A STUDY ON TOURISM AND SUSTAINABLE REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES AND ALTERNATIVES

The Tourism’s capacity to create jobs and stimulate economic development has been especially important for rural areas, where most of the world’s poor live and where there are often few other development options. Nevertheless, as is the case for any economic sector, tourism brings certain challenges and responsibilities that must be addressed if it is to grow sustainably. As is the case for all economic sectors, if not properly planned and managed, tourism growth entails certain risks and challenges for the environment within which it operates. It is well-documented that mishandled tourism development can have detrimental impacts on the very natural and cultural resources that attract tourists in the first place. Tourism must therefore be aware of how to balance the needs of present tourists and host communities while protecting and enhancing opportunities for the future: the sustainability challenge. The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) defines sustainable tourism “tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities”. Given tourism’s size and influence in the global economy, the sector has a moral responsibility to adopt these three pillars of sustainability economic, social and environment. Understanding sustainability in this way, the three principles can be applied to all forms of tourism in all destinations including mass tourism and current and emerging niche markets. An attempt is made in this paper to study the role of tourism in sustainable regional development.