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Unlock This CourseWhen tourists visit a destination, they need more than just something to look at. They need places to sleep, eat, get information, travel around and feel safe and comfortable. These are called facilities and getting them right is one of the most important jobs in the travel and tourism industry.
Different types of tourists need different types of facilities. A backpacker travelling solo has very different needs from a family with young children, a business traveller, or an elderly couple on a cruise. Tourism providers must think carefully about who their customers are and what facilities those customers expect.
Key Definitions:
These are the essentials that all tourists expect. Without them, a destination simply cannot function as a tourism product. They include:
These go a step further. They provide everything tourists need while protecting the environment and local community. Examples include:
Tourism providers must match their facilities to their target market. Let's look at how different tourist types have different facility needs and how those needs can be met sustainably.
Families need safe, convenient and child-friendly facilities. Long queues, lack of baby-changing rooms, or no pushchair access can ruin a family holiday. Providers who get this right attract repeat visits and strong word-of-mouth recommendations.
Wide pathways, lifts, pushchair-friendly surfaces and safe play areas are essential. Ramps and smooth paths help families with buggies navigate easily.
Children's menus, high chairs, allergy-friendly options and quick service matter to families. Many sustainable venues now offer locally sourced, healthy children's meals.
Reusable cups and plates, no single-use plastics and nature-based play areas teach children about the environment while reducing waste at the venue.
Older tourists are one of the fastest-growing segments in global tourism. They often have more time and money to travel, but may need facilities that cater for reduced mobility, health needs, or a preference for comfort over adventure.
Sustainably managed sites can use electric buggies or shuttles instead of petrol-powered vehicles to move elderly visitors around large attractions reducing emissions while improving access.
Business tourists prioritise efficiency, connectivity and professionalism. They need facilities that let them work and meet clients without disruption.
Many business hotels now hold sustainability certifications and offer carbon-offset programmes for corporate clients who want to reduce their environmental footprint.
Center Parcs is a brilliant example of a provider that tailors facilities to multiple tourist types within one site. Their UK villages (such as Sherwood Forest and Longleat Forest) offer:
This approach shows how thoughtful facility planning can serve diverse tourists and protect the natural environment at the same time.
Tourism is one of the world's biggest industries but it can also cause serious damage. Overcrowding, pollution, water overuse and habitat destruction are all real problems caused by poorly managed tourism. Sustainably managed facilities try to fix this by making tourism work long-term for tourists, for local people and for the planet.
There are three main pillars of sustainable facility management:
Reducing energy use, cutting waste, protecting wildlife, managing water carefully and preserving natural landscapes so future tourists can enjoy them too.
Respecting local communities, employing local people, preserving cultural heritage and making sure tourism improves rather than disrupts local life.
Ensuring tourism money stays in the local economy, supports local businesses and creates long-term jobs rather than short-term profits for outside companies.
Let's look at some specific, real-world examples of how tourism facilities are being managed more sustainably around the world.
Some of the world's most popular attractions have introduced timed entry systems to prevent overcrowding. Instead of letting everyone in at once, visitors book a specific time slot. This spreads visitor numbers throughout the day, reduces queues and protects fragile environments.
Many hotels, visitor centres and resorts are switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. This reduces carbon emissions and operating costs over time.
Water is a precious resource, especially in popular tourist destinations like Spain, the Caribbean and Southeast Asia. Sustainable facilities use water carefully.
Soneva Fushi is a high-end resort in the Maldives that proves sustainability and luxury can go hand in hand. Their facilities include:
Guests pay premium prices partly because of the resort's sustainability credentials showing that eco-friendly facilities can be a major selling point.
How do tourists know if a facility is genuinely sustainable? Several international and national schemes award certificates or labels to tourism businesses that meet sustainability standards. These help tourists make informed choices and encourage businesses to improve their practices.
A UK-based accreditation scheme that awards Bronze, Silver, or Gold ratings to tourism businesses based on their environmental practices. Covers energy, water, waste, biodiversity and community involvement. Over 2,000 businesses hold Green Tourism certification across the UK.
An international certification used by hotels and resorts worldwide. EarthCheck measures a business's environmental performance against global benchmarks and provides an independent audit. Used by major resort groups in Australia, the Caribbean and Asia.
Awarded to beaches and marinas that meet strict standards for water quality, safety, environmental education and facility management. A Blue Flag beach must have clean water, litter bins, recycling facilities and trained lifeguards. Recognised in over 50 countries.
Certifies tourism businesses particularly in tropical destinations that protect biodiversity, support local communities and operate sustainably. Common in Costa Rica, which is a world leader in sustainable tourism.
Costa Rica is widely regarded as the global leader in sustainable tourism. Despite being a small country, it attracts millions of tourists each year thanks to its incredible biodiversity and its commitment to sustainability.
Costa Rica shows that when sustainability is built into the design of tourism facilities from the start, it creates a better experience for tourists and a better outcome for the environment.
Exam questions on facilities often ask you to evaluate or discuss not just list. Here's how to structure a strong answer:
Remember: a facility that is sustainably managed is one that meets tourist needs now without damaging the ability to meet those needs in the future.
Some tourism businesses worry that going green will cost too much. But the evidence shows that sustainable facility management often saves money in the long run and attracts more customers.
According to a Booking.com Sustainable Travel Report, over 83% of global travellers say that sustainable travel is important to them and more than half say they would pay more for eco-friendly accommodation. This means sustainable facilities aren't just good for the planet they're good for business too.
One of the biggest challenges in tourism is finding the right balance. Tourists want comfort, convenience and great experiences. But providing those things can sometimes conflict with sustainability goals. Here are some common tensions and how they are managed:
Popular destinations like Venice, Barcelona and Dubrovnik have suffered from overtourism too many tourists causing damage to the environment, raising prices for locals and reducing the quality of the tourist experience itself. Solutions include:
Tourists often expect air conditioning, swimming pools and unlimited hot water all of which use large amounts of energy and water. Sustainable facilities find creative ways to provide comfort without waste:
The Galapagos Islands (Ecuador) are one of the world's most ecologically sensitive tourism destinations home to unique wildlife found nowhere else on Earth. Tourism is strictly controlled:
The result? The Galapagos remains one of the most biodiverse places on Earth and tourists pay premium prices to visit precisely because it has been so carefully protected.