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Sustainable Tourism: AnEvolving Global ApproachBill Bramwell a & Bernard Lane ba Centre for Tourism, Sheffield Hallam University,UKb Rural Tourism Unit, University of Bristol, UKVersion of record first published: 04 Jan 2010.

To cite this article: Bill Bramwell & Bernard Lane (1993): Sustainable Tourism: AnEvolving Global Approach, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 1:1, 1-5

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Sustainable Tourism: An Evolving Global Approach Bill Bram well Centre for Tourism, SheMeld Hallam Universify, UK Bernard Lane Rural Tourism Unit, Universify of Bristol, UK Co-Editors: Journal o f Sustainable Tourism

The last half century has been a very remarkable one. The developed nations have enjoyed an excep tional period of both peace and economic expansion. The rest of the world has been less fortunate, but even there the post-war era has brought benefi- cial changes, notably in decolonisation and self-determination. Throughout the world, local and national economies have been increasingly absorbed into a global system. Change and economic growth have become common aims for peoples and governments across the global system.

For much of the post-war period, the d&re to push for change and economic development was unchallenged. The growth models of Rostow and Myrdal, of industrial and population growth leading to economic 'take off', were accepted as norms. But from the mid-1960s onwards the conventions of continuous growth began to be questioned. Growth was seen to have the potential to damage the natural environment in an irreversible way. Environmentalism was born. In Britain, an analysis of the space devoted to environ- mental issues in The Times newspaper shows that from 1953 to 1965, coveragewas both minimal and steady. But, from 1965 onward, coverage began to grow and increased by 300% by 1973 (Brookes et al., 1980). Similar phenomena have been observed in the major newspapers of other developed countries overthe same period (Sandbach, 1980). In parallel with increas- ing public interest in environmental issues came the rapid formation of environmental pressure groups. Many of these were local, some were national; a few, such as Green-

founded in 1970, were global (Lowe & Goyder, 1983).

The environmenta1,movement began as a protest movement. There were few clear aims except for vague and negative anti- growth sentiments. Gradually, however, more clearly definable ideas began to develop. The movement widened to encompass the fateof thebuilt heritageand traditional societies as well as the natural world. One wing of the movement hoped for salvation by returning to historic values and methods wherever possible (the so- called deep ecologists). In contrast, other environmentalists looked for technical pro- gress and change to help forge a new rela- tionship between man's wish for economic growth and the need to conserve the environment. In the 1980s environmental- ism's major new paradigm emerged from these debates and discussions - the concept of sustainable development.

The origins of the concept of sustainable development can be traced back to the pub- lication, in 1973, of Ecofogicaf Principksfor Ecoiiomic Deuelopnieizt by Raymond Dasmann, John Milton and Peter Freeman. Many of the ideas in this work were developed at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) based in Geneva. The World Conservation Strategy, issued by IUCN and others in 1980, launched sustain- ability onto the global stage, bringing the cautious but sometimes negative thinking of the conservationist together with the positive but sometimes heedless world of the develoDer. The Brundtland ReDort of 1987, fol1o;ving the World Commisiion on

peace and Friends of .the Earth, both : Environment and Development, further

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developed and disseminated the ideas of sustainable development. In outline, four basic principles can be seen to be crucial to the concept of sustainability: (1) the idea of holistic planning and strategy-making; (2) the importance of preserving essential ecological processes; (3) the need to protect both human heritage and biodiversity; (4) the key requirement: to develop in such a way that productivity can be sustained over the long term for future generations. It should also be noted that Brundtland added a powerful rider to the sustainability debate: in addition to achieving balance between economic growth and natural resources, there should be a balance of fair- ness and opportunity between nations. In the long term, we will require a far greater convergence between rich and poor if the global system is to be stable as well as sustainable.

It is against this background that the development of the concept of sustainable tourism must be seen. Modem tourism was created and expanded in the post-war growth era which began in the 1940s; it continues to flourish. The statistics of the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) are well known. International tourism arrivals grew from 25 millions in 1950 to 405 mil- lions in 1989. Domestic tourism is esti- mated to be ten times the size of international tourism. By 2000, estimated the WTO, tourism could be the world's largest single industry (WTO, 1989). But, just as general economic growth has now been questioned, so has the unbridled growth of the tourism sector. And, in a fascinating parallel, tourism's critics have slowly passed through a similar evolution in their thinking to that experienced by the environmental critics of the classical general economic growth model: protest- a desire for the clock to be turned back - a hope for improvement through technical developments and better management - the emergence of the concept of sustainable development.

Sustainable tourism is a positive approach intended to reduce the tensions and friction created by the complex inter- actions between the tourism industry, visi- tors, the environment and the communities which are host to holidaymakers. It is an approach which involves working for the

Journal of Sustainable Tourism

long-term viability and quality of both natural and human resources. It is not anti- growth, but it acknowledges that there are limits togrowth.Thoselimits willvary con- siderably from place to place, and accord- ing to management practices. It recognises that for many areas tourismwas, is and will be an important form of development. It seeks to ensure that tourism developments are sustainable in the long term and wherever possible help in turn to sustain the areas in which they operate. And, for good measure, sustainable tourism also aims to increase visitor satisfaction. This last point is not an idle one. Satisfied visi- tors are usually also visitors who become concerned and carinF for the places they visit. They often provide long-term and repeat business.

The concept of sustainable tourism seems to have emerged first in the Alpine lands of Europe during the late 1970s, although discussion quickly followed in international circles and in North America. German speakers will find a good general account of those early years in Jost Krippendorf, Peter Zimmer and Hans Glauber's Firer einen nnderri Tourismits (Towards an AlternativeTourism) publish- ed in Frankfurt in 1988. English speakers should consult the proceedings of the Globe 90 conference on sustainable devel- opment held in Canada: a useful summary of the tourism discussions at that con- ference can be found in Edward Inskeep's Toiirism Planning: An lntegrnted nnd Sustnin- able Approach published in 1991.These early debates led to a growing number of pilot projects: the issues raised by both dis- cussions and projects are now seen to be cf crucial importance for tourism businesses, planners and environmentalists, as well as for travellers themselves.

As the sustainable tourism debate has developed it has extended beyond an ana- lysis of the impacts of tourism's operations, to propose practical steps which could be taken by the industry, host populations, planners and tourists (Inskeep, 1991; Krip- pendorf, 1987). There has been a steady flow of policy statements and initiatives towards sustainability from national, regional and local governments, tourism organisations, businesses and local com- munities (such as Alberta Tourism, 1988;

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Editorial

English Tourist Board, 1991). The debate has also tended to widen: the early focus on environmental issues has now broadened to include economic, social and cultural issues as well as questiom.of:power and equity in society (Crick, 1989; Hall, 1991; Urry, 1990). The rapid evolution of the debate, itSspread both in content and geo- graphical area, the evidence becoming available from practical initiatives - all of these factors illustrate the growing need and scope to share ideas and experiences in this burgeoning field. And that is why the Joiirrial of Siistairinble Toiirisni was created, following discussion which began between publisher, editors and editorial board in Iate December 1991.

TheJoiirnal of Siistairinble Tourism aims to foster bothresearchand practiceinsustain- able tourism to help develop both a theore- tical base for the subject and reliable empirical evidence of its results and impacts. The intention is to publish a mix of work of interest to both academics and practitioners, with a good representation of articles which draw management implica- tions from their findings. The aim is to provide interdisciplinary perspectives and be international in outlook. As well as help- ing shape the many debates in sustainable tourism, the journal will also disseminate good practice and foster an increasing understanding of the subject amongst the industry, the academic community and others with an interest in tourism.

The journal will examine the complex- ities and difficulties which the sustainable tourism approach involves. Good inten- tions and idealism alone are not a sufficient basis for real advances in our under- standing. There is a need to evaluate criti- cally the theory of sustainable tourism and assess in specific circumstances the aspects of practical initiatives that have worked well and those that have not. This means recognising that in practice there are often limits to what will be achieved - due to such constraints as the operation of econ- omic systems and the finite nature of resources - and that difficult choices may have to be made about the priority given to different desirable outcomes. The sheer complexity of environments and of places and people should also alert us to be wary of apparently simple solutions and of the

3 general application of one prescription (Butler, 1990; Cohen, 1988; Wheeler, 1992).

All those involved in tourism have a responsibility to learn how to contribute towards more sustainable forms of tour- ism. There are many unresolved questions about these responsibilities and what dif- ferent organisations and individuals can do about them in practice (Hawkins, 1993). For example, what can private companies do to further sustainable tourism? How can cen- tral and local government policies contri- bute? How may tourists develop a better understanding and respect for the places they visit and the culture of the people living there? What approaches can be used to foster community tourism? Can thecom- rnunity be fully invoiced in tourism plan- ning and in gaining the benefits tourism can bring? In what ways can an effective dialogue and mutual understanding be encouraged between those involved in tourism and those who are not, and between those who have different priorities? Such questions lead on to a range of related issues that are particularly difficult. For example, how can sustainable tourism be economically viable for private companies while meeting broad economic, social and environmental needs? To what extent will the tourism industry, tourists, governments and local communities accept local and global responsibility for tourism which is environmentally, socially and economically sensitive?

There are critics of sustainable tourism who argue that the concept is fundament- ally misguided. For instance, it has been suggested that the main effects of holding out the prospect of sustainability are simply to appease our consciences as tour- ists and to open up more markets for the industry, effects which only further add to the volume of tourism and to its adverse impacts. Obviously, such claims do need to be taken seriously. But it is the contention here that efforts directed towards making tourism more sustainable are much more likely to produce benefits than problems, particularly if they are developed as a result of sound research and an informed debate. One must also ask what the alternatives are to developing more sustainable tourism - presumably either to stand back and do nothing or else to criticise without offering

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any realistic, practical ways forward. Both alternatives seem likely to be ignored and to allow the negative effects of tourism to increase further in scale.

A final word of warning.~Isn,some ways, all rational human beings are environ- mentalists, in the s e e that few would deliberately set out to destroy the environ- ment that feeds them. Waldstein (1991) noted that all politicians (and all large cor- porations) now claim to be pursuing pro- environment policies. He warns, however, of the limousine environmentalism increasingly common in the USA where lip-service masks a lack of positive actions. But let no-one be in doubt of the real issues of great political significance which sustainability as a paradigm faces. At local, national and global levels there are very difficult choices to make. It is easy to dis- cuss sustainability. Implementation is the problem. One of the fundamental raison d9tres of this journal is to be a useful tool for the implementers. The time has now come to walk the talk. It will be no easy walk.

Each issue of the Joiirnal of Siistainable Toiirism will include main articles, includ- ing major thematic reviews, position .papers on theory and practice, and sub- stantive case studies. A reports section will include reports on specific initiatives and projects, work in progress and major conferences. An interview with a leading figure in sustainable tourism will also be featured inmost issues. The levelof interest already shown in the journal means that after 1993 the number of issues each year will be increased from two to four.

In this first issue of the journal, Bob McKercher argues that tourism as an activ- ity involves a range of underlying struc- tures which are little recognised by the industry and academics. He contends that an acknowledgement and understanding of these structures is necessary when plan- ning for sustainable tourism. The article by Ross Dowling develops a new planning model for regional tourism development which is grounded in environmental con- servation but also incorporates the opinions of managers, tourists and the host community. Two of the main papers con- sider aspects of sustainable tourism in Bali in Indonesia. At first thought, Bali might

Journal of Sustainable Tourism seem an esoteric location for intensive research. It is easily overlooked, however, when writing from a European viewpoint that Indonesia is now the fourth most populous nation in the world, with 184 million citizens. It is an increasingly sought-after international destination, but, with an average economic growth rate of almost 7% per year since 1967, its now better-off peoples are providing a massive domestic holiday market. Geoffrey Wall examines the forms of institutional colla- boration in a cross-cultural setting which he has helped develop in order to formulate a sustainable development strategy for Bali, in which tourism is a major element. The decline in traditional and ethnic foods in a tourist area of Bali is discussed by Paul Reynolds, who suggests that there is a strong demand for ethnic dishes, prepared and served in the traditional way, which is now not being met. The first of our inter- views is with Jost Krippendorf,perhaps the most influential figure during the 1970s and 1980s in the search for new forms of tourism, and still very active in the field today.

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Butler, R.V. (1990) Alternative tourism: Pious hope or Trojan Horse? Journal of Travel Research 28 (3), 91-6.

Cohen, E. (1988) Authenticity and commo- ditization in tourism. Annals of Toiirism Research 15,371-86.

Crick, M. (1989) Representations of inter- national tourism in the social sciences. Anniinl Reuiew of Anthropology 18, 307- 44.

Dasmann, R.F., Milton, J.P. and Freeman, P.H. (1973) Ecological Principles for Eco- nomic Development. London: John Wiley.

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Lowe, P. and Goyder, J. (1983) Environ- mental Grorips in Politics. London: George Allen & Unwin.

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