Introduction to Sustainable Destination Review
After implementing sustainable tourism strategies, it's crucial to review and assess their effectiveness. This helps destinations understand what's working, what needs improvement and how to adapt for the future.
Key Definitions:
- Sustainability Assessment: The process of evaluating how well a destination is meeting its environmental, social and economic sustainability goals.
- Indicators: Measurable factors that help track progress towards sustainability objectives.
- Carrying Capacity: The maximum number of visitors a destination can support without negative impacts.
- Visitor Management: Strategies to control tourist numbers, behaviour and impacts.
📈 Why Review Matters
Regular assessment allows destinations to:
- Track progress against sustainability goals
- Identify emerging problems before they become serious
- Demonstrate success to stakeholders and visitors
- Justify continued investment in sustainable practices
- Adapt strategies to changing conditions
📋 The Assessment Cycle
Effective review follows a continuous cycle:
- Set clear sustainability objectives
- Choose appropriate indicators to measure
- Collect baseline data
- Implement sustainability strategies
- Monitor and measure impacts
- Evaluate results against objectives
- Adjust strategies as needed
Key Assessment Methods
There are several approaches to reviewing sustainability in tourism destinations. The most effective strategies combine multiple methods to build a comprehensive picture.
Environmental Impact Assessment
Environmental assessments measure how tourism affects the natural world, including:
💧 Water Resources
Measuring water consumption, quality of water bodies and wastewater management.
- Water usage per visitor
- Beach and lake water quality
- Effectiveness of water conservation
🍃 Biodiversity
Tracking wildlife populations, habitat health and conservation efforts.
- Changes in key species numbers
- Habitat fragmentation
- Success of protected areas
♻ Waste & Pollution
Assessing waste management, air quality and carbon emissions.
- Recycling rates
- Air quality in tourist areas
- Carbon footprint of tourism activities
Social and Cultural Assessment
Social assessments evaluate how tourism affects local communities and their way of life.
👥 Community Wellbeing
Key indicators include:
- Local attitudes towards tourism (surveys)
- Preservation of cultural traditions
- Access to amenities for residents
- Crime rates in tourist areas
- Housing affordability for locals
🏛 Cultural Heritage
Measuring how well heritage is protected:
- Condition of historic sites
- Visitor numbers at cultural attractions
- Local participation in cultural events
- Investment in heritage conservation
Economic Assessment
Economic reviews determine whether tourism is providing sustainable financial benefits.
💰 Economic Indicators
- Tourism's contribution to local GDP
- Number and quality of jobs created
- Local ownership of tourism businesses
- Seasonality of employment
- Tourism leakage (money leaving the local economy)
📅 Visitor Patterns
- Length of stay
- Visitor spending patterns
- Repeat visitation rates
- Seasonal distribution of visitors
- Market diversification
Monitoring Systems and Tools
Effective assessment relies on robust monitoring systems that collect reliable data over time.
📊 Data Collection Methods
- Visitor Surveys: Gather information on visitor satisfaction, behaviour and spending.
- Resident Surveys: Measure local attitudes and perceptions of tourism impacts.
- Environmental Monitoring: Regular testing of water, air quality and wildlife populations.
- Economic Data Analysis: Track tourism employment, business performance and tax revenue.
- Footfall Counters: Measure visitor numbers at key sites to prevent overcrowding.
📄 International Frameworks
Several established frameworks help destinations assess sustainability:
- Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) Criteria: International standards for sustainable tourism management.
- European Tourism Indicator System (ETIS): A toolkit of indicators for sustainable destination management.
- UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Global goals that tourism can contribute to.
- Green Destination Standard: Certification system for sustainable destinations.
Case Study Focus: Sustainable Tourism in Slovenia
Slovenia has developed one of the world's most comprehensive sustainable tourism assessment systems through its "Green Scheme of Slovenian Tourism."
Key features:
- Destinations are assessed against 100+ sustainability indicators
- Tiered certification system (bronze, silver, gold, platinum) encourages continuous improvement
- Regular monitoring and reassessment every three years
- Combines environmental, social, cultural and economic measures
- Involves both experts and community feedback
Results: Since implementing the scheme in 2015, Slovenia has seen improved environmental protection, stronger community support for tourism and increased visitor satisfaction. Ljubljana, the capital, has reduced waste to landfill by 95% and increased green space by 20%.
Evaluating Success and Making Adjustments
Assessment isn't just about collecting data it's about using that information to improve sustainability performance.
🎯 Setting Benchmarks
Successful evaluation requires clear targets to measure against:
- Specific, measurable sustainability goals
- Realistic timeframes for achievement
- Comparison with similar destinations
- Industry best practice standards
- Historical performance data
🔄 Adaptive Management
Using assessment results to improve:
- Regular review meetings with stakeholders
- Transparent reporting of results
- Celebrating successes to maintain momentum
- Addressing underperformance quickly
- Updating sustainability plans based on findings
- Testing innovative solutions for persistent problems
Case Study: The Bay of Plenty, New Zealand
When assessment revealed that cruise ship tourism was creating congestion and environmental pressure in Mount Maunganui, the Bay of Plenty region implemented several changes:
- Introduced a visitor levy to fund environmental projects
- Created a dispersal strategy to spread visitors across the region
- Developed new attractions in less-visited areas
- Improved public transport for cruise passengers
- Set up a real-time monitoring system for popular sites
Follow-up assessment showed reduced pressure on hotspots, increased visitor satisfaction and greater economic benefits for previously overlooked communities.
Exam Preparation Tips
For your iGCSE assessment on sustainable destination management, remember these key points:
📝 Exam Technique
- Use specific examples and case studies to support your answers
- Discuss both successful and unsuccessful sustainability strategies
- Consider environmental, social, AND economic aspects in your responses
- Explain the importance of ongoing assessment and adaptation
- Link your answers to specific sustainability indicators where relevant
💡 Key Concepts to Remember
- The triple bottom line approach (balancing environment, society, economy)
- The importance of stakeholder involvement in assessment
- How carrying capacity affects sustainable management
- The role of technology in monitoring impacts
- How global frameworks like SDGs relate to local tourism management
Remember that effective sustainable destination management is not a one-time effort but a continuous process of assessment, adaptation and improvement. The most successful destinations are those that regularly review their performance and aren't afraid to change course when needed.
