Sustainable Tourism and Responsible Travel
What this domain covers
This domain tests definitions, principles and management tools, plus what responsible travel means in practice for businesses, destinations and travellers. Precision about definitions earns marks.
Core rules and concepts
- Brundtland definition (1987): development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs.
- The triple bottom line: economic viability, social equity and environmental integrity. All three are required; two out of three is not sustainability.
- Ecotourism (Ceballos-Lascuráin): responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and sustains local well-being, usually small-scale with interpretation.
- Carrying capacity types: physical, ecological, social (host tolerance) and economic.
- Management tools: zoning, permits and quotas, differential pricing, visitor taxes, interpretation, certification against GSTC criteria (effective management; social and economic; cultural; environmental), community benefit-sharing, local sourcing and employment.
- Carbon offsetting is a last resort, not a substitute for reducing emissions.
Worked example
A reef of 40,000 m2 tolerates one diver per 100 m2 at any moment, giving 400 divers per slot; with three dive slots daily the capacity is 1,200 diver-visits. Current demand is 1,600, so a quota, extra moorings or a landing fee is required. Reasoning: capacity is per time unit, so multiply by the number of slots, then compare with actual demand.
Traps that cost marks
- Equating sustainable tourism with eco-lodges or a green label.
- Accepting greenwashing claims without certification evidence.
- Forgetting the social pillar and discussing only environment.