Chapter 6 Tourism Planning for Sustainable Destinations and Sites (Tourism Planning and Development)

1. Tourism Planning for Sustainable
Destinations and Sites

2. Md. Shaifullar Rabbi
BBA & MBA, Major inTourism & Hospitality Management
University of Dhaka
Coordinator & Lecturer
Dept. of Tourism & Hospitality Management
Daffodil Institute of IT
-NU
Presented By

3. Sustainable Tourism
Sustainable tourism is the concept of visiting
somewhere as a tourist and trying to make a
positive impact on the environment, society, and
economy. Tourism can involve
primary transportation to the general location, local
transportation, accommodations, entertainment,
recreation, nourishment and shopping. It can be
related to travel for leisure, business and what is called
VFR (visiting friends and relatives). There is now broad
consensus that tourism development should be
sustainable; however, the question of how to achieve
this remains an object of debate.
Sustainable tourism is the forms of tourism which meet

5. According to The World Tourism Organization
(WTO), sustainable tourism should:
1) Make optimal use of environmental resources that
constitute a key element in tourism development,
maintaining essential ecological processes and helping
to conserve natural heritage and biodiversity.
2) Respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host
communities, conserve their built and living cultural
heritage and traditional values, and contribute to inter-
cultural understanding and tolerance.
3) Ensure viable, long-term economic operations,
providing socio-economic benefits to all stakeholders

7. Sustainable Tourism Development
The World Commission on Environment and Development (The
Brundtland Commission) brought the term ‘sustainable tourism
development’ into common use in its seminal report (1987) called ‘Our
Common Future.’
“Sustainable Development is the development that meets the needs of
the present without compromising the ability of future generations to
meet their own needs.”
The definition has within it two concepts:
 The concept of ‘needs’, especially the needs of the poor.
 Ability to meet the present and future needs.
Basically, when we talk about sustainable development, the easiest
definition is what we, the present generation, have inherited a certain
amount of ecology and environment surrounding in terms of land,

9. Need for Sustainable Tourism
Development
 Until the beginning of last decade tourism was seen as a profitable
sector of business with no obvious constraints to growth, few barriers
to entry to the market, an almost, universal welcome from
governments and, for the most part, entailing few effective regulatory
requirements to take the environment into account.
 Commercial organizations, large and small, act on the Dawkin’s
principle of self-interest. They do not make significant changes to the
way they do business, which could be because of exhortations or out
of good intentions, except in response to the pressure of external
factors that cannot be avoided or to seize a competitive advantage.
 International tourism has brought in a phase in which the
opportunities of making quick profits from exploiting what was
regarded as freely available natural resources dazzled the eyes of
government and businessmen, as well as many local residents. As

11. Principles of Sustainable Tourism
Tourism Concern, 1991 in association with the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) gives 10 principles for sustainable tourism.
These are following as:
1) Using resources sustainably. The conservation and sustainable use of resources- natural, social and cultural – is crucial and
makes long-term business sense.
2) Reducing over-consumption and waste. Reduction of over-consumption and waste avoids the costs of restoring long-term
environmental damage and contributes to the quality of tourism.
3) Maintaining biodiversity. Maintaining and promoting natural, social and cultural diversity is essential for long-term
sustainable tourism and creates a resilient base for the industry.
4) Integrating tourism into planning. Tourism development which is integrated into a national and local strategic planning
framework and which undertake environmental impact assessments increases the long-term viability of tourism.
5) Supporting local economies. Tourism that supports a wide range of local economic activities and which takes environmental
costs and values into account, both protects these economies and avoids environmental damage.
6) Involving local communities. The full involvement of local communities in the tourism sector not only benefits them and the
environment in general but also improves the quality of the tourism experience.
7) Consulting stakeholders and the public. Consulting between the tourism industry and local communities, organizations and
institutions are essential if they are to work alongside each other and resolve potential conflicts of interest.
8) Training staff. Staff training which integrates sustainable tourism into work practices, along with recruitment of personnel at
all levels, improves the quality of the tourism product.
9) Marketing tourism responsibly. Marketing that provides tourists with the full and responsible information increases respect
for the natural, social and cultural environments of destination areas and enhances customer satisfaction.
10) Undertaking research. Ongoing research and monitoring by the industry using effective data collection and analysis are

12. Three Dimensions of Sustainable Tourism
Tourism has environmental, economic and social impacts.
Sustainable tourism is about maximizing the impacts
which are positive and minimizing the negative ones. It
seems that the environmental impacts are negative, the
economic effects positive, and the social impacts a
combination of both. However, it is also important to
recognize that there are clear links between the three
aspects of tourism – the environmental, economic, and
social dimensions – and Three dimensions of sustainable
tourism are:
Environmental

14. Environmental Dimension
To many people, sustainability is about the environment, primarily the natural, physical
environment, and its protection. However, there is far more to the environment than just
the natural landscape. Let us now move on to look at the five aspects of the environment:
The Natural Resources: Tourism makes use of a range of natural resources, and in many
cases, the core attraction of a destination’s product may be natural resources such as clean
air, land, mineral waters, and the water in lakes and seas.
The Natural Environment: There are few natural landscape or wilderness areas left in the
world. Almost all natural landscapes have been affected to some extent by the actions of
man through the centuries. Tourism is only one industry or activity which changes
landscapes. The natural landscape represents the core of the tourism product in many
areas including natural forests, mountains, and regions which attract tourists because of
their rivers and lakes.
The Farmed Environment: The farmed environment can cover a diverse range of
agricultural systems including agriculture landscapes, man-made forests, and fish farms.
Wildlife: Wildlife has a number of dimensions such as land-based mammals and reptiles,
flora, birds, insects, fish, and marine mammals. Tourism can clearly be very harmful to
wildlife through the destruction of habitats, affecting feeding habits, disrupting breeding
patterns, fires in woodlands and people picking rare plants.

15. Economic Dimension
In the debate over sustainable tourism, the economic
dimension is often given relatively scant attention
compared to the environmental issues. Tourism is an
economic phenomenon because:
It is a major industry and foreign currency earner.
It is the basis of the growth of many transnational
corporations.
It accounts for a significant proportion of the annual
disposable income.

16. Economic Benefits of Tourism: Tourism contributes to the economy of a country in various
ways. Economic benefits of tourism are following as:
 Job creation
 Injection of income into the local economy through the multiplier effect
 Helping keep the local business viable
 Infrastructure development
 Attracts the foreign direct investments
Economic Costs of Tourism: There are many economic benefits of tourism as well as costs.
Economic costs of the tourism are following as:
 Many jobs are low paid and seasonal
 Opportunity costs
 Congestion
 The need to invest in expensive infrastructure which may only be required for part of the
year
 Over-dependence on tourism makes the host economy vulnerable.

17. Social Dimension
The social dimension of tourism has been given less attention in the sustainable
tourism debates, than the environmental impacts of tourism. This is because the
socio-cultural impacts of tourism usually occur slowly over time in an unspectacular
fashion. They are also largely invisible and intangible.
The social impact of tourism is usually permanent with little or no opportunity to
reverse the changes once it has taken place. When the social impact of sustainable
tourism has been considered the focus has normally been upon the host
community.
There are a number of factors that determine whether or not the balance of socio-
cultural impacts will be positive or negative in a particular location including:
 The strength and coherence of the local society and culture.
 The nature of tourism in the resort.
 The level of economic and social development of the host population in relation
to the tourists.

18. Sustainable Tourism Indicators
for Destinations and Sites
Indicators should show the real performance in destinations, for
example: "The ratio of environmentally friendly arrivals" and not
the "existence of pick-up systems from airports and train
stations" which may not be used by tourists.
Water quality: Fecal coli form count at beaches; chlorophyll-A
algae count; tourist complaints about water at beaches
Environmental education: Number of environmental modules
offered by schools in the region in conjunction with a count of
the number of students who receive the modules
Preservation of nature: Number of rare/endangered species
Overcrowding and congestion in the beach area: Persons per

19.  Social impact: Ratio of tourists to locals in peak period
 Image of the region: Level of satisfaction by locals
 Seasonality: Tourist numbers in peak month
 Variety of attractions: Percentage of service establishments open year round
Solid waste management: Percentage of households using official garbage removal
(voucher purchase)
 Consumer satisfaction: Based on exit questionnaire
 Cleanliness of water and bushes: Number of toilets per tourist on beach in peak times
 Cleanliness of restaurants: Number of tourists with reported salmonella poisoning from
local restaurants and eating outlets
 Crime: Number of crimes reported by non-residents/residents
 Pricing: Monthly average price of rooms
 Public access to beaches: Percentage of usable beach open to public
 Protection of biological resources: Category of site protection using IUCN index; number
of rare/endangered species; existence of an organized plan for region
 Black market accommodation: Based on survey of visitors
 Funding for protection: percentage of hot spot revenues that are dedicated to protection

20. Destination Marketing
Destination marketing is a form of marketing, in
which a destination is promoted to potential visitors,
in order to increase the number of people that travel
to that location. The destination can be fairly specific,
as is the case with town or city marketing, or much
broader, as is the case with region or country
marketing.
Ultimately, the purpose of destination marketing is
to make your location or destination seem more
attractive than the main alternatives, boosting the
number of people who travel there and assisting the
local travel industry. It is also about increasing

21. Why is Destination Marketing Important?
To attract travelers to a certain destination, it is
important that the plus points of that destination are
highlighted. This is especially crucial when one
destination is competing with another for the same
tourists or visitors. An example of this would be both
the Caribbean and the Great Barrier Reef offering
excellent diving experiences.
The goal of most destination marketing is to
promote your destination as superior to alternatives,
by highlighting the things that make it unique, or the
things that make it a desirable place to travel to.

22. Who is Responsible for Destination
Marketing?
Responsibility for destination marketing typically falls
on a dedicated destination marketing organization
(DMO), or tourist board. These organizations
represent the community or destination being
promoted and attempt to drive interest in the region
amongst travelers by using a range of different
marketing techniques.
In many ways, a DMO also serves as a link between
the visitor and the destination, encouraging the visit
in the first place, but also providing important visitor

23. A number of different marketing strategies can be used for destination marketing
purposes, helping to boost overall awareness of a destination and increase the
number of people who actually visit. Below, you will find more information about 14
of these strategies and how destination marketing organizations can use them to
get results.
1. Define the Unique Selling Points: Arguably the single most important step for any
organization engaging in destination marketing is to take the time to clearly define
what makes your destination unique. There are huge ranges of ways a destination
can stand out, such as unique activities to offer visitors, or unique natural features,
like mountains, beaches or volcanoes.
2. Define Target Audience & Market: Another of the best destination marketing
strategies involves identifying your target audiences. Think about who is likely to
want to visit the destination and for what reason. Often, you will need to break this
down into several different audiences, who each may have different reasons for
wanting to travel to your location.
3.Utilize Data for Analytics: Destination marketing organizations can potentially
obtain and utilize vast amounts of data, for a number of different purposes. As an
example, the organization’s website can allow you to use tools like Google Analytics
to find out about your visitors, who they are, where they came from and what their
motivation was.
4. Brand Your Destination: Branding is a technique used by businesses, in order to

24. 5. Involve All Stakeholders: A significant component of destination
management involves looking out for the interests of various stakeholders, in
order to establish trust and facilitate engagement. The stakeholders might
include officials from your country, city, village or state, as well as hotels,
attractions, restaurants, shopping venues, travel agents and tour operators.
6. Create an Amazing Destination Website: Regardless of their reasons for
travelling, the majority of travelers now use the internet to research their
destination before booking. A destination website is the ideal place to
showcase unique selling points, communicate directly with your target
audience(s) and promote your destination through images, videos and virtual
reality tours.
7. Search Engine Optimization: When people use search engines like Google
to look for things related to your destination, or features that your destination
can offer them, you want to make sure your website is near the top of those
search engine results pages. The best way to do this is to create a
comprehensive search engine optimization strategy.
8. Experience Marketing: Most travelers are motivated by experiences, so it
makes sense to market a destination this way. Instead of showing attractions,
use promotional material to show how people experience them. One way to
do this is to stimulate the sharing of user generated content, so that people
share their own moments on your website and on social media.

25. 10. Social Media Strategies: Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and
Instagram serve as an ideal means to reach people and promote your destination. In
truth, the destination marketing strategies on offer here are almost endless, from
simple promotional posts, images and video content, through to competitions and
even viral content or memes.
11. Work with Influencers: Many modern internet users have a natural distrust for
direct advertising and other overt marketing methods. However, many of these
people may be able to be reached indirectly, through influencers. In simple terms,
influencers are people with an established following on platforms like Instagram,
Twitter, YouTube, Facebook or their own blog.
12. Promote Your Destination on Travel Websites: In addition to having your own
destination website, it is important to be able to reach people who do not have
existing awareness of your destination. Travel websites provide a perfect solution
and this can include international travel websites, such as Trip Advisor, as well as
local websites, or websites aimed at specific demographics.
13. Online Advertising Strategies: The information and data you have gathered
about your visitors and your target audience can be used to inform your online
advertising. Using this information, you can target search advertising to specific
regions, pay for display advertising on the right platforms and promote content on
third-party websites your target audience use.

26. Sustainable Planning
Sustainable design takes into account environmental, economic and social
sustainability, while focusing on the needs of the occupants and the wider
environmental impact associated with the construction and use of the dwelling. By
taking energy efficiency into account at the design stage issues such as compactness,
orientation and insulation, and change management, can be considered, and
designed for. This will maximize the benefits to be gained, without entailing excessive
cost. Although sustainable design takes into account a wide variety of aspects, such a
lifestyle, surrounding environment and the visual characteristics of buildings, the
application of the principles of sustainable design can have far reaching effects in
terms of energy efficiency.
The general principles of sustainable design include:
 The use of low impact materials
 Energy efficiency
 Design for reuse and recycling

27. The application of these principles to
construction can:
- Extend the lifetime of a building by increasing flexibility, making it more
adaptable and, therefore, more able to meet the changing needs of occupants. The
choice of material will also affect the lifespan of buildings. More durable material
will result in less maintenance and repair work over the course of the life of a
building.
- Decrease the energy requirements of the building by using the orientation of the
dwelling to maximize solar gain, or improve insulation. Consideration of renewable
heating technologies, such as biomass and wind power and their suitability to a
site, will allow easier installation, thereby facilitating a reduction on the
dependence on fossil fuels. Sustainable design can increase the energy efficiency of
dwellings by 40%.
- Decrease the overall emissions during construction of the dwelling by taking into
account the materials used on site. The design can ensure that standard sizes of
materials and components are used, limiting the need for onsite modification and
the associated waste. Use of non-toxic materials can also be limited.
- Limit the of use non-renewable and scarce resources during construction by
choosing renewable and/or sustainable materials where possible. Choosing durable

28. The importance of sustainable planning
Sustainable planning is implemented in conjunction
with sustainable design and incorporates the same
emphasis on environmental, economic, and social
sustainability, but, in general, looks at a development in
a larger context and at how a development interacts
with the surrounding environment.
The potential for loss of energy due to ineffectual
planning is vast due to the large numbers of houses
projected to be required for the future. Consequently,
the implementations of planning policies which take
sustainable planning into account present an

29. STRATEGIC DIRECTION
Strategic direction is an approach to planning
that includes setting and synching short-term,
medium-term and long-term goals. Running a
business without an eye toward strategic
direction likes setting out on a road trip to an
unfamiliar place without a map or a navigation
app. You may eventually reach your destination,
but the journey will be chaotic, and you'll most
likely waste more effort than necessary.
Developing a solid strategy that outlines your

30. How to Set a Strategic Direction
The importance of strategic direction lies in its capacity to
orient your company's overall purpose. Consider your vision,
or your big-picture reason for wanting to be in business. This
can be as ethereal as wanting to make the world a better
place or as practical as wanting to earn as much money as
possible while making the least possible effort. Your vision
should embody the "why" behind your venture
Next, consider your company's mission, or the tangible way
you will make your vision into a reality. Your mission statement
will likely include some specifics about your products and
services. For example, an auto mechanic might articulate a
mission to keep its customers' cars safe and mechanically

31. Setting Periodic Goals
Long-term goals- By thinking through where you want to be
far down the line, you'll be able to make shorter-term plans
aimed at taking you in the direction you've defined. Long-term
goals should be practical, big-picture steps aimed at moving
you toward achieving your mission and fulfilling your vision.
Medium-term goals- These are objectives that cover a time
frame of approximately two to three years, long enough to be
broad and meaningful but short enough for you to actually be
able to get specific about possible outcomes. Medium-term
goals connect the scope of long-term plans with the concrete
details of shorter-term steps.
Short-term goals-The process of setting short-term goals
breaks your longer-term planning into achievable, manageable

32. The Tourism Value Chain
A tourism value chain should be driven by the passion,
pride and confidence of key stakeholders that visitors
will experience the best that a destination can offer. A
tourism value chain is simply defined as a system
which describes how private sector firms in
collaboration with government and civil society
receive or access resources as inputs, add value
through various processes (planning, development,
financing, marketing, distribution, pricing, positioning,
among others) and sell the resulting products to

33. Assumptions
 The first consumer travel decision focuses on where to go not which
product is desired.
 Low-cost web-enabled technology tools are reducing the dependence on
antiquated mainframe computer systems and traditional distribution
channels.
 In this very fragmented and complex industry, the single universal
commonality shared among all public and private stakeholders is the
traveler who seeks to navigate seamlessly around the globe from
destination to destination, supplier to supplier, and complete multiple
transactions in a trustworthy environment.
 Customer partnership means finding mutually satisfactory solutions to
shared problems and a dedication to excellence in every sale or service
encounter. It also requires commitment to forging long-term
relationships that create synergies of knowledge, security, and
adaptability for both parties.

34. Transition to knowledge-based economies make
establishment of effective employee empowerment
mechanisms within companies crucial to their
competitiveness. For a tourism value delivery chain to be
effective it is essential to:
Make it easy for the consumer to purchase travel to the
destination by strengthening the usability of distribution
systems worldwide
Maximize the use of continuously evolving information and
communications technologies
Unite the industry’s public and private sector around the
common customer by focusing constantly improving the
quality of tourism products and services
Reduce the cost of distribution for suppliers
Make tourism measurable on an ongoing basis
Provide cooperative funding from the public and private

35. 12
Chart 1. Tourism Value Chain Elements
Selection On-Trip Post-Trip
 Segmenting
 Demographics
 Planning window
 What is planned
in advance
 Role of travel
agent or
distribution
channel
 Information
sources
 Trip motivations
 Travel partner or
group
 Value Proposition
 Disposable
income
 Price/value
decision
factors
 Final selection
criteria
 Preferred
package and
method of
purchasing
 Experiences desired
 Arrival/Departure—
Border formalities-
visas, immigration,
customs, baggage,
transport
 Specific needs
– Accommodations
– Restaurant
– Retail
– Entertainment
– Transportation
– Activities
– Services
 Resulting
experience
 Experience
feedback
 Frequency of
returning to a
destination
Planning

36. Tourism Carrying Capacity
 "Tourism Carrying Capacity" is defined by the
World Tourism Organization as “The maximum number of
people that may visit a tourist destination at the same
time, without causing destruction of the physical,
economic, socio-cultural environment and an
unacceptable decrease in the quality of visitors'
satisfaction”.
Tourism carrying capacity is a now antiquated approach to
managing visitors in protected areas and national parks
which evolved out of the fields of range, habitat and
wildlife management. In these fields, managers attempted
to determine the largest population of a particular species
that could be supported by a habitat over a long period of
time. Many authors, such as Buckley, Wagar, Washburne,