In the previous article, I briefly discussed the concept of sustainable tourism. Today, I’ll be expanding and further explaining what it means to travel sustainably in reference to Islam. More specifically, this will be in the context of both the 8th, 12th, and the 14th sustainable development goal which is to “Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all”, “Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns”, and “Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development”.
“And do good as Allah has been good to you. And do not seek to cause corruption in the earth. Allah does not love the corrupters”, (Surat Al Qasas 28:77)
وَابْتَغِ فِيمَا آتَاكَ اللَّهُ الدَّارَ الْآخِرَةَ وَلَا تَنْسَ نَصِيبَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَأَحْسِنْ كَمَا أَحْسَنَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْكَ وَلَا تَبْغِ الْفَسَادَ فِي
الْأَرْضِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُفْسِدِينَ ﴿۷۷﴾
[5]
I’ll be mainly discussing sustainable tourism in regard to maritime, coastal, or ocean-related tourism as they are especially important central economic sectors in both small islands developing states (SIDS) and coastal least developed countries (LDCs).
Let’s get started!
What is Sustainable Tourism?
As mentioned prior, tourism plays an important role in the development of small island developing states and is identified by the UN as one strategy used by developing states in order to increase economic benefits by 2030 [7].
According to the UN, sustainable tourism is defined as “Tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment, and host communities” [7].
Sustainable tourism revolves around the idea of minimizing the negative social/environmental impacts of tourism while maximizing the positive impacts so that the economy of a particular region may benefit. Negative impacts arise from many vacation/tourism activities that rely on the natural environment for entertainment. For example, you can negatively impact the marine life of a nearby coastal region by engaging in activities that increase pollution levels.
As sustainable development consists of economic, social, and environmental aspects, it must account for the interest of all possible stakeholders in the area. There are three possible groups of stakeholders:
Primary stakeholders
People/groups directly affected, in a positive or negative way by the design
Secondary stakeholders
People/groups indirectly affected, either positively or negatively
Key Stakeholders
Have power/resources to enable or prevent success (Doesn’t have to belong to either group above)
For example, local communities can act as secondary stakeholders, as the impacts of environmental harm by tourism can affect their livelihood. In this case, tourists can act as key stakeholders, as they are the ones choosing to engage in sustainable tourism or not.
However, all stakeholders involved have a degree of responsibility. Before going on a trip, you must plan your actions ahead and take into consideration tourism policy as well. This is applicable to all forms of tourism such as vacation trips and business trips.
History of Sustainable Tourism
Over the past few decades, tourism has grown to a point in which it is now one of the major sectors in international trade. According to UNWTO, there are over 235 million jobs worldwide that are tourism-based.
Here is a little timeline of sustainable tourism:
-During the 1960s and 70s, tourism was not connected to any environmental debate and was still considered a green industry [1].
-It was only until the end of the 90s that tourism began to be included in debates on biodiversity and the environment [1].
-By 2001, Biological Diversity and Sustainable Tourism created rules regarding sustainable tourism [1].
-In 2002, the UN had declared the year as the Year of Ecotourism. At this point, ideas of sustainable development in tourism were already beginning to have great importance at grassroots organizations [1].
– In 2003, the Marrakech Process, which was a 10-year plan, would analyze issues of Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) to support both regional and national initiatives [1].
Though developed countries have previously remained major destinations for tourists, developing countries are slowly becoming more and more popular. This is because tourism is found to be at its peak when it’s based in regions that consist of several key characteristics: [12]
- Natural environment
- Warm climate
- Culture
- Human Resources
- In 2015, emerging states were found to have received more tourists than other more advanced economies.
- By 2030, it’s predicted that 58% of tourists will be traveling to destinations of “Asia, Latin America, Central, and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa.” [12]
//www.unwto.org/EU-guidebook-on-sustainable-tourism-for-development
Rio+20 Goals of Sustainable Tourism
The Rio+20 document titled The Future We Want goes over the dimensions of sustainable development. Member States have outlined several goals in response to this document: [8]
- Support sustainable tourism activities
- Support relevant capacity-building that promote environmental awareness
- Respect wildlife, flora, biodiversity, ecosystems
- Improve the welfare and livelihoods of local communities by supporting their local economies
In paragraph 130, Member states also make the call for increasing support of sustainable tourism activities to contribute to sustainable development worldwide [8]
Positive Impacts of Tourism
The few positive environmental impacts of tourism can contribute to the preservation of the environment. The most obvious positive impact revolves around raising awareness of the negative impacts. Increasingly, many tourist destinations are turning to promote sustainable tourism which in turn can help to educate people about the negative impacts that can occur.
Negative Impacts of Tourism
When travel destinations don’t regulate the use of their properties that are based out in the environment, a situation known as the Tragedy of the Commons can occur. In this type of situation, individuals (specifically tourists in this case) who have open access to a resource can contribute to the eventual collapse of that resource/environment. This is because the actions of that individual are unregulated, and unbound by any formal rules that govern access and use. The individual usually acts according to their own interests instead of the common good of all users.
Eventually, this type of pressure further degrades the environment through processes such as increasing soil erosion, pollution, and natural habitat loss.
Impacts from tourist activities
- By trekking over the same area time and time again, vegetation and soil are eroded away impacting the local ecosystem.
- In the previous article, I mentioned actives such as anchoring and cruising. These activities can easily cause the degradation of marine ecosystems.
- When tourists engage in leisure activities that are too close to the wildlife, it can alarm and distress them.
Impacts from tourist development
- Tourism development can contribute to land erosion and displacement of wildlife habitats as well. The clearing of forested land is very common when constructing new accommodations and facilities.
- Lands are used to obtain resources to build these facilities and wetlands are drained to provide a venue for tourist activities.
Pollution
- Air pollution and noise pollution are very common types of pollution that you can find in the tourism industry. It was found that 60% of air travel is derived from tourism [4].
- Air pollution from air travel impacts the world globally as well as contributing to the continuous degradation of the local air quality.
- Noise pollution can distress the local wildlife so much that their natural activity patterns are altered.
- Many different environments experience improper waste disposal by tourists. From mountain areas to cruise ships, there seems to be no exception to where you can find litter. Waste disposal can degrade the natural environment as well. Cruise ships were found to produce a mass amount of waste, more than 70, 000 tons each year [4].
Depletion of natural resources
- Water use by the tourism industry is generally unregulated as it primarily goes toward the hotel and its commodities. Water supplies can then experience a shortage.
- By constructing facilities right onto fertile lands, animals are displaced and resources are destroyed in the process. Erosion is also a concern depending on how many tourists are trekking the same area.
Planning for Sustainable Tourism + Case Studies
Sustainable tourism relies on a complexity of sustainable planning and management that incorporates the interests of all stakeholders involved.
- Sensitive to environmental, social, and cultural characteristics of the travel destination
- Quality leisure experiences and activities valued by both tourists and community members
- Valued by community leaders and government.
When planning for sustainable tourism, there are several things to keep in mind [6]:
Responsibility to protect natural and cultural/heritage environments
There is an obligation to protect and maintain the resources of our planet for both the present community as well as future generations.
Leadership and Responsibility
Travel destinations require effective leadership at all levels of both governments and communities.
Stakeholders must take a proactive role to ensure the sustainability of heritage values.
Cooperation
- Identify the right individuals to consult
- Flexibility regarding ideas surrounding indigenous cultures
//www.unwto.org/EU-guidebook-on-sustainable-tourism-for-development
Here is how sustainable tourism is making its way into several countries and regions all over the world [2]:
South Pacific
Tetespare:
The largest island in the Southern Hemisphere, notable for the wide recognition of conservation efforts as it is one of the only islands that has never been logged.
Maldives:
Currently aiming to become the first carbon-neutral destination by 2020.
Bay of Bengal Green Model for Eco-tourism:
Focused on the Welcomgroup Bay Island hotel in Port Blair, this case study revolves around reducing, reusing, recycling as well as rethinking hotel procedures and policies.
Asia:
Bali:
In 2005, the island of Bali developed a sustainable tourism plan though there is no conclusive document on this.
Caribbean:
Turtle tourism in the Dominican Republic:
In the Dominican Republic, companies and countries are engaging tourists with their products in a tactical and specific way in order to educate others while saving turtles at the same time.
Nature Conservancy: The Caribbean Challenge:
An initiative designed to protect the natural environment of the Caribbean. Presently, there are 50 new protected marine and coastal areas. Their main goal is to encourage the 40 million tourists who visit to help out.
Jamaica’s plan to improve coastal towns:
TPDCO or the Tourism Product Development Company aims “ to develop and improve the tourism product, to position Jamaica as a preferred destination and to ensure that tourism is sustained as a major contributor to the development of the economy”. Some of the goals of this plan include cleaning, upgrading, and maintaining resort towns and concentrating on designated project corridors
Middle East
Turkey’s plan of sustainable tourism
Turkey aims to establish sustainable tourism in the Belek Tourism Centre. Goals are consolidated among investors, local communities, official associations, and relevant ministers.
Siwa Sustainable development Initiative in Egypt
This initiative in Egypt offers sustainable and ecotourism activities, and organic agriculture products all developed from consulting with the local community. The goal is to promote economic development in Siwa while preserving its cultural heritage at the same time.
Conclusion
By focusing on making tourism sustainable worldwide, employment opportunities can increase with a reduction of poverty. In order to promote the long-term growth of tourism in the cohesion of resource balance, a sustainable approach should be applied.
Resources
- The Background of Sustainable Tourism. Tourists and Sustainability. (n.d.). //www.tourismtheories.org/?p=958.
- Destinations. Sustainable Tourism. (n.d.). //sustainabletourism.net/destinationcasestudies/.
- Destinations. Sustainable Tourism. (n.d.). //sustainabletourism.net/destinationcasestudies/.
- Sustainable tourism made SIMPLE. Tourism Teacher. (2021, June 10). //tourismteacher.com/sustainable-tourism/#35-positive-environmental-%C2%A0-impacts-of-tourism.
- Text of Quran, Sura 28: AL-QASAS (THE STORY), Verse 77 – Verse 86. (n.d.). //parsquran.com/data/show.php?user=eng&lang=eng&ayat=77&sura=28.
- Understanding the Sustainable Development of Tourism. Understanding the Sustainable Development of Tourism – Goodfellow Publishers. (n.d.). //www.goodfellowpublishers.com/academic-publishing.php?promoCode=&partnerID=&content=story&storyID=234.
- United Nations. (n.d.). Sustainable tourism .:. Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform. United Nations. //sustainabledevelopment.un.org/topics/sustainabletourism.
- United Nations. (n.d.). Sustainable tourism | Department of Economic and Social Affairs. United Nations. //sdgs.un.org/topics/sustainable-tourism.
- Villatoro, E. (2021, July 2). Sustainable tourism: what is it and why is it important. Live More, Travel More. //www.livemoretravelmore.com/sustainable-tourism/#Examples_of_Sustainable_Tourism_around_the_World.
- WORLD TOURISM ORGANIZATION. UNWTO. (n.d.). //www.unwto.org/committee-tourism-sustainability.
- WORLD TOURISM ORGANIZATION. UNWTO. (n.d.). //www.unwto.org/EU-guidebook-on-sustainable-tourism-for-development#:~:text=Expressed%20simply%2C%20sustainable%20tourism%20can,environment%2C%20and%20host%20communities%E2%80%9D.
- WORLD TOURISM ORGANIZATION. UNWTO. (n.d.). //www.unwto.org/EU-guidebook-on-sustainable-tourism-for-development.
- WORLD TOURISM ORGANIZATION. UNWTO. (n.d.). //www.unwto.org/EU-guidebook-on-sustainable-tourism-for-development.
- WORLD TOURISM ORGANIZATION. UNWTO. (n.d.). //www.unwto.org/sustainable-development.