Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM) encapsulates the trend to use purchasing policies and practices to facilitate sustainable development at the tourist destination. Most research has focused on environmental aspects of manufacturing, while other aspects of sustainability or the challenges for the service sector are largely ignored. Yet SSCM is particularly important for tour operators, as the product depends on the activities of suppliers such as accommodation, transport and activities. Therefore, tour operators' contribution to sustainable tourism will be more effective through the definition and implementation of policies that acknowledge responsibility for the impacts of suppliers. Exploratory research of SSCM practices amongst tour operators generated a wide range of examples of good practice across the whole supply chain, and recommendations are made for more widespread engagement. Keywords: tourism, tour operator, Sustainable Supply Chain Management Concept of Sustainable Supply Chain ManagementLittle empirically based research has been undertaken to date into tour operators' attitudes and actions towards sustainable management of their supply chains. Research on SSCM has so far focused on manufacturing rather than service sectors. This paper reviews evidence from exploratory research in the tourism industry of the potential and challenges for transferring concepts and experiences of SSCM from the manufacturing sector to the tourism industry. To do so, the paper first presents key issues of SSCM and then reviews a range of tourism experiences with suppliers.

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Rapid growth of tourism to developing countries has led to new international expectations for tourism as an agent of socioeconomic development. This paper describes these new expectations, reviews the in¯uence of tour operators on tourism-dependent economies, and reports research into ways that UK outbound tour operators could respond to the new international expectations of their business ethic and practices. It shows that structural and business practice issues, especially local economic linkages in the supply chain, need to be addressed if the tourism industry is to contribute effectively to meeting new expectations of its role in socio-economic development in developing countries.

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