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Tourism creates job opportunities, generates revenue and promotes inter cultural relations as well as mutual understanding. Amongst the many positive but also negative impacts of tourism, it is worth noting that tourism is an economic valuable activity, an environmental stake and a social challenge. Its negative side effects on people, nature and culture are caused by transport, resources consumption and waste generation as well as bad planning, inadequate preparation and harmful behavior at the destination.

Learn more about the positive & negative impacts:

The sector's growth has in many locations, placed a burden on local economies, cultures and environments, which calls for responsible management. With the increasing debate on sustainable development and greener industries, concern has increased in recent years about the impacts of travel and tourism.

Responsible Tourism joins this shift by giving equal weight to the economy, society and the environment - the three pillars of sustainable development. It comes to address and manage the impacts tourism has, supporting economies while at the same time conserving nature and protecting social values. According to United Nations Environment Programme on Tourism, "Sustainable tourism development meets the needs of the present tourists and host regions while protecting and enhancing the opportunity 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."

Therefore the "triple bottom line" of sustainable tourism development is:

• Economic prosperity and well-being
• Cultural diversity, social peace and justice
• Conservation of nature and resources

The goal is for the holiday of the future to involve more energy-saving and lower emitting forms of transport, hotels which use resources efficiently without competing with local needs, that produce less waste and use more regional produce and support cultural diversity, as well as responsible travellers that take part in sustainability efforts through their choices and behaviour, eventually making the decision to make shorter trips and longer stays.

Sustainable Tourism concerns both the tourism industry and government planners. However, the active participation of travelers, through their choices and behaviour, is also pivotal. All must contribute if tourism can continue to be a recreational activity that does not harm nature and local communities:

• Businesses
• Travellers

Related resources:

• Concepts & Definitions , World Tourism Organization
• Contribution to the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD)
• About Sustainable Tourism,UNEP
• Impacts of Tourism - UNEP Tourism , UNEP
• Principles on Sustainable Tourism,UNEP
• Tourism Industry Report , WSSD
• International Tourism Partnership
• Sustainable Development of Tourism , UNWTO
• Climate Neutral Network - Tourism, UNWTO
• DestiNet , European Commission
• Infoshop - Indicators of Sustainable Development for Tourism Destinations , WTO
• Measurement instruments , European Commission
• Tourism in the Mediterranean, UN Plan Bleu
• Center for Sustainable Destinations , National Geographic
• Tourism Concern, Tourism Concern UK
• The Convention on Biological Diversity International Guidelines for Sustainable Tourism
• Global Codes of Ethics for Tourism, WTO
• EU Charter for Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas, European Commission
• "Seeking socially responsible tourism" , ILO
• Certified Code of Conduct (CCC) for Tour Operators against child sex tourism
• The International Ecotourism Society
• Institute of Travel Management