Define sustainability, sustainable development, and sustainable tourism development;

1. SUSTAINABLE
TOURISM DEVELOPMENT
CRIS EDREN L. DELA PENA, MBA-TRM
College of Business Administration
University of the Visayas

2. D E F I N I T I O N
of Sustainability
• Improving the quality of human life while living within
the carrying capacity of supporting eco-systems”
- The International Union for the
Conservation of Nature – The World Conservation Union,
United Nations Environment Programme, and the World
Wide fund for Nature in Caring for the Earth (1991)
• The long term, cultural, economic and environmental
health and vitality with emphasis on long-term,
together with the importance of linking our social,
financial, and environmental well-being
- Sustainable Seattle n.d.

3. D E F I N I T I O N
of Sustainable
Development
• Development that meets the needs of the present
generation without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their won needs.
- Brundtland Commission (1987)
• Harmonious integration of a sound and viable
economy, responsible governance, social cohesion
and ecological integrity, to ensure that development
is a life-sustaining process.
- Philippine Agenda 21 (1996)

4. Sustainable Tourism
and its Principles
• The 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.
- UNWTO
• For tourism to be sustainable, it si essential for the
following elements to be present:
1. Informed participation of relevant stakeholders
2. Strong political leadership to ensure wide
participation and consensus building
3. Constant monitoring of impacts and adoption of
preventive or corrective measures when necessary.
4. Maintaining a high level of tourist satisfaction and
providing meaningful experience to the tourists
5. Raising tourists’ awareness about sustainability issues
and sustainable practices.

5. Principles of
Sustainable Tourism
1. Ecologically bearable, economically viable, and
ethically and socially equitable for local communities;
2. Guarantees the sustainability of the resources on which it
depends;
3. Respects the fragile balances that characterize many
tourist destinations, in particular small islands and
environmentally sensitive areas;
4. Considers its effects on the cultural heritage and
traditional elements, activities, and dynamics of each
local community;
5. Supports solidarity, mutual respects, and participation of
public and private entities at the local, national, regional,
and international levels;

6. Principles of
Sustainable Tourism
6. Supports cultural, technological, and professional
innovation; and integrated planning and management
approach;
7. Adopts quality criteria for the preservation of the tourist
destination, and the satisfaction of tourists, as determined
jointly with local communities;
8. Is fully integrated into and contributes positively to local
economic development;
9. Helps improve the quality of life of all people, and enriches
the socio-cultural life of each destination;
10. Permits a more equitable distribution of the benefits and
burdens of tourism;

7. Principles of
Sustainable Tourism
11. Protects environmentally and culturally vulnerable spaces
from high impact tourism models;
12. Promotes alternative and diversified forms of tourism;
13. Promotes the creation of networks that will conduct research,
and disseminate information, and transfer knowledge on sustainable
tourism technologies;
14. Supports and promotes environmentally-compatible tourism
management systems, feasibility studies for the transformation of the
sector, as well as the implementation of demonstration projects and
the development of international cooperation programs; and
15. Calls for the adoption and implementation of codes of conduct
that creates responsible tourism behaviour.
According to the UNWTO, any form of tourism may be made
sustainable by applying the aforementioned guidelines.

8. Three Dimensions
of Sustainable
Development
• ECONOMY, ENVIRONMENT, CULTURE
• Three Es – Economy, Earth, Ethos
• Three Ps – Profit, Planet, People
• People – the most crucial element. People influence the
way all three develop. People hold the key to sustainable
development.
• Economy – will not automatically become sustainable
without human intervention because of so-called market
failure.
• Planet – will eventually regenerate itself if given time, but it
will require human involvement to effect desired
environmental state within a shorter timeline.

9. Framework for
Understanding the
Interaction of the
Three Dimensions of
Development
Connely’s Venn Diagram

10. Limitations of Tourism
as a Tool for
Sustainable
Development
• Moscardo (2007) debunked the myth of tourism as a tool
for sustainable development.
• Not everyone’s voice will be heard concerning a
proposed tourism project
• Decisions tend to be dominated by local elites and
external agents
• Tourism professionals and academics often assume that
locals lack the knowledge and skills to participate in
tourism.

11. Limitations of Tourism
as a Tool for
Sustainable
Development
• Moscardo maintained that the belief that tourism can be
sustainable in its own right results in
1. The propensity to consider tourism in isolation to other
activities
2. The widespread and uncritical use of tourism
planning models that look at communities only as
resources for tourism.
3. The focus on sustainable tourism rather than on
tourism for sustainable development.

12. SUSTAINABLE
TOURISM DEVELOPMENT
CRIS EDREN L. DELA PENA, MBA-TRM
College of Business Administration
University of the Visayas