Sustainable Tourism

Sustainable tourism term generally describes all forms of alternative tourism that respect, preserve and promote lasting value heritage resources (natural, cultural and social) of territory to the attention of tourists accommodated in order to minimize impacts they could generate negative.

Ecotourism is only one form, more focused on the discovery of ecosystems, agricultural systems or ethnocultural aspects of biodiversity, including local tourism that seeks to reduce its footprint écologique1.

A European working group has defined the concept of "sustainable tourism" as seeking to "reconcile economic goals of tourism development with the preservation of the basic resources essential to its existence. Specifically, it is tourism that ensures sustainable economic development within the long term, both respectful of environmental and socio-cultural resources and respectful of people, visitors, employees in the sector and host populations. "

The World Tourism Organization defines it as follows:

"Sustainable tourism development meets the needs of present tourists and host regions while protecting and enhancing opportunities for the future. He is seen as leading to management of all resources in such a way that economic, social and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity and life support systems. "(WTO). Under the condition that all stakeholders are actively involved and committed to respecting the effective implementation of sustainable tourism (GTD). »
Sustainable tourism is therefore part of a dynamic that articulates modes of transport, production and eco-friendly consumption, while closely associating the people who live, work or reside in the area concerned the proposed tourism development and socio-economic benefits, equitably distributed.

This development requires a planning and integrated management of resources, mastery of flows (energy, goods and people) and implies the close involvement of local stakeholders and environmental responsibility of tourists in order to reconcile the implementation Tourism with the needs and reception capacities of the territory.