1 Conceptual Definition of Sustainable tourism 可持續旅游的概念定義

The idea of sustainable development is only about 15 years old. The concept of sustainable tourism was first mentioned in 1987 in a report published by the World Commission on Environment and Development(WTO, 2004). It defined sustainable development as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

 

The World Tourism Organization defines sustainable tourism as “tourism which leads to management of all resources in such a way that economic, social and aesthetic needs can be filled while maintaining cultural integrity, essentials ecological processes, biological diversity and life support systems.”(WTO, 2000,)

 

Generally, sustainable tourism should:

 

1) Make optimal use of environmental resources that constitute a key element in tourism development, maintaining essential ecological processes and helping to conserve natural heritage and biodiversity.

 

2) Respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities, conserve their built and living cultural heritage and traditional values, and contribute to inter-cultural understanding and tolerance.

 

3) Ensure viable, long-term economic operations, providing socio-economic benefits to all stakeholders that are fairly distributed, including stable employment and income-earning opportunities and social services to host communities, and contributing to poverty alleviation.

 

2 Sustainable Tourism:it is not idealistic 可持續旅游:這不是理想主義的

 

Looking back to development of sustainable tourism, there are a lot of good example to suggest that the idea of sustainability is not idealistic in many countries of the world, although perhaps a few failure case can not well control the balance with economic, ecological, cultural and community sustainability and so on. But it is admitted that the positive impacts are more than negative brought by the tourism industry.

 

In many countries of the world, including the least developed countries, tourism has become a major source of foreign exchange earnings. It is also an important means of expanding economic base through its linkage with the agricultural, industrial and service sectors. Consequently. Tourism has assumed considerable socio-economic importance in many parts of the world and its role has become particularly significant in every countries especail the developing one.

 

For example, In a number of countries in the Asian and Pacific region, tourism become one of the frontline sectors in the fight against poverty. The tourism industry create a number of development synergies to help overcome poverty through job creation in various regions of countries, including remote rural areas(ESCAP, 2005). This is particularly important since the great majority of people in extreme poverty live in rural areas. Tourism offers labour-intensive and small-scale business opportunities and employs a high proportion of women and unskilled youth. The potential of tourism to create jobs is of paramount importance, since unemployment is the principal social and economic challenge facing many developing countries.

 

Of course, if tourism is managed badly, it can have a detrimental effect-it can damage fragile environments and destroy local cultures. The challenge is to manage the future growth of the industry so as to minimise its negative impacts on the environment and host communities whilst maximising the benefits it brings in terms of jobs, wealth and support for local culture and industry, and protection of the built and natural environment.

 

3 Effective example for sustainabletourism有效的可持續旅游的例子

 

The concept of sustainability is broadly based on a definition that includes its economic, financial, social, cultural, ecological and environmental aspects. Consequently, sustainable tourism development should be environmentally sound and socio-culturally acceptable and its long-term economic viability should be ensured.

 

Over the last 10 years, every country in the world have explored the tourism industry in themselves land. At the same time, the notion of sustainability receives growing attention as more people become aware that we can no longer continue the current consumption rate of our natural resources. This notion of sustainability also reached the tourism industry as this sector, as being the world’s largest industry, how to balance the relaionship between the tourisam and the environmental, socioeconomical, cultural and institutional resources.There are a number of success examples that prove the sustainable tourism is feasible, it is not idealistic.#p#分頁標題#e#

 

Now the following is a show of supporting effective examples to demonstrate our view.4.1 Israelpresents two examples of successful sustainable tourism.

 

1) Tourism and Biodiversity - Birdwatching

 

Due to its historical and archeological legacy, Israel has always attracted visitors from the world over. Tourism to Israel has increased from around one million visitors per year in 1980 to approximately 2 million in 2005(Arie et al, 2005). In recent years, birdwatching has become an additional tourist attraction and its great potential is being recognized. Israel’s small land area is characterized by a wide range of physical conditions and by a rich variety of flora and fauna. Its unique geographic location at the junction of three continents, together with the climatic changes that have occurred throughout the history of the region, are largely responsible for the high diversity of species in Israel, including 540 bird species–a remarkably large number for such a small country. Unique conditions make the country an international crossroad for migrating birds(Arie et al, 2008). It is one of the largest migration flyways in the world with some 500 million birds crossing Israel’s skies twice yearly on their way to Africa in the autumn and to Europe and Asia in the spring(Raymond, 2004). This meeting place also provides a stopover and wintering ground. Israel’s birdwatching centers promote projects that boost domestic tourism as well as attract large numbers of foreign tourists. An exceptionally popular center can be found in the Hula Valley, which lies within the northern part of the Great Rift Valley and is currently being considered for nomination as a World Heritage Site (Israel accessed to the World Heritage Convention in 2000). The Hula wetland was drained nearly 50 years ago to provide agricultural land, and only a remnant was left as the Hula Nature Reserve, a recognized Ramsar site. Ever since the area was intentionally flooded again in the 1990s, it has become a major tourist spot, attracting some 250,000 visitors each year who come to see the thousands of birds including cranes, storks, pelicans, cormorants, herons and almost 300 additional species(John et al, 2000). To date, most of the tourism is local, however, more foreign tourism is expected in the coming years.

 

The International Center for the Study of Bird Migration was founded through the joint initiative of Tel Aviv University and the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI) and is supported by the Ministry of the Environment.

 

2)Engagement of private sector – rural tourism

 

In recent years, rural tourism has expanded significantly in the northern Galilee region and is reflected in the growing number of tourist accommodations that reach nearly 3000 rooms to date. Annual room occupancy is between 80-120 days, which represents a 25% annual increase since 1994. Approximately 10 years ago, the Ministry of Tourism began investing in the renewal of the tourism infrastructure in villages of the Galilee, together with the local population(Aliza et al, 1998). The main concept was to upgrade infrastructure, such as roads, parking areas, road signs, landscaping, electricity supply, sewage and water systems for the benefit of both tourists and the local population. In addition, direct financial assistance was offered to local enterprises to promote the establishment of bed and breakfast accommodations.#p#分頁標題#e#

 

“The Tourist Villages of Upper Galilee” project included improving services in twelve “tourist villages” during the past five years, with funding from the Ministry of Tourism as well as additional government ministries, organizations and local authorities. Each of the villages in the project contains 10-30 rooms, operated by local residents adjacent to their homes. The project was carried out together with the local community, which was a major contribution to its success. Results show that real estate value rose significantly, the number of tourist accommodation units increased by 83%, room capacity increased by 120% and the number of beds increased by 140%(Aliza et al, 2003). The income generated from the project contributed to strengthening the economy of the villages.

 

Both of the above examples demonstrate how tourism can contribute as a source of income in peripheral areas, and at the same time promote environmental protection.

 

3.1 Slovenian coast

 

The Slovenian coast is situated at the far northern end of the Mediterranean, along the Gulf of Trieste which is the northernmost part of the Adriatic Sea. The Slovenian coast is only 46 km long and is heavily urbanised. The proximity of Trieste and other bigger cities of Northern Italy, Austria and mainland Slovenia makes the area interesting for tourists. They are attracted by the diverse natural beauties (cliffs, marshes, caves, beaches etc.) and rich cultural heritage (historic settlements, salt-pans, traditional food etc)(Doris and Tanja, 2006).

 

This area has a well developed tourist infrastructure, which includes dozens of hotels, sports facilities and public beaches. Most of them are in perfect condition. The area has 21.000 tourist beds, most of them in the municipality of Piran. It receives about 400,000 tourists a year(Doris and Tanja, 2006). Besides beach tourism, the focus of Slovenian coastal tourism is placed on conferences, health and casino tourism throughout the whole year. During the last few years, eco-tourism and cultural tourism have become increasingly important. Therefore, tourism development of the coast sprawls outside the city into the natural parts of the coast, into the coastal hinterland developing new tourist attractions which can easily go beyond the carrying capacity of the environment.

 

In the past decade there were several projects focused on the protection of natural and cultural environments from deterioration through development of eco-tourism and cultural tourism. There were also a number of projects that looked at various aspects of regional development and sought for more integrated and sustainable solutions. With the creation of the new Coastal Area Management Programme (CAMP), the area is going to get an important document for sustainable development of the coastal zone together with its hinterland. Part of the CAMP will also be the Strategy for Development of Sustainable Tourism along the Slovenian Coast. The difference of this particular project from similar projects is that the area includes a large part of the hinterland and that the process of preparing the documents anticipates extensive community involvement.#p#分頁標題#e#

 

The sustainable tourism concept seemed to offer the right directions for protection and development of sensitive areas with high ecological or cultural value. The initial steps to develop Integrated Regional Development Plan for Coastal Area of Slovenia were concluded in March 2002. In September 2003, a new phase of this process started with the preparation of CAMP which will be concluded by the end of 2005. The project is prepared in the framework of the Barcelona convention and the Mediterranean action plan (UNEP/MAP). It is coordinated by the Ministry of Environment, Physical Planning and Energy of Slovenia. Financial resources are also contributed by the coastal municipalities.

 

From this example, the most important result of regional development and heritage protection activities in the coastal area has been the recognition that there is a need for cooperation among all stakeholders to be able to solve growing environmental problems. Furthermore, preparation of a fully integrated aproach towards sustainable development is essential.

 

3.2 PAN Parks in Finland

 

In 1997 the WWF and the Dutch leisure company Molecaten group founded PAN  Parks in order to create a synergy between ecological, economic and socio-cultural sustainability. The idea is to use tourism as a tool to protect Europe’s wilderness areas while at the same time trigger sustainable tourism development in the surrounding areas. PAN Parks aims to do this by building partnerships with nature conservation organisations, the private sector and other groups on local, national and international level (Cutumisu, 2003). PAN Parks differs in this initiative from other organisations, because it includes both tourism and nature conservation in its verification principles and criteria. Before a protected area is certified as a PAN Park, verification according to PAN Parks principles and criteria is carried out. There are five PAN Parks principles: natural values, habitat management, visitor management, sustainable tourism development and finally tourism business partners. Principles four and five set criteria for a sustainable tourism development strategy. This strategy is central in ensuring that tourism benefits nature conservation.     

 

Now, the PAN Parks logo is a trademark for sustainable development and high quality tourism facilities, in harmony with the needs of wilderness protection and community development(PAN Parks, 2006)

 

PAN Park Oulanka is for the greatest part situated in the municipality of Kuusamo in North-East Finland, 800km north of the capital Helsinki and adjacent to the Russian border(Simula,and Lahti, 2005). The region around Kuusamo attracts people already for a long time. Its open landscape traversed by numerous rivers and lakes, alternated by dense forests offer great opportunities for recreation and observation of nature. Last decades many Finns established their summer cottages along the shores of the lakes and likewise did tourism businesses to enable tourists to enjoy the scenery and the tranquillity of this part of Finland.#p#分頁標題#e#

 

Finlandis quite progressive when it comes to combine nature conservation, tourism and local economical development. For Kuusamo region, a long history of ecological research, encouragement of local initiatives, and participation of stakeholders supported the development of sustainable tourism(Torn, et al, 2005). Furthermore, the region has already experience with cooperation between different sectors and public-private partnerships.In a word, Protected Area Network (PAN) Park Oulanka in Finland is quite ahead with sustainable tourism development. Although due to its less favourable climate and relative higher prices compared to other European (PAN) Parks, it tends to loose its good position on sustainable nature-based tourism. It is confirmed the tourism development in and around Oulanka National Park is a useful example for other PAN Parks.

 

4 Conlunsion結論

 

This paper has introduced the conceptual definition of sustainable tourism and present the our position that the sustainable tourism is not a idealistic. Sustainable tourism concepts have grown out of the idea of sustainable development which was first identified about 15 years ago. The principles of sustainable development focus on taking a longer-term and more cautious approach to development to ensure that our future generations can enjoy a quality life. Sustainable tourism has identified how the tourism industry can contribute to overall sustainable development and continue to provide high quality, low impact experiences. Sustainable tourism is built around four pillars of tourism, economic sustainability, ecological sustainability, cultural sustainability and local sustainability. Some good examples have been showed that the sustainable tourism is feasible and effective to prove our view about the sustainable tourism.

 

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