Sustainable Tourism, Towards Sustainable Development

Following the previous two chapters on sectorial applications of sustainable project management, the tourism sector has been identified as one of the most influential contributors to the economic growth of many developing countries. The growing influence of the tourism sector as an economic powerhouse and its potential as a tool for development are irrefutable. The available data indicates that the sector contributes to more than 10% of global gross domestic product (GDP) and provides for one in ten jobs in the world. Not only does the tourism sector spearhead growth, it also improves the quality of people’s lives, supports environmental protection, champions diverse cultural heritage and strengthens peace in the world The necessary shift from the traditional tourism practice to sustainable tourism is a change which can very appropriately utilize the concepts, frameworks and methodologies of sustainable project management, presented and discussed in depth in the earlier chapters of this textbook. This starts from the higher level of applying eco-innovation concepts discussed in Chapter 4, in defining the business model, in the era of digital transformation, that would translate the set strategy of sustainable tourism into SMART objectives to be broken down into well-defined deliverables. Agile methodologies using Scrum tools and the 12 traits of sustainable change management, as discussed in Chapter 5, can be useful in managing this process amid the VUCA economic reality. The use of the technology will be imperative to manage such change with the urgent need for tools such as Smart Contracts on Blockchain as discussed in Chapter 7. In order to do so, the project manager seeking to contribute to this vital sector of the economy needs essential background about the basic concepts of the sector, with emphasis on the definition, attributes, goals, policies and tools of sustainable tourism. This chapter aims to provide the reader with these basic concepts. It start with a general background about the tourism sector leading to the concept of sustainable tourism in light of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals set by the UNDP, (2015). The benefits of sustainable tourism are discussed in the context of sustainable development. The chapter then presents a detailed discussion of the attributes, governance, policies and tools for implementing sustainable tourism. It wraps up with eight real-life case studies from different parts of the world, about how sustainable tourism has a significant impact on sustainable development. Each case study is in fact a project, so it should make an interesting learning tool for project managers working in the tourism sector.