also creates some serious problems as excessive energy consumption and increasing negative environmental effects including climatic change. Also due to tourism and travel expansions the nature is being wasted, tourist destinations suffer from high tourist flows and the life quality of the local people is also negatively affected. In order to decrease negative tourism effects, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) announced the year 2017 – the year of sustainable tourism and invited all world population to travel, following the principles of sustainable tourism and to turn to local communities (UNWTO, 2017).

1.1 Sustainable tourism contents

Despite plenty of research in this area, sustainable development of tourism is a dynamic process that is constantly experiencing new challenges as there are changing the applied technologies and consumption aspects of tourism.

Tourism is one of the most significant economic sectors in major countries of the worlds. According to World Travel and Tourism Council (2020) in 2018, the Travel & Tourism sector experienced 3.9% growth, outpacing that of the global economy (3.2%) for the eighth consecutive year. Over the past 5 years, one in five jobs were created by the sector, making Travel & Tourism the best partner for governments to generate employment. Therefore, tourism as one of the world’s largest economic sectors, supporting one in 10 jobs (319 million) worldwide, and generating 10.4% of global GDP. Although tourism market is dependent on the health and natural environment; however, simultaneously it often affects them negatively.

As a result, several future guidelines for developed for sustainable tourism providing main environmental indicators for tourism sector including climate change mitigation, pollution reduction, use of renewables, waste disposal etc. (UNEP, 2004; UNWTO, 2013, 2014, 2017). As was already mentioned before, innovations, research and technological development can provide significant solutions for dealing with environmental challenges of tourism development. In the presence of such a situation, the pace of technological development has been slowed and as a result there is a harm not only for economy, but also for nature as further steps towards utilisation of renewables are lacking. The use of renewables has direct impact on climate change mitigation. The outcomes of the previous economic crisis are still being felt around the world, and as the growth of other countries’ economies slowed; the European economy has just few chances to turn into a powerful economic force. Investment into technological development is being observed as well as focus on social issues of sustainability. It is also significant to mention that in case of improving life quality – tourism is playing important role. The quality of life is one of the most important targets of sustainable development also relevant to tourism sector in terms of providing services for tourist as well as taking into account quality of life of residents in tourist destinations.

Though sustainable tourism issues are mainly linked with promotion of green and social tourism there are important issues of competitiveness necessary to address as competitiveness is perceived as one of the main economic dimensions of sustainability also relevant to tourism sector. The main problem identified based on systematic sustainable tourism research review is about finding possibilities to achieve all three sustainability dimensions (economic, social and environmental) together, that is, to develop competitive tourism business by addressing environmental and social challenges of tourism development in holistic way. The systematic review of literature of competitiveness issues of tourism might provide relevant answers how to trade- off between social, economic and environmental dimension of sustainable tourism development.

1.2  Main initiatives

1.2.1        Travelife

A sustainability management system for tour operators which includes an ecolabelling scheme to qualify tour operator’s suppliers: accommodation structures, restaurants, other tourist companies (e.g. providers of tourist activities, such as excursions, leisure, sightseeing, etc.).
Final stakeholder: Those tourists who use to book tourist services and whole holiday packages through tour operators and travel agencies;

1.2.2        EU eco-label

Type I Environmental label (ISO 14024:1999) eco-label for accommodation structures and camp sites.
Final stakeholder: Those tourists who use to book tourist accommodation autonomously; Travel agencies and tour operators

1.2.3        Blue Flag

It’s a voluntary award for tourist destinations such as beaches and marinas. The Foundation for Environmental Education in Europe (FEEE) presented in 1987 the concept of the Blue Flag to the European Commission, and it was agreed to launch the Blue Flag Programme as one of several “European Year of the Environment” activities in the Community.
Final stakeholder: Tourists

1.2.4 Other tourist environmental labels

Environmental labels and declarations of tourist services. Most labels are “Type I Environmental labels” (ISO 14024:1999) and are characterised by a regional scale dissemination (e.g. Viabono, Legambiente Turismo, The Green Key, Milieubarometer, Ibex label, and many others).
Final stakeholder: Those tourists who use to book their own holidays autonomously; Travel agencies and tour operators.

1.2.5 V.I.S.I.T.

The Voluntary Initiative for Sustainability in Tourism (Visit) is a technical standard setting up the framework according to which credible tourism eco-labels should operate in Europe. The purpose of this initiative was, therefore, to put together tourist labeling under a unique umbrella, also to increase the label recognisability by tourists. VISIT is also the name of the association which manages such a standard.
Final stakeholder: Those tourists who use to book their own holidays autonomously; Travel agencies and tour operators.

1.2.6 TourBench

It’s a free European monitoring and benchmarking online tool to reduce the environmental burden and costs of tourist accommodation organisations.
Final stakeholder: Hotels and campsites

1.2.7 EcoPassenger

It’s a user-friendly internet tool to cross-compare energy consumption, CO2 and other airborne emissions of alternative transport modes (e.g. planes, cars and trains) for travelling all around Europe.
Final stakeholder: Travellers

Summary Given the predictions of an increased role of tourism industries in the world economy, the environmental aspects of, and impacts generated by tourist activities should be accurately considered. In the framework of sustainable development policies, the “Sustainable Consumption and Production and Sustainable Industrial Policy (SCP) Action Plan” (European Commission, 2008) is a building block in the EU. In line with this policy, a wide range of environmental instruments have been developed for assessment and labelling/certification purposes of travel and tourist services.   Questions for reflection ·         What environmental instruments and initiatives are currently supporting the application of the European Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) Action Plan in the travel and tourism industry? ·         What are their key characteristics and the instruments be combined into a general framework capable to render this industry low carbon and more sustainable from an environmental point of view?