Aurel Burciu

Local Sustainable Development and Tourism

The aim of this paper is to underline the role and the importance of the link between local sustainable development and tourism. We analyze the debates about the socioeconomic and environment implications, the promotion of the resource patrimony and destination attractiveness. To be able to adequately exploit in a long run perspective the opportunities of permanent income and stable employment connected with tourism development, it is necessary in stead to make the latter an integral or strategic instrument in the valorization of material and immaterial goods and non in the consumption of those qualities that are territorially specific and make it appealing to foreigners. At any rate, beyond the possibility of an economic profit for the residents which is well below its potential level, similar development forms do produce large and long lasting socio environmental damages, sometimes irreversible, which in the long run are bound to have themselves a negative impact upon tourism. There is likely to be a sort of environmental trap: a situation where while uncontrolled development releases pollution, the latter is also blocking further development and if poverty is damaging to environment, it also happens that damaged environment will produce poverty.