Twenty Reasons Sustainable Tourism Counts for Development

The focus of this paper is on sustainable tourism’s wider benefits, it is important to acknowledge that there are tradeoffs involved. Like other economic activities, tourism both gives and takes from communities and travelers. When it is poorly planned, tourism can negatively impact cities, parks, and historic monuments, and put severe pressure on local infrastructure, resident communities, and their resources. When properly planned and managed, sustainable tourism can contribute to improved livelihoods, inclusion, cultural heritage and natural resource protection, and promote international understanding. The goal of this paper is to build the case for this type of sustainable and inclusive tourism development. In support of sustainable tourism, United Nations has designated 2017 as the International Year of ‘Sustainable Tourism for Development’. Sustainable tourism is identified as a vital component to ensure the achievements of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 8, 12, and 14 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This makes it an ideal moment to update and reaffirm the evidence case behind tourism as a development tool. UNWTO (the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism) outlines the five pillars of tourism for development shown. Drawing from these pillars, this paper identifies 20 reasons sustainable tourism counts for tourism destinations, people who live there, and travelers. The following reasons are only a starting point for integrating a holistic approach to sustainable tourism into development projects.