Tourism marketing for sustainable development

Abstract

The levels of marketing, quite often blamed for changing consumer attitudes, promote a materialistic society where status is derived more from the number and type of destinations we visit and leisure activities we undertake, rather than how good we are as caring members of society. Tourism organizations have continued to encourage 'anyone and everyone' to visit a particular region, irrespective of how these individuals may behave when they arrive. As we move into the twenty-first century, there is a growing concern for the protection of the environment and the adoption of business policies that will enable to the earth's resources to be sustained. The new environmentally aware values now emerging are challenging the underlying concepts of marketing. This paper attempts to put forward measures that can be applied to ensure sustainable tourism through marketing strategies suppress or alter demand once critical limits are approached or have in fact been exceeded.