Overview
Tourism is a rapidly growing industry and has far-reaching economic, social and environmental impact across the world. The rapid growth of tourism is a challenge for many destinations. The need for a sustainable development of tourism worldwide is underlined by the United Nations who declared 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.
The WTFL study 2017 contributes to this discussion by elaborating a framework for the analysis of case studies that considers all the dimensions of sustainable tourism. The study focuses on tourist destinations under pressure in several countries on different continents. It examines what the main challenges are in places with (too) high tourism intensities and what could be promising and innovative approaches to manage such destinations. A special focus is laid on the different frame conditions (economic, political, environmental, social, and cultural) in the specific contexts of tourist destinations ‘under pressure’.
In a decentralised study with a standardised methodology, the partner universities of the WTFL have conducted a common study, analysed case studies and derived principles for the successful management of tourist destinations under pressure.
