PM4SD as a methodological framework for sustainable tourism

Abstract

This study analyses the importance of sustainability in tourism and how it can be implemented in the management of tourism projects and destinations through a clear and structured methodology such as PM4SD (Project Management for Sustainable Development). The importance of sustainable tourism has been recently reiterated in the Declaration by the UN of 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. The declaration, which represents a further contribution of the tourism sector to the three pillars of sustainability, follows the recognition by global leaders at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) that “well-designed and well-managed tourism” can contribute to the three dimensions of sustainable development, to job creation and to trade. The UN Decision is also in line with new Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs which refer to tourism as a target, are: no.8 Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all;no. 12: Sustainable Consumption and Production, and no. 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. The study starts with a review of the main European and global sustainable tourism policies and shows the need for Project Managers to analyse the policies at global, national, regional and local level since the beginning of a project and throughout its lifecycle. From this review, it has been possible to identify numerous definitions of sustainable tourism (Garrod and Fyall, 1998) and some common aspects identified in the Encyclopaedia of Sustainable Tourism. Among these definitions, some do not refer to any regulatory interventions by the governments because the market forces are sufficient to adjust human behaviour, and, therefore, the tourists and tourism business behaviour. These definitions are less oriented to sustainable development while there are other definitions that consider the free operation of market forces as inimical to the achievement of sustainability, and therefore, they require alternative governance systems to be established. These definitions are more oriented to the sustainable development approach, and they consider that sustainable tourism is a type of tourism built upon the principles of sustainable development.