CH 6: PILLARS OF SUSTAINABILITY &

TOURISM
 PILLARS OF SUSTAINABILITY & TOURISM
The three pillars of sustainable tourism are:

1. Environmental Sustainability
2. Social Sustainability and
3. Economic Sustainability (sometimes referred to as planet, people and profits)
 UNWTO DEFINITION OF SUSTAINABLE
TOURISM
The UNWTO ‘s definition of sustainable tourism includes all three pillars:

“Sustainable tourism is 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 the host
communities.”
 ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
• The first of the pillars of sustainability comes down to what pops into most minds – the
protection of nature and the climate. If we live within the means of natural resources, the
environment and nature will still nourish future generations. Clean air, water, and land are
key. Some resources are more limited than others. That’s why we need to consider scarcity
and the damage to the environment from extracting these resources.
• In present times, we’re not doing so. If we keep going at this rate, we’ll run out of oil in about
50 years and almost 
half of the world’s population will struggle with getting fresh water by 2030. And these are
just two examples of how resources we consider to take for granted can become scarce.
• Besides natural resources, we need to protect natural landscapes, wildlife as well as
agriculture.
• For ecological sustainability, we need to change our habits in order to reduce our ecological
footprint. This means saving water and energy, as well as reducing waste and our emissions
polluting the air, soil, and water. The goal is to avoid harming the ecosystem and to preserve
biodiversity.
 ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
• Tourism can be extremely harmful to the natural environment, as infrastructure, pollution,
and crowds of people destroy natural landscapes. This also affects wildlife. Destroyed
habitats, disrupted breeding, or differing feeding habits are just some of the results that
tourism can have on wildlife.
• In the case of environmentally sustainable tourism, the tourism industry only uses nature
and resources in such a way that they can renew themselves.
• The natural surroundings are the core of many tourist attractions. What would be a trip to
the south of Italy without its incredible beaches? Or Plitvice in Croatia without its lakes and
the National Park? And could you imagine Borneo without its rainforest? To make sure that
future generations can also experience these beauties, we have to preserve nature. Factors
such as clean water and air are not just important for visitors so they can enjoy their stay.
They are vital for the destination itself.
• Touristic offers have to respect natural reserves and wildlife. They have to minimize any kind
of waste and pollution. These are vital aspects of the environmental pillar of sustainable
tourism.
 ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
For your travels the environmental pillar means:
• During your trip, there are many aspects in which you can practice environmental
sustainability. Here are some examples:
• Avoid places suffering from over tourism
• Reduce waste and single-use plastics (e.g. bring your own reusable water bottle,
preferably a filter bottle, or use digital tickets instead of paper)
• Minimize your carbon footprint (e.g. use public transport, and travel closer to your
home)
• Stay on paths when you go hiking and leave nothing but footprints
• Choose an accommodation that pays attention to environmental sustainability, e.g. one
that uses recycled or organic materials, reduces waste, saves water, or generates green
energy
• Limit animal interactions
 SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY
• There’s more to it than protecting the environment. When it
comes to the social pillar of sustainability, humans take center
stage.
• The needs of the individual should be in balance with the
needs of a group. And all individuals of a group or society
should have a chance for social well-being in the long run.
• We’re talking about human resources – meaning, the way
people are treated. Social equity, public welfare, and dignity
are some of the buzzwords. This also means fair and ethical
working conditions for people.
 SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY
• Preserving and supporting the interests of the local inhabitants are key to social
sustainability in tourism. The living conditions of locals need to be treated with
the same priority as the development of tourism. Hence, only when locals are
involved, tourism can develop sustainably.
• Hotels, restaurants, and other businesses in the tourism sector need to focus on
fair working conditions for their employees, such as a safe working environment,
fair wages, and working hours. Ideally, businesses give back to the local economy,
e.g. by investing in local projects, fundraising, sponsoring, or scholarships for
education.
• Tourism should never only line the pockets of businesses but equally, help the
local community. The community should benefit from new jobs provided, gaining
better education, and rising living standards. Local inhabitants must never suffer
from tourism, for example by having less freshwater or less space for living.
 SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY
For your travels the social pillar means:
• Considering the social pillar of sustainability, during your trip you can pay attention to lots of
factors, e.g.
• Support locals, e.g. buy products from local farmers, eat at local restaurants or stay with locals
• Choose an accommodation led by locals or where the majority of staff are locals instead of ex-
pats
• Buy fair trade products and support sustainable brands and shops (for travel equipment and
clothes as well as products you buy on your trip)
• Pay respect to local customs and traditions and adjust accordingly (e.g. wear proper clothes in
religious sites)
• Travel to lesser-known places instead of over-visited destinations so inhabitants can enjoy living
where visitors spend their vacation
• Ask yourself: Are the locals at your destination grateful for the number of tourists visiting their
region? Is the local culture treated with respect?
 ECONOMICAL SUSTAINABILITY
• Economy and sustainability? How can they go hand in hand? The economic
pillar of sustainability is all about using resources responsibly and efficiently.
Without doing so, a business won’t be able to sustain its activities in the long
run.
• Instead of maximizing profits, companies develop strategies that benefit (or
at least don’t harm) humans as well as the planet. They aim at fair and social
financing strategies, bearing in mind the environment, social and local value.
• Luckily, as people become more educated on how important sustainability is,
more and more efforts are made to develop solutions that benefit
businesses as well as the environment. Companies use more recycled
materials, reduce waste, and some governments offer incentives and tax
relief for sustainable business practices.
 ECONOMICAL SUSTAINABILITY
• Tourism is a major industry and a driver of growth for many
international companies.
• Ideally, tourism integrates local businesses and benefits them.
Hence, sustainable tourism strives to keep most of the profits
in the area, meaning it drives profits to local businesses.
• Considering economic sustainability, touristic offers are made
to benefit the region in the long term, create plenty of
jobs, better infrastructure, and are important for the local
economy. It’s also significant in economical sustainability to
keep jobs under fair conditions and wages.
 ECONOMICAL SUSTAINABILITY
For your travels the economic pillar means:
• When traveling, keep in mind that every dollar spent can bring change – positive
or negative. It’s our responsibility and choice to make. So follow some thumb
rules:
• Invest in the local community and support local businesses (accommodation,
restaurants, tour guides)
• Stay in local guest houses or small local hotels instead of international hotel
chains
• Choose restaurants that use regional and seasonal produce
• If you plan on doing a tour, book a local tour operator or local guide
• Ask yourself: Does tourism bring economic benefit to the locals? And is the
touristic development still positive for the local inhabitants and environment?
 Why are the three pillars of sustainability
important in tourism?
One thing is for sure: A pillar can never stand alone.
Many efforts to solve problems in sustainability focus on
only one pillar. Yet, sustainable tourism needs three-
dimensional thinking.
The different dimensions or pillars of sustainability –
environmental, social, and economic – support and
influence each other.
 WHY ONE PILLAR ISN’T ENOUGH
As soon as one of the three pillars of sustainability is not met, tourism isn’t
sustainable anymore.
 EXAMPLE 1 – BALI, INDONESIA
In Bali, you can find numerous eco-lodges made out of bamboo,
cafés offering vegan food, and nature lovers practicing yoga and
mindfulness.
Sustainability seems to be important over there.
At the same time, religious temples are full of half-naked tourists
paying no respect to Balinese and Buddhist traditions.
Without respecting local and religious traditions, social
sustainability isn’t met.
 EXAMPLE 2 – PORTO, PORTUGAL
The center of Porto was getting more and more laced with B&Bs
and hotels, while many houses got deserted because of rising
rental costs.
Local inhabitants had less space for living, so the social pillar of
sustainability wasn’t met until the city council stepped in.
Now, it’s only allowed to open any accommodation for short-
term stays in Porto when you buy a deserted building and
renovate it.
 EXAMPLE 3 – MACCHU PICCHU, PERU
When you visit Macchu Picchu, there are only local
Peruvian guides showing you around.
Yet, it’s not a sustainable activity, as too many
tourists visit everyday who leave waste and try
petting the Lamas.
At places suffering from over tourism,
the environmental pillar of sustainability can never
be met.
 EXAMPLE 4 – INTERNATIONAL OWNERSHIP
An eco-lodge that practices lots of green strategies, such
as being built from recycled materials, minimizing waste,
and only using organic produce, but belongs to an
international company or a foreigner keeping all profit,
isn’t sustainable.
As long as no profit goes to the local community,
the economic sustainability isn’t met.
 Weaknesses of the environmental pillar as a stand-alone

If protecting the environment is pursued without any

consideration of the economic or social pillar, it can lead to a
reversal.
This is exactly what happened in the 80s in Africa when
environmental laws prohibited land use to an extent that it led
to starving African communities.
In order to meet their basic needs, people started poaching,
which caused a backlash of the law’s original intent.
 Weakness of the social pillar as a stand-alone

A similar backlash can result from exclusively pursuing the social

pillar of sustainability. When tourism leads to a higher standard
of living for the locals, thriving local businesses and growing
education, this will attract people from other regions.
In some cases, this is can lead to extreme migration and rural
depopulation.
Some secluded Alpine villages in northern Italy you will find
completely abandoned, as their inhabitants moved to thriving
areas such as South Tyrol where tourism is booming.
 How can you make a difference?
• Just as hotels, guides, and tour operators should check on a regular basis if their practices meet
the three pillars of sustainability in tourism, so do we as responsible travelers. We should try to
keep our footprint as low as possible in all three dimensions. Eventually, our travels should
reinforce a positive connection between tourism, the environment, and poverty reduction.
• The importance is: Each and every traveler can make a difference.
• The model of the three pillars of sustainability can give you an overview to assess how
sustainable any of your travels actually are. It may also give you a frame to consider the impacts
of your actions and daily decisions during your trip.
• It’s simpler than it sounds. To become a more sustainable traveler in all three dimensions
follows these three basic rules:
• Your actions on your trip should benefit local businesses and have as little effect on nature as
possible (economic pillar).
• Experience the environment raw and original, leaving it untouched (environmental pillar).
• Adapt to the local culture and respect their traditions (social pillar).
 HERE ARE SOME RECOMMENDATIONS
• Use all resources responsibly to help to prevent it from becoming scarce (e.g. water in dry regions) which
can harm the environment as well as the local society.
• Support local businesses and book with local guides or tour operators to both protect the social stability
and the local economy.
• Stay in a guesthouse with locals, so you won’t spend more energy and water than an inhabitant, plus the
money goes to the locals.
• Reduce waste and leave nothing behind, to preserve a destination and make it enjoyable also for future
travelers. This will benefit the destination environmentally and economically.
• Eat typical food at a local restaurant, street food stall, or at your guesthouse in order to avoid long
transport distances and to financially support local agriculture.
• Use public and local transport and avoid flights and international rental car companies for less CO2
pollution, and again for the support of local businesses.
• Turn off electronic devices at night or use standby mode in order to save energy, costs and preserve the
environment.
• Buying fair-trade, organic and local produce benefits your health and the environment and counteracts
mass factory farming and bad working conditions.