sustainable tourism

"Sustainable tourism development requires the informed participation of all relevant stakeholders, as well as strong political leadership to ensure wide participation and consensus building. Achieving sustainable tourism is a continuous process and it requires constant monitoring of impacts, introducing the necessary preventive and/or corrective measures whenever necessary. Sustainable tourism should also maintain a high level of tourist satisfaction and ensure a meaningful experience to the tourists, raising their awareness about sustainability issues and promoting sustainable tourism practices amongst them. " 

source: World Tourism Organization, 2004

Sustainable tourism is defined as “tourism that respects both local people and the traveller, cultural heritage and the environment”. There are various forms of sustainable tourism such as: ‘nature-based tourism’, ‘eco-tourism’ and ‘cultural tourism’.

source: 

Rob Gilbert (2010). Teaching for a Sustainable World (UNESCO – UNEP International Environmental Education Programme)  (http://www.unesco.org)

Sustainable tourism is "about re-focusing and adapting. A balance must be found between limits and usage so that continuous changing, monitoring and planning ensure that tourism can be managed."

source: Sustainable tourism (2013)  (http://www.sustainabletourism.net)

source:http://www.campaya.co.uk/

personally feel that sustainable tourism is hard to be implement and sound unrealistic for me...

tourism is profitable while at the same time bring an experience or even awareness to tourists... 

the cultural product, the cultural practise, the natural environment used as a tourism product that attract tourists to visit...

let's take an example, a beautiful naturally mountain is allow visitor but each day 10 person only...ya, their impact to the biological environment is low, however the natural habitat life is been disturbed since the mountain is opened for visitors. ... everyday, people step on the same track which create the surrounding habitat, flora and fauna or even the life of an ant is being influenced, being disturbed frequently..even though with less visitors...

or take an another example about cultural product such as traditional dance... yes, that is good that traditional dance is being learn by young generation and which can inherit for next generation too... but the intention in carrying out the particular performance is the big question....i not means that every performance is profit based but what their intention, motive indeed?

the simple and clearly example; homestay...the homestay now compare to homestay formerly that provide in rural area was totally changed..now everywhere is provided homestay, some more their design is  modernized and function is also different for now..