Richard Sharpley

Tourism and sustainable development: exploring the theoretical divide.

Despite the significant attention paid by tourism academics and practitioners to sustainable tourism development in recent years, there has been a consistent failure within the tourism literature to relate the concept to the theory of its parental paradigm, sustainable development. As a result, the applicability of sustainable development to the specific context of tourism is rarely questioned. This paper addresses this omission in the literature. Reviewing development theory and the notion of sustainability, it proposes a model of sustainable development against which the principles of sustainable tourism are compared. It is argued that tourism development remains embedded in early modernisation theory whilst the principles of sustainable tourism over look the characteristics of the production and consumption of tourism. As a result, significant differences between the concepts of sustainable tourism and sustainable development are revealed, suggesting that the principles and objectives of sustainable development cannot be transposed onto the specific context of tourism.

Rural tourism and the challenge of tourism diversification: the case of Cyprus

Rural tourism has long been considered a means of achieving economic and social development and regeneration. More specifically, it has been widely promoted as an effective source of income and employment, particularly in peripheral rural areas where traditional agrarian industries have declined. More recently, however, a number of established tourism destinations have also turned to rural tourism in order to diversify their tourism products and markets and to spread the benefits of tourism away from the coastal resorts into the hinterland. The purpose of this paper is to explore the extent to which this latter role for rural tourism represents a realistic tourism development policy. Based upon research into the development of ‘agrotourism’ in Cyprus, it highlights the challenges and problems encountered by rural tourism entrepreneurs, identifying a number of issues which militate against the success of rural tourism development. In particular, it identifies high development costs but low returns, low demand, a lack of essential skills and the dominance of mass tourism operators as major challenges. It concludes, therefore, long-term financial and technical support is essential if tourism is to play an effective rural development role.

Tourism and development in the developing world

1. Introduction: Tourism in Developing Countries 2. Tourism and Sustainable Development 3. Globalisation and Tourism 4. The Tourism Planning and Development Process 5. Community Response to Tourism 6. The Consumption of Tourism 7. Assessing the Impacts of Tourism 8 Challenges to Tourism and Development. 9.Conclusion: The Tourism Development Dilemma

The implications of hotel employee attitudes for the development of quality tourism: the case of Cyprus.

Abstract In an increasingly competitive market, the issue of quality has grown in significance for tourism businesses and destinations alike. This has been influenced by a number of factors, such as the expansion of consumer rights and the alleged emergence ‘new’, quality conscious tourists. In particular, it is the need to retain or increase competitive advantage that has underpinned the drive for quality in tourism—certainly, many destinations, especially those operating in the highly competitive summer-sun market, are now adopting quality tourism development strategies. However, little or no attention has been paid to the role of tourism industry employees, particularly those in hotels, in the success of quality management programmes. The purpose of this paper is to address this omission. Based upon a survey of hotel employees in Cyprus, it identifies a number of factors that may support or limit the drive towards quality service provision, with a variety of implications for the destination as a whole as well as individual hotels. In particular, hotel management should implement strategies based on reward systems, empowerment and reducing staff turnover, whilst there is an important co-ordination and guidance role to be played by the national tourism organisation.

The influence of the accommodation sector on tourism development: lessons from Cyprus

Abstract The qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the supply of accommodation have a direct influence on the overall success and development of tourist destinations. Therefore, in order to ensure that the supply of accommodation contributes effectively to tourism development plans and objectives, it is logical that the development of the accommodation sector should be a fundamental element of the overall destination planning process. However, such an integrated approach to resort planning and management has rarely been adopted throughout the Mediterranean region. Based upon the experience of Cyprus, it is demonstrated that the failure to plan and control the accommodation sector has meant that the official policies for tourism development have not been achieved. In particular, the quality, quantity and coastal concentration of accommodation on the island have resulted in the transformation of Cyprus into a mass-market, summer sun destination. Moreover, the island is highly dependent on certain markets and, in particular, upon overseas tour operators. The paper concludes, therefore, that not only should the development of accommodation be integrated into the overall tourism planning process, but also that effective mechanisms for the implementation of accommodation development policies should exist in order to avoid or redress the challenges currently facing the Cypriot tourism industry.

The 2001 Foot and Mouth Crisis – Rural Economy and Tourism Policy Implications: A Comment

On 19 February 2001, a suspected case of foot and mouth disease was discovered at an abattoir in Essex in south-eastEngland. The following day the case was confirmed by the Ministry ofAgriculture, Fisheries and Food(MAFF), signalling not only the first major outbreak of the disease in Britain since 1967, but also the onset of one of the most serious economic and social crises to face rural communities in recent years. Indeed, despite government assurances as early as 12 March that the outbreak was under control, it was not until the end of that month that the daily number of new cases peaked and, even by mid-May, a small number of new case swere being confirmed each day. By that stage, 1593 cases of the disease had been confirmed although, as a direct result of the government’s policy, announced on 24 March, to cull all livestock within a three kilometre radius of infected farms, a further 6014 farms and other premises were affected(www.sheepdrove.com). Altogether, 2,657,000 animals had been slaughtered and a further 75,000 were due to be slaughtered, whilst 40,000 carcasses were awaiting disposal. It is likely that the final total of animals slaughtered as a result of the crisis will bewell in excess of 3 million, representing over 6%of the national livestock herd. Inevitably, the outbreak of foot andmouth has had, and will continue to have, serious and far-reaching consequences for an agricultural sector already enduring significant economic hardship. Farm incomes in 2000 were, at an average of £7800 per capita, already at their lowest level in 25 years (Countryside Agency, 2001)and, although compensation will be paid for the loss of all slaughtered livestock, it has been estimated that those farms directly affected by the crisis will collectively face further losses of £84 million as a result of potentially higher restocking costs, wages, and other costs incurred during the quarantine period (Midmore, 2001). Therefore, it is likely that a significant number of farmers will either retire (the average age of farmers in Britain is 57) or seek alternative livelihoods whilst others, supported by government subsidy,mayembrace a new role as ‘keepers’, as opposed to exploiters, of the rural environment. That is, they may become involved in environmental management or conservation programmes, in particular in the more fragile, peripheral rural regions. In short, many rural areas will undergo fundamental socioeconomic restructuring once the initial efforts to eradicate the disease have been successful. It is not only the farming industry, however, that has suffered as a result of the foot andmouth outbreak. Certainly, the social and economic impacts on farmers have been enormous but, in financial terms alone, the costs of the crisis to the wider economy have been far greater than those borne by the farming sector. In particular, the tourismindustry has endured a huge downturn in business, with estimates of losses ranging from £140 million to £500 million a week

Exploring entrepreneurial skills and competencies in farm tourism

Diversification to farm tourism is increasingly seen as a viable development strategy to promote a more diverse and sustainable rural economy and to counter declining farm incomes. However, the dynamics of the modern farm tourism business and the entrepreneurial and competitive skills farmers require in making the transition from agriculture to a diversified enterprise remains limited. This article explores the range of skills and competencies that farmers in the North West of England identify as important when adopting a diversification strategy to farm tourism. The findings indicate that, whilst a range of managerial skills are valued by farmers, they lack many of the additional business and entrepreneurial competencies required for success. The article acknowledges the need to generate consensus on the requisite skill-set that farm tourism operators require.

Planning for Tourism: The Case of Dubai

ABSTRACT In recent years, the Middle East region has enjoyed rapid growth as a tourist destination. At the forefront of this growth has been Dubai, a state that has successfully and dramatically diversified its economy into tourism in order to reduce its economic dependence on dwindling supplies of oil. Despite this success, however, little attention has been paid to tourism development in general, and tourism planning processes in particular, in Dubai. In addressing this gap in the literature, this paper explores tourism planning in Dubai in relation to the political economy of oil-rich “rentier” states. Reviewing tourism policy and processes in Dubai, it reveals that an apparent hybrid model of tourism planning has been adopted. However, underlying control of tourism development reflects the authoritarian political structures in the emirate, pointing to potential future challenges.

Icelandic tourism: past directions - future challenges.

Abstract Although island tourism in general has long been considered within the tourism literature, attention has been focused primarily on warm-water islands; conversely, limited attention has been paid to cold-water islands as destinations for tourists. This paper assesses the development of tourism in one such destination, Iceland, and discusses its history and the challenges confronting it. Tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors in the Icelandic economy. Tourism arrivals have multiplied in recent years, doubling, for instance, in the ten-year period between 1997 (201,000) and 2007 (459,000). This growth in arrivals has prompted rapid expansion in the tourism sector, invoking questions with regards to both the opportunities tourism presents and the challenges that will need to be addressed in the near future. In order to underpin a critical appraisal of future challenges, this paper reviews the history of modern tourism in Iceland with a focus on policy and entrepreneurship in tourism. It describes the characteristics of tourism in Iceland and its development, and critically illustrates some of the main challenges the tourism industry in Iceland is facing. In so doing, the paper seeks to add to the understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing cold-water island destinations that are experiencing significant growth in tourism.

Tourism and development challenges in the least developed countries: the case of The Gambia

Although tourism has long been promoted on the basis of its potential contribution to development, attention has been focused more recently on the developmental role of tourism in least developed countries (LDCs). Not only are a number of LDCs currently achieving the worlds highest growth rates in tourist arrivals, but it is claimed that tourism should be regarded as an integral element of their development policy. However, despite the apparently successful growth of tourism in many LDCs, wider economic growth and development has, in many cases, not occurred. Drawing on research in The Gambia, this paper explores the challenges to tourism-induced development in LDCs. It reveals that tourism is not immune to the factors that determine a countys LDC status but that, although claims of tourisms developmental role should be treated with caution, the economic contribution of tourism may be enhanced in a number of ways.