Discussion

Discuss about the Business Sustainability for Prosperous Business Future.

The concept of sustainability is an emerging concept in today’s world. This concept has made the business as well as individuals to act judiciously in order to have a prosperous future (Morelli, 2013). The same concept is applicable for the tourism sector too, which is concerned with the responsible tourism. The tourism industry expects that the tourists would make a positive impact on the society, economy and environment of the place they are visiting. In reality, it is difficult to make a positive impact on the environment without any sustainable practices. The major stakeholders in the tourism sector must strive to make effort towards the conservation of the environment. This paper would discuss the sustainability parameter of tourism from different perspective. Special emphasis has been made on global tourism growth and the subsequent effects on the environment are also discussed. The environmental harm that is caused by the proliferation of the tourism industry are discussed. The methods of achieving the sustainability outcomes are also discussed. The concluding part of the report discusses about the possible solutions that should be implemented for the purpose of protecting the environment from subsequent damage.

The tourism is concerned with the primary transportation to different geographical locations by utilizing local transportation, entertainment, accommodations, recreation and others (Song, 2016). There are various reasons of travel such as recreation, visiting family/friends, medical purpose, business purpose, leisure and others (Taylor, 2014). Tourism is a flourishing industry and the experts are striving to make it sustainable. The idea of sustainable tourism is connected with the sustainable mobility concept (Taylor, 2014). The tourism has certain degree of reliance on the fossil fuels and it also has certain impact on the climatic change or environmental transformation. There is an increased production of CO₂ from the tourism related activities such as transportation, local activities and accommodations (Song, 2016). There is an increased production of the greenhouse gases which has serious environmental impact. The aviation industry is expected to generate approximately around 40% of the “world carbon emissions” (Singh & Singh, 2012). The primary cause of this trend is the increased distance covered by the tourists and their increasing number of trips taken in a particular year. The sustainable transportation is an important issue which is challenging the global tourism sector.

The global tourism sector is witnessing a global tourism growth since it is one of the fastest as well as largest growing industries in the world (Mowforth & Munt, 2015). This implies that there would be environmental exploitation particularly on the biological as well as natural habitats. These resources are used to support the mass tourism phenomenon (Mowforth & Munt, 2015). The sustainable tourists take an active initiative to protect the natural tourist destinations. They can positively decrease the ill effects of tourism (Mowforth & Munt, 2015). This can be done in several ways- anticipating the local culture, support the local culture, aid the local economies and the conservation of natural resources. The industry should focus more on using the renewable sources rather than the non-renewable sources of energy (Sharpley & Telfer, 2014). It is important to strike a balance between the usage and the limits in order to conserve the natural sources of energy. It is important to do continuous monitoring and planning of the sustainability process of the tourism sector. This requires long term cumulative planning (Sharpley & Telfer, 2014). It is important to take the social, environmental and the economic aspects of the sustainable development of the tourism industry (Sharpley & Telfer, 2014). It should incorporate the interest of all the stakeholders either directly or indirectly related with the tourism industry.

Global Tourism Growth and Environmental Impact

The tourism industry has several stakeholders who are concerned about the betterment of the industry (Mistilis, Buhalis & Gretzel, 2014). They may include the local communities, indigenous people, industry officials, community representatives, government and others (Mistilis, Buhalis & Gretzel, 2014). The stakeholders play an important role in continuing sustainable tourism (Mistilis, Buhalis & Gretzel, 2014). They are impacted by the development of the tourism sector which decreases the conflict between the host community and the tourists. The GSTC or Global Sustainable Tourism Council is an international organization for facilitating the knowledge and understanding of the tourism practices that are sustainable (Council, 2013). It is responsible for promoting the “sustainable tourism principles”. It is important to assess the ulterior motives of the government entity for the promotion of sustainable tourism (Mistilis, Buhalis & Gretzel, 2014). It should determine the maximum capacity of a tourist destination to host tourists without negatively affecting the surrounding environment or the culture (Mistilis, Buhalis & Gretzel, 2014). The non-governmental organizations are also an important consideration while advocating sustainable tourism campaigns. For example, the “dive resort operators” located in Indonesia, play a vital role in creating exclusive zones for fishing as well as diving. The tourism industry is driven by meetings, large conventions and other big events.

The tourism sector is looking for innovative solutions for combating with the issue of sustainable tourism (Rogers, 2013). There is an increasing number of green events and green conventions which has become the focal point of the tourism and hospitality center (Rogers, 2013). The organizations that have high degree of environment awareness are looking for event practices that have sustainable effect on the environment (Rogers, 2013). There is an increasing number of international conventions all over the world which is implying a large number of air travel by the delegates. This signifies that there would be exploitation of the environment (Rogers, 2013). The companies are fostering participation but they are only altering the channels of participation. They are looking for communication options such as telecommunications (Rogers, 2013). The international organizations are also in the process of using livestreaming facilities which decreases the need for international business related travel (Rogers, 2013).

The sustainable tourism also affects the local communities of the particular communities. There is economic development, infrastructure development and the job creation which benefits the local communities (Lee, 2013). The revenues from tourism brings revenues which fosters economic growth of the region. It can also raise the living standards of the host communities. It can also foster the creation of employment opportunities in the local communities (Lee, 2013). The sustainable tourism can act as overall infrastructure development of the local regions (Lee, 2013). The developing countries are focusing more on the sustainability of international tourism for the betterment of the natural tourist habitats (Lee, 2013).

Achieving Sustainability Outcomes in the Tourism Industry

There are a number of sustainable issues concerned with the tourism sector. There is an increased consumption of energy especially at the hotels, which is an integral part of the tourism sector (Michailidou et al., 2016). The energy consumption is directly related to the star rating of the hotel. The various power consumption sources are cooling, heating, luxury services and others. The increased international travel has contributed to increased carbon footprint (Michailidou et al., 2016). The restaurant grease as well as the exhausts of cruise ships have severely affected the ecological balance (Michailidou et al., 2016). There are issues with the water supply in the laundry supplies, which is an area of concern for the hotel owners. There are also hygiene issues with the hotel services, which must be monitored constantly in order to minimize the instances of outbreaks (Michailidou et al., 2016). The tourism has led to the overcrowding of the popular tourist destinations. There is an increased adverse impact of tourism in matters such as ecosystems, land and threatened species (Mason, 2015). It has also affected the natural environment such as coral reefs, coastal wetlands, mountains, rainforests and arid ecosystems. This is due to the construction of tourist properties on these habitats, overconsumption and the land clearance done for the purpose of attracting tourists. The tourism sector would subsequently increase the energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption and solid waste disposal.

It is important to concentrate on sustainable tourism practices for the conservation of the environment. The tourism sector must concentrate on the environment friendly practices such as certified tourism products as well as carbon neutral (Kim, Uysal & Sirgy, 2013). It should concentrate on alternative tourism methods such as slow tourism. It is important to change the behavioral patterns of the consumers (Kim, Uysal & Sirgy, 2013). There must be voluntary efforts to reduce the emission level of Carbon Dioxide. There should be increased awareness of the negative impacts of environment caused due to tourism. There should be efforts towards energy and ecological efficiency (Kim, Uysal & Sirgy, 2013). There should be innovative solutions for the conservation of energy and water. More emphasis should be laid on philanthropy as well as corporate social responsibility. The fossil fuels should be replaced by biofuels (Kim, Uysal & Sirgy, 2013). There should be proper waste disposal mechanisms. There is also a need for more investments on ecological practices and implementation of green alternatives.

Stakeholders in the Tourism Industry and Sustainable Tourism

The tourism industry must engage in promoting the sustainable tourism by focusing more on the benefits. There are several socio-economic benefits related to the sustainable approaches of the tourism (Weaver, 2012). There would be direct as well as indirect employment due to the booming tourism sector. It is also directly related to the reduction of poverty, especially in the developing economies (Weaver, 2012). It is also a source of revenue and foreign direct investments. There would be positive impacts on the rural development as well as regional improvements (Kim, Uysal & Sirgy, 2013). The sustainable tourism is also supposed to foster infrastructural development. The appreciation of the cultural heritage of the nation would aid in the national progress in the global economy (Weaver, 2012).

Conclusion

The sustainable tourism is an emerging concept in the modern world. The increased tourism activities have impacted the wellbeing of the environment, which should be addressed. Tourism is a flourishing industry which has both advantages as well as disadvantages. The ill effects of tourism include the damaging effect on the environment which is caused by increasing tourism activities. There is a global tourism growth which has focused more on the nonrenewable sources of energy. The tourism sector is associated with several stakeholders who work hard for making this a profitable industry. The tourism sector is focusing on the innovative solutions aimed at increasing the sustainability of tourism. The local communities are affected to a large extent by sustainable tourism practices. There are a number of issues with concerned with the sustainable tourism which needs to be addressed by the respective authorities. The tourism practices must be made sustainable so that there is minimal environmental damage and greater conservation of natural habitats.

References

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