Sustainable and Responsible Management in Tourism Organisations

This essay provides a comprehensive analysis of sustainable and responsible management in the tourism sector, emphasizing the critical balance between economic growth, environmental preservation, and social responsibility. It explores the impacts of tourism, both positive and negative, on the environment, societies, and economies. The essay delves into the guiding principles and approaches necessary for fostering sustainable tourism, including holistic planning, multi-stakeholder engagement, long-term vision, and the promotion of sustainable consumption. It also discusses the importance of incorporating the polluter pays principle and the precautionary principle in tourism management. Furthermore, the essay highlights the significance of measuring sustainability in tourism organizations through benchmarks like electricity and water consumption, and waste management. It underscores the need for tourism businesses to integrate sustainable practices to ensure long-term viability and minimize adverse environmental and social impacts, while maximizing tourist satisfaction and promoting cultural diversity.

Sustainable and
Responsible
Management in
Tourism
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Table of Contents
Introduction
Main body
 Impact of tourism
 Guiding principles and approaches in
tourism and hospitality industry
 Dimension of Sustainable tourism
Conclusion
References
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Introduction
Tourism sector is one the most important economic forces which is
responsible for overall economic growth and development of world.
Tourism industry is a large sector which includes a range of businesses
and it caters to requirements of consumers through providing goods and
services to a great extent. Tourism management is associated with
developing roles and understanding functions which is related to
operations of sectors of tourism industry. In this report, critical analysis
of theories and concepts as well as principles and practices of
sustainable and responsible management in tourism and hospitality
organisations. The purpose of this essay is to broaden understanding on
the concepts of sustainable management. Sustainable tourism refers to
the management which considers the present as well as future socio-
economic and environmental impacts(Roxas and et. al., 2020). It pays
emphasis on requirements of visitors, industry and overall
environmental associations and communities.
Main body
Sustainable tourism and management is associated with
consideration of social and environmental influence that tourism
operations have on overall society. Sustainable tourism development and
management is related with guidelines and practices which should be
implemented in sectors of tourism covering a range of businesses and
segments of tourism industry. It pays attention on emphasising the
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aspects of social, economic and environmental factors and focus upon
achieving a balance among these dimensions in order to ensure its
sustainability in long run. Sustainability in tourism could be promoted
by ensuring optimum utilization of natural resources of earth which are
required in effective development of tourism sectors. Sustainable
tourism management must focus upon ensuring balance in processes of
ecology which must pay emphasis on preserving natural biodiversity and
conservation of heritage. A sustainable tourism must be integrated with
authenticity of social and culture elements of society contributing in
enhancing heritage and must respect the values of traditions and
prevailing cultures of society. Ensuring sustainability in tourism
encourage development of inter-cultural understanding and should
promote diversity as well as tolerance among cultural
differences(Ruhanen, L., Moyle, C.L. and Moyle, B., 2019). Responsible and
sustainable management of tourism includes ensuring viability in
economic operations while also focusing upon fulfilment of social
aspects. Sustainability in tourism development ensures that operations
associated with businesses of tourism sector must comply with concerns
of all stakeholders including provision of equal employment
opportunities as well as consideration of social values. The operations of
a business enterprise of tourism sectors must be promoting welfare of
overall society such as poverty alleviation etc. Attaining sustainability in
tourism is a continuous ongoing process which requires analysing and
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examining impacts of commercial operations on stakeholders and
implementing preventive measures when required. Promoting
sustainability in tourism also ensures maximising satisfaction of tourists
and increasing their awareness of responsible tourism management. It
focus upon promoting sustainable practices through encouraging visitors
towards their importance.
Tourism is a broad industry which has major impact on economy
as well as environment. It provides millions of job opportunities and is
majorly contributes in GDP and overall development of economy.
Sectors of tourism industry covers a range of businesses including food
and beverage, accommodation services, adventure and recreation,
attractions, transportation and travel, events and conferences etc. the
operations of tourism and hospitality has increased to a massive extent
with rising population and increasing inclination of individuals towards
services of tourism and hospitality. Tourism promotes cultural diversity
and increase interaction among various nations as well as promotes
exploration of various cultures and places. The fostering of tourism
industry is massively contributing in promotion of local culture and
heritage, preservation of culture and art as well as enhancing their
commercial values(Hopkins, D., 2020). It promotes customs and
development of art and also encourage strengthening of communities
and prociding social services as well. However, the massive growth of
tourism sectors have large influence and impacts over environment and
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societies. The services of tourism industry are putting strain on natural
resources of earth through increasing consumption of individuals to a
great extent. The operations of tourism are associated with immense
utilization of land resources resulting in soil erosion and gives birth to a
range of environmental issues including pollution, loss of natural habitat
etc. moreover, the operations of tourism are also affecting and impacting
society through change of values, increased rate of crime, changes in
moral behaviour as well as difficulties arising in relationships of tourists
and hosts and it also promotes heritage destruction in some cases.
Impacts of tourism
On one hand, tourism is massively contributing in economic and
cultural development and providing countries with a great deal of
benefits as it is one of the major economic forces fostering revenues. On
the other hand, the nature of tourism services is very complex and its
ineffective management leads to many environmental problems such as
depletion of natural resources, pollution, changing social systems etc. It
has become highly crucial for the industry to adopt sustainable practices
and promote responsible management in overall tourism sector(Dixit,
S.K., Lee, K.H. and Loo, P.T., 2019).
Environmental impacts
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It is imperative for tourism industry to maintain quality of
environment and at the same time, services and activities of this sector
has many adverse impacts on environment. The major impacts of
tourism sector are associated with development of infrastructure such as
construction of roads as well as airports. The creation of infrastructure to
promote tourism activities such as hotels, restaurants, tourists
attractions, amusement parks and so on, massively affect environment
through excessive use of natural resources leading towards their
depletion.
Social and cultural impacts
These impacts of tourism industry is related to the influence on
host communities which are having direct or indirect relations with
tourists and how they promote interaction. Host communities are usually
the inferior parties in the course of interaction with relevant guests as
well as service providers. There influences are apparently hard to
determine as they are dependent upon judgements of values and their
identification is mostly hard. Tourism industry is associated with social
and cultural dimensions as sometimes when it tries introduce changes in
existing values and behaviour and thus it put risks on identity threat of
indigenous communities. The development of tourism also promotes
changes in structure and patterns of communities, traditions and
customs, family relationships as well as morals. However, tourism
promotes peace and cultural traditions and generates employment
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opportunities to a massive extent. The growth of tourism activities
enables individuals of various diversities to interact and when this
happens, its influence on social and cultural aspects are vague, as it is
perceived as positive and negative by different communities(Moneva,
J.M., Bonilla-Priego, M.J. and Ortas, E., 2020).
How can sustainability in tourism be measured?
In order to determine sustainability in a tourist organisation, an
effective system of measurement must be developed so that businesses
can analyse how much their efforts are contributing in promoting
sustainable practices. To determine outcomes and progress, benchmarks
are used for evaluating performance on development of sustainability.
For instance, in tourism industry, majorly used benchmarks are
electricity consumption, water consumption as well as efficient
management of waste etc(Jamal, T. and Higham, J., 2021). The sustainable
management and practices employed by three-quarter of businesses
mainly in Australian and North-American regions accounting for
approximately 84 and 77 respectively in percentage. Also, among
European regions, this percentage accounts for 73 percentage. The EU
tourism sector is responsible for GDP generation of 3.7% with
approximately 1.8 million enterprises and generates over 11.3 million
job opportunities implying high employment development. Tourism
industry in EU contributes in overall 10% of GDP calculated through
taking related sectors into account. And it is estimated that this sector
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creates million jobs opportunities approximately accounting for 11 % of
total workforce. Where tourism is making a huge contribution in
economic growth, it is also largely responsible for giving birth to major
environmental issues. It has been ascertained that Tourism industry is
responsible for carbon emission concentration of 5% where 4% of major
carbon emissions are a result of excessive growth of transportation
services and activities whereas accommodation services are contributing
by 1% in producing carbon emissions. Beside this, tourism industry is
having major impact on depletion of water resources as around 84 to
2000 litres of water is being consumed by a tourist in a day which is
varying according to their stay and size as well as other facilities of
hotel. On a global level, golf clubs make enormous use of water
resources for the irrigation purpose and the estimated amount has been
recorded at 9.5 billion litres of water used by 32000 golf clubs all
around the world in a day. Sustainability is of great significance in
tourism industry as it is being demanded by people that companies must
focus contribute and integrate their efforts in sustainable and responsible
management(Sharpley, R., 2020).
Guiding principles and approaches in tourism and hospitality industry
The development and implementation of policies for sustainable
tourism must be based on a set of general principles and approaches.
Some of these are inherent to sustainability principles, while others have
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been identified over time by professionals in the field. Concepts and
guiding principles are presented below: -
 Setting the course
Taking a holistic view: - Tourism planning and development must
not be done in seclusion. Tourism should be viewed as part of
sustainable community development, along with other activities. Their
impact on other sectors in terms of resource competition and mutual
support must be considered. A holistic approach is also about
considering all impacts and relationships within the tourism sector itself
and considering how all public policies affect or can be affected by
tourism(Sánchez-Fernández, R., Iniesta-Bonillo, M.Á. and Cervera-Taulet, A.,
2019).
Pursuing multi stakeholder engagement: - Sustainable tourism is
all about local control but too about collaboration. Everyone involved in
tourism must have the opportunity to influence its development and
management. These can be formal associations or looser arrangements,
and the strengthening and use of local democratic structures.
Planning for the long term: - Short-term approaches must be
avoided and encouraged the long-term visions, accordingly with the
allocated resources. Wherever possible, measures should be self-
supporting. Projects structured around short-term contributions and
funding must consider how initiatives, once started, can be carried into
the future.
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Promoting sustainable consumption: - Sustainability is not mere
about the side of supply. Influencing patterns and effects of consumption
should also be taken into account. This means that influencing nature of
tourism demand and the tourists choices and their activities and
behaviour.
Equating sustainability and quality: - There should be increasing
acceptance that a quality tourism destination or product is one that
addresses the full range of sustainability issues rather than just focusing
on visitor satisfaction. In fact, tourists themselves must be encouraged to
think in these terms: a place that cares about the environment. and their
employees are more likely to take care of them too.
 Developing the approach
Reflecting all impacts in costs polluter pays principle: - According
to the polluter pays principle, those who cause environmental
impacts are responsible for the costs incurred, which should be
reflected in financial costs if possible. This principle has robust
consequences for both policy and the use of economic instruments
to influence pollution and consumption. In tourism, for example,
this affects the fees for activities such as waste disposal, transport
and entrance fees to sites.
Minimizing risk taking precautionary principle: - A careful risk
assessment is a significant part of sustainable development in
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tourism sector. Where there is limited sign of the potential effect of
a development, a careful tactic must be taken. The Precautionary
Principle means taking action to prevent damage before it happens
rather than trying to repair it afterwards.
Taking a life cycle perspective: - Life cycle perspective means
considering the impacts throughout the lifetime of a product or
service, which includes development and construction, the initial
resources used, location and design, all inputs to its operation, and
the impact on its disposal and subsequent use.
Considering functional alternatives: - It should be considered
whether the same function and result can be achieved by doing
things in a more positive way and which have less negative impact
on resources. For example, in a tactic to advance the satisfaction of
visitors by putting more opportunities and preference must be
given to those options that have the greatest economic returns and
the lowest environmental and social impacts(Altin and et. al., 2018).
Respecting limits: - The willingness and aptitude to limit the scale
of tourism development or the volume of tourism flows at a
destination or location is central to the concept of sustainable
tourism. Limiting factors can include community concerns, visitor
satisfaction, ecological resilience, resource capacity, etc. There are
the factors to consider when setting boundaries that will be
respected by all parties involved.
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