Sustainable tourism development in mountain areas in Sumadija and Western Serbia

Sustainable tourism,as an integral part of sustainable development,emerged as a logical outcome of preventing the uncontrolled and excessive use of tourism resources and attractions.This study analyzes whether mountain tourism development in Serbia can be sustainable and feasible in the long term.Given the heterogeneity of mountains in Serbia in terms of tourism development,the subject of this research is the achieved level of sustainable tourism development in mountains in the most developed and most visited region in Serbia-sumadija and Western Serbia:Zlatibor,Kopaonik,Tara,Zlatar,Mokra Gora and Go?.The sustainable tourism development level was analyzed by using five groups of the EU’s comparative indicators:economic,social,cultural,environmental and tourist satisfaction indicators.The results showed that the development of tourism in the examined mountains is not fully aligned with sustainable development.The tourist satisfaction indicator has the most acceptable values,which is a good basis for further harmonization of tourism development on the principles of sustainability.Economic indicators,especially the ratio of overnight stays and accommodation capacities,show the most unacceptable values,which indicate the need for implementing changes in the process of tourism development in the coming period.The analysis of sustainable tourism in mountain areas in sumadija and the Western Serbia undoubtfully points out that it is necessary to significantly change the current tourism product portfolio,which implies harmonizing mountain tourism development with global trends.Certainly,a comparative analysis that looks at the degree of sustainability of mountain tourism in some countries of the Alpine region,such as Switzerland,Austria and Slovenia,contributes to this.The more intensive development of tourism throughout the year would significantly improve indicators of sustainable tourism in all analyzed mountain areas of Sumadija and Western Serbia.This would improve the value of economic indicators,which are marked as the most unsustainable.The development of tourism in the summer season,especially recreational and adventure tourism,would improve the social and cultural component of sustainable tourism.Environmental dimension of sustainable tourism would be enhanced by the development of ecotourism.By connecting spatially close mountains(Zlatibor,Zlatar,Tara and Mokra Gora)into a unique and integrated tourism destination,synergistic effects would be achieved resulting in international recognition and making the region of?umadija and Western Serbia competitive on the European market.

Protecting world heritage in China by enacting laws:Sustainable tourism development

Chinese scholars have been debating how to best protect and utilize world heritage.This study discusses three key perspectives on this issue,which are“conflict-focused”,“compromise-oriented”,and“coordination-oriented”.Some typical incidents,which involve damage to heritage resources,are analyzed before a coordination model is presented that maximizes the compatibility of sustainable tourism development and world heritage protection.Finally,this study explores the possibility of constructing a legal system that engages all the stakeholders in protecting world heritage.Chinese lawmakers,for example,should seize the opportunity to create a law concerning national parks,which will modify and integrate existing laws and regulations in order to produce a comprehensive legal system that embodies the fundamental values of world heritage protection and sustainable tourism development.This system should implement the following:(1)maximize the complementary aspects of and mutual benefits derived from both tourism development and world heritage protection;(2)pay special attention to the various restraints that are inherent in the fundamental requirements for world heritage protection;(3)make world heritage protection sustainable while supporting sustainable tourism development;and(4)emphasize the public-interest nature of profits that are obtained by tourism developers while ensuring that the income from tourism is proportionately allotted to heritage protection.

Sustainable tourism development of globally important agricultural heritage sites:a case study of "traditional rice-fish agriculture system"

Traditional rice-fish agricultural heritage site in Qingtian County, China, one of the pilot sites of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems （GIAHS）, is of great value in tourism development. This paper aims to explore how to realize sustainable tourism development in agricultural heritage site through identifying current problems in GIAHS site. and making constructive recommendations for coupled development of heritage preservation and economic development. Field survey was carried out and data was collected through field questionnaire surveys of tourists and residents in Longxian Village of Qingtian County, as well as interviews of residents with semi. structured questionnaires for their perceptions and attitudes to tourism development. The following results are got： （1） the tourism industry is still at its early state of Non, tale tourism （enjoy and experience authentic country life- style）, under very limited administrative management; （2） what attracts visitors most are delicious.fish and beautiful natural environment, but not agricultural heritage itself; （3） most tourists eome from adjacent areas and stay. only half day, many of whom pay their visits twice or more; （4） a few local residents take part in the activities of tourism industry, but in very limited manners even if they do. Current patterns of tourism development are casting negative impacts on agricultural heritage. Conservatton of agricultural heritage should be put in the first place for sustainable tourism development.Agricultural heritage, as a key attraction, should be taken as the focus for tourism development. The important thing is to change the present Nongjiale tourism into real heritage tourism, to establish a cooperative mechanism among different stakeholders. and to increase local residents＇ income through engaging in tourism industry.

Residents'perception of sustainable tourism in protected mountain areas:the case of Asturias

Spain is the country with the most Biosphere Reserves in the world,52,and Asturias,with 7,ranks first among the single-province Autonomous Communities.The tourist interest in these natural spaces is increasing,but little or nothing is known about how the residents of these natural spaces perceive the tourist impacts.The main objective of this research was to evaluate the residents’perceived changes in protected mountain areas in Asturias concerning the environmental,sociocultural,and economic dimensions related to tourism activity with survey methods and various quantitative tools.The findings obtained were the following:firstly,there were significant differences between the residents’sociodemographic characteristics and their perceptions of tourism impacts;secondly,there were positive relationships between the residents’perceived tourism economic,environmental and sociocultural impacts and their general attitude towards tourism development;and thirdly,the more positive the residents’attitude towards tourism development,the more likely residents actively support its further development.The findings indicate the willingness of residents to get involved and participate in the tourism activity,so policymakers should implicate residents in decisionmaking on local tourism development.In conclusion,long-term monitoring of residents’evolution of their perceptions and attitudes is necessary to achieve sustainable tourism development.

The Impact of Transport Infrastructure and Pollutant Emissions in Sustainable Tourism for Mongolia

Tourism has a positive impact on economic growth,and it is one of the rapidly growing sectors in Mongolia.The Mongolian government,focusing on the development of tourism and transportation since 1990,has made it possible for achieving continuously growing sustainable tourism.Sustainable tourism is a way of maintaining a high level of tourist satisfaction while reducing adverse impacts on the environment.As transportation has been an integral part of the tourism industry,the purpose of this study is to examine the impact of transportation infrastructure,CO2 emission,and other classical demand factors on tourism flow in Mongolia by using a gravity model.Utilizing a panel data of tourists from 30 countries with the highest number of travel visits in Mongolia from 2002 to 2018,the study employs on panel co-integration analysis,aside from the conventional pooled ordinary least squares(OLS),fixed effects,and random effects estimators,to estimate the long-run relationship between Mongolian tourism flow and their respective determinants.According to the result of this study,the local transportation system and transportation investment have came out negative due to the underdeveloped transportation system.Moreover,the research indicates that carbon dioxide emission has a positive impact on tourism flow in the long-run.

Sustainable Tourism:Best Practice in Water Management

On the occasion of“World Water Day 2007”,“Water,the challenge of the century”was said by Jaques Diouf,director general of Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO)of the United Nations,spoke of the critical issues related to water management that man will face in the 21st century.The importance of water derives from its being an indispensable but limited resource.We are not able to produce more than Earth offers,nor can we exploit water resources outside the planet.Nevertheless,water remains a fundamental asset whose demand is expected to grow considerably in the coming years:It is estimated that,by 2050,almost half of the world’s population will be exposed to potential conditions of water stress.The aim of this work is to analyse the role of tourism in the consumption of water resources,in particular,the volumes of water“indirectly”spent to meet the needs of tourists.We will explain in detail what these“indirect consumption”consist of and we will deepen the characteristics of the tourism sector in order to understand the mechanisms that bind it to water resources.

Sustainable Tourism in Western Thessaly of Greece

Tourism is one of the main leisure activities of individuals and in recent decades appears as a multifaceted phenomenon with social, economic, environmental, and further dimensions. It represents a multi-sector contributor to the economy at the global nation, regional and local level and is marked as a decisive course of development in many areas, both the developed and the developing world. Particularly for Greece, amid at the current crisis, the development of tourism is a strategic objective of high priority contemporary tourism policy for the country required to connect and combine tourism with actions related to prevention of environmental impacts fi＇om such process, with technological improvements, public awareness, public information, and participation （community, Non Governmental Organizations）. In the present study the underlying needs for the development of alternative tourism degraded in generally Western Thessaly. In the literature approaching the recording of some important but dormant for the time being, comparative advantages, the study concludes that the place can play an important role in tourism products, not only in Greece but also in the region.

Development of Sustainable Tourism on the Example of the Montenegrin Coast

Sustainable tourism represents a form of tourism which generates and creates economic benefits for the local community and at the same time takes care of the local ecosystem as well as the culture and customs of the local community.This form of tourism is mostly convenient for rural areas which have contained their natural and socio-cultural uniqueness.Unfortunately,the potentials of Montenegro for developing this form of tourism are slightly or almost hardly exploited.A crucial limiting factor for developing ecotourism is a lack of an overall strategy which would stimulate and enhance the development of many potential tourist destinations which did not valorise their tourists during the development of ecotourism,as well as those tourist destinations which did so but in an improper and insufficient way.The aim of this paper is to point out the state and possibilities for developing ecotourism based on sustainable tourism in selected areas along the Montenegrin Coast and to emphasise guidelines for sustainable development of these areas in the future.This is why an empirical research has been conducted based on the method of semi-structured interviews.By developing ecotourism and managing resources in accordance with sustainable development of this area,a high quality tourist product could be offered to the market.

Using Circular Economics Strategies to Manage Tourism on Remote Islands:A SMART Approach

Circular economics theory offers destination managers of remote islands a solution-oriented approach to environmental sustainability. This paper examines the practical benefits of this theory that will support the development of a circular economy regarding sustainable island tourism (SIT). The aim of this paper is to inform discussions regarding the feasibility of applying a practice theory that emphasises changes in the behaviours across three segments, visitors, residents, and enterprises using SMART technologies. To achieve this objective, a SMART indicator system (SIS) was used to identify current practices that would support a circular economy (CE). The key innovation of this study is the creation of a proposed framework that may inform best practices for SIT in the future. The findings highlight the potential opportunity of evidenced-based planning to deliver a circular economy strategy (CES) for remote islands in the future. These insights can potentially impact the way that local authorities and destination managers approach the planning of tourism for six islands along the west coast of Ireland.

Sustainable Tourism Development of Landscape Heritage in a Rural Community: A Case Study of Azheke Village at China Hani Rice Terraces

According to the World Heritage Convention,rural landscapes are evolving cultural landscapes and their heritage and management is a major international concern.The proposal of‘UNESCO World Heritage Sustainable Tourism(WH+ST)’has enlightened different arguments about protection and utilisation of the value of rural landscape heritage.The Outstanding Universal Value(OUV)of rural landscapes results from the interaction of nature and humankind.Local community residents are critical for the sustainable tourism development of rural landscape heritage.Landscapes would lose their authenticity and integrity without participation of community residents.At the same time tourism is promoting the economic development of communities,tourism will affect its natural environment and social culture in varying extents.Because of such impacts,rural landscapes are subject to the risk of becoming overly commercialised.In this sense,the discussion will focus on how to achieve balance among the various forces stemming from protection of the OUV of rural heritage,economic development and sustainable community-based tourism.This paper is based on field research at the World Heritage Hani Rice Terraces at Azheke Village(Yunnan Province,China).At this site,the agricultural landscape,architectural design,rural culture,and social traditions have confronted challenges because of the rapid development of the tourism industry soon after designation as a World Heritage Site in 2013.The planning was carried out in respect of three key problems:(1)How to motivate community residents’sense of recognition and honour of the heritage value?(2)How to create the manner and approach for the community residents to participate in rural sustainable tourism?and(3)How to improve the social residents’interests in the course of developing rural heritage tourism?Specific planning measures and suggestions have also been proposed in hopes that community residents take the initiative to protect,utilise and undertake the OUV of the Hani Rice Terraces.

Volunteering Tourism and Sustainable Development: A Case Study of an Andean Indigenous Project: Quilla Pacari, Chimborazo

Volunteering tourism incorporates services and activities related to the caring of environmental, cultural, or humanitarian issues, intending to benefit not only tourists but also locals. Therefore, this activity fits into principles of sustainable development which has been defined as growth based on a balance between the environmental, social, and economic dimensions. The aim of this study was to determine the contribution of volunteering tourism to sustainable development and to identify the crucial factors to implement a successful volunteering project. We explored the interactions between volunteering tourism and sustainable development through a qualitative approach considering as case study: the rural tourism project “Quilla Pacari”, located in the highlands of Chimborazo province, Ecuador. Our findings proportionate information about the influence of volunteering tourism in principles associated with sustainable development revealing a general insight into the interactions and identifying the perception about the crucial factors to implement a successful volunteering project. However, the Quilla Pacari project located in Chimborazo province is relatively emergent and further studies are needed to clarify all the relations associated with the process.

How to Use Tourism to Support Sustainable Forest Management： A Case Study of the Pha Wang Nam Khiao - Pha Khao Phu Luang Forest Reserve, Thailand

The primary objectives of this research focused on developing a sustainable tourism model for the Pha Wang Nam Khiao - Pha Khao Phu Luang Forest Reserve in order to sustain forest area and develop local community simultaneously. The sustainable tourism model was created based on site potential, stakeholders＇ opinions, and cost-benefit analysis. The results showed that the destinations were ranked in high potential for tourism development. The majority of tourists paid attention to forest resources education program and sport outdoor activities. Benefit-cost ratio （BCR） equaled to 1.81 and internal rate of return （IRR） equaled to 16.38, showing suitability and worthiness for developing tourism in Wang Nam Khiao forest reserve. Tourism development strategies have been proposed, including： （1） developing facilities and services for conservation and sustainable tourism; （2） personnel training for sustainable development; and （3） tourism marketing for niche market.

Benefits Approach to Leisure Applied to Sustainable Tourism Development

The Benefits Approach to Leisure (BAL), recognized as a major and badly needed "paradigm shift" in the way we conceive of and manage recreation resources, is believed to play a big role in achieving the sustainable development of tourism industry. BAL has been proved to be effective and efficient in the field of leisure and tourism in terms of its three types of benefits and two stages of production. This paper, using Aqua Zoo in Friesland, the Netherlands as a case, investigates the significance of BAL to the sustainable tourism development.

Study on Effective Measures of Environmental Protection for Sustainable Development of Tourism Industry in the World Natural Heritage Wulingyuan

In the course of exploiting its tourist resources and developing tourism industry in the early days in Wulingyuan, the government did not pay enough attention and no forceful measures were taken to control the environment. As a result, a series of problems are produced. By analyzing the relationship between the tourism development in Wulingyuan scenic area and its environmental evolution, the paper exposes the basic reason why these environmental problems are produced, and according to the requirement of developing tourism, the paper puts forward some effective measures to reasonably control the distribution of the tourists flow and to protect tourist resources as well as the environment, so as to achieve the sustainable development of the area.

Tourism and Land Transformation:A Case Study of the Li River Basin,Guilin,China

Land-use change is intertwined with tourism because land is used as a resource for human activities.Land-use change also provides an opportunity to evaluate the status of the ecoenvironment.Understanding the relationship between tourism and land use change would help to predict the effect of tourism on land use and encourage sustainable tourism development.Using the Li River Basin as a case study,a hybrid approach using multilevel modeling and logistic regressions was employed to analyze the distribution of land-usechange between 1989 and 2010 to examine potential driving factors.Results reveal that rapid tourism development and construction expansion expose this area to risk of deforestation and forest degradation.Construction increased by 141% between 1989 and 2000 and by 195% between 2000 and 2010.The primary driving force for construction expansion shifted from population growth between 1989 and 2000 to investment growth after 2000.New construction primarily occurred on crop and woodlands areas,with shares of 81.25% and 6.38%,respectively,between 1989 and 2000,and with shares of 57.79% and 15.29%,respectively,between 2000 and 2010.Moreover,these drastic increases in construction also led to frequent transitions between croplands,woodlands,and grasslands.Traits including distances to urban areas and roads and scenic locations exerted significant effects on land-use change.Woodland regrowth in the areas thatsurround scenic locations consisted of fluctuating woodlands,whereas stable woodland regrowth was often absent in these areas.Likewise,permanent woodland clearing tended to be closed to near scenic locations.That is,construction at scenic locations negatively affected forest conservation in the Li River Basin.

Residents'environmental conservation behaviour in the mountain tourism destinations in China:Case studies of Jiuzhaigou and Mount Qingcheng

This study aimed at gaining an understanding of the formation of residents' Environmental Conservation Behaviour(ECB) to promote sustainable tourism development in Chinese mountain areas. In particular, a theoretical framework was constructed by merging residents' mountain attachment and their environmental values,and awareness of environmental consequences based on the Cognition Behaviour Theory. This research sampled 642 residents with convenience sampling method in Jiuzhaigou and Mount Qingcheng, and structural equation modelling analysis was conducted to identify the relationships among the above variables. Results verified that mountain attachment affected people's awareness of environmental consequences, which then affected their ECB.Environmental values and mountain attachment directly and positively influenced ECB. Moreover,awareness of environmental consequences played the most prominent role in predicting ECB among all the predictors in this study. In all, this study derived several significant implications which can not only contribute to environmental management policies in tourism field but also help to improve the levels of the antecedents of residents' ECB and promote sustainable tourism development in Chinese mountain areas.

Potentials of community-based tourism in transformations towards green economies after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in West China

This study investigates the contrasting sceneries of community-based tourism after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake and focuses on the potentials of tourism in transformations towards green economies. How are tourism and environment linked in a sustainable relationship? And how can potentials of community-based tourism be directed in transformations towards green economies? A qualitative research design is used to examine contrasting sceneries and specific green elements of community-based tourism in a Qiang people's fortress village in Mao County, Sichuan Province, West China and further discuss how tourism can be compatible with human wellbeing through demonstrating a commitment to sustainable development. The study argues that potential economic, social and environmental costs of tourism need to be considered when evaluating the loss of community benefits toward sustainability. The green elements suggest the potential of community-based tourism in transformations towards green economies, involving green agricultural, green building, and green energy, green governance, green service and green consumption. This study will contribute to the debate about the relationship between tourism and environment sustainability in the green economies, as well as the critique of what can be learned for community development from green tourism in mountainous regions after the inevitable natural disasters.

Assessing tourism sustainability in hill towns:Case study of Shimla,India

Hill towns form a popular niche in tourism destinations.They are renowned for their natural beauty and distinctive cultural traditions.Unplanned development can lead to a loss in opportunity to access the potential of these resources or cause their damage.Development decisions need to adopt a sustainable approach that balances tourism growth with the preservation of the natural and cultural assets.The present research details a comprehensive assessment tool to study the sustainability of tourism in hill towns with a focus on Shimla,a popular hill destination in India.The tool specifies seven dimensions of sustainable tourism;1)Tourism Assets;2)Tourism Activity;3)Tourism Related Linkages;4)Tourism Related Leakages;5)Environmental and Social Sustainability;6)Infrastructure;and 7)Attractiveness.Primary data were collected through questionnaire surveys of local households and arriving tourists.Visual survey is conducted to map built-environment and land-use.Secondary data were gathered from government reports and scholarly articles.A framework of indicators and sub-indicators was developed to analyze the data at two levels–city and ward.While the appraisal of the city provides an overall view of the performance of the tourism industry,at the ward level a comparative analysis was carried out to reveal sector related potentials and issues.The study reveals the imbalanced tourismconcentration in the core of the city as compared to other wards and the gap between tourist potential and infrastructure development.These are addressed through planning recommendations for more balanced development with a focus on eco-tourism.The research helps develop a framework which paves way to sustainable tourism development in Indian hill towns.

Interpretation of Gastronomic Traditions within Tourism

This article presents a current EU project on the interpretation of Gastronomic European cultural heritage.Europe’s cultural heritage is highly diverse.This is by no means limited to museums,theatres,or castles;gastronomic traditions are also part of Europe’s cultural heritage.As an essential part of the collective European memory,it is essential to preserve this diversity.From an economic perspective,the preservation of cultural heritage is a crucial task for the future.Within the EU,more than 300,000 people work in the cultural heritage sector;in addition,there are about 7.8 million jobs in the EU that correlate indirectly with cultural heritage(e.g.,tourism).How could gastronomic traditions be used to support a sustainable tourisms development?

The Potential of Hot Springs in the Westem Thailand for Health Tourism and Sustainability

This research aims to examine the potential of hot spring sites in the Western Thailand for the purpose of f sustainable tourism. The research applied qualitative methods and the participation of communities was included in the study＇s approach. The fieldwork consisted of the development of in-depth interviews, focus groups, field survey, and participation observation. Participants were stakeholders in tourism development. The data collected from interviews were analysed, interpreted, and reported with content and descriptive analysis. It was found that the hot spring destinations had their outstanding resources, based on their natural surrounded. The resources were used for tourism purpose in terms of health tourism. The potential of the various hot spring areas was divided into four groups. The first group included hot spring location where tourism data had not been gathered. The second group encompassed hot spring where tourism data had been gathered. The third group was hot springs where some tourism details had been gathered, but the hot spring sites were faced with some problems. The last group included well-developed hot spring locations where tourism data had been gathered before. All locations could be promoted for health tourism, and educational tourism could be added for tourist and the local community. Such development would need to be controlled by the community committees formed by representatives of all stakeholders directly and indirectly related to tourism development. Tourism development generated by community committees can result in sustainable development of hot spring destinations.