Shifting Towards Sustainable Tourism: Organizational and Financial Scenarios for Solid Waste Management in Tourism Destinations in Tunisia

Abstract

Tourism in Tunisia generates large amounts of solid waste, especially during the summer, and doubles the amount in most big tourism cities like Hammamet, which makes its management more complicated. Municipalities lack the financial means to ensure sustainable solid waste management (SWM) in tourist areas and need an intervention from all actors to reduce financial and technical pressures and implement sustainable solutions. This paper presents a descriptive research method that focuses on an analysis of the current SWM concept in tourism areas in Tunisia and proposes new sustainable organizational and financial models. These are based on the collaboration of different stakeholders at both national and local levels; and supported by extending the responsibility of the producer through the creation of a new system operator to take charge of the organization and financing of packaging disposal and recycling activities. In addition, the extension of the recovered material for recycling through extended producer responsibility (EPR) could support the system. The performance of current SWM shows that it has failed to ensure the cleanliness of tourism destinations is sustainable. Tunisia generates 2.8 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW), between 20% to 30% of which are recyclable materials. The current system for packaging in Tunisia (ECO-Lef) only collected 3400 tons in 2018 compared to 15,800 tons in 2010, and the total recycling rate in the country does not exceed 5%, which makes the waste management system inefficient and unsustainable. Proposed solutions should be supported by legal and technical interventions, such as waste prevention, minimization, sorting at source, and the provision of education programs for citizens and tourism establishments.

Environmental Awareness, Ecotourism Awareness and Ecotourism Perception of Tourist Guides

“…Although it is seen that the concept of ecotourism awareness has developed in many ways (resources), it is stated that environmental awareness is ignored in some cases in the tourism sector, which has a high economic return [85]. Various problems may occur in the relationship between ecotourism awareness and environmental awareness due to overtourism [86], waste mismanagement [87] and unconscious policies [88]. However, the increasing environmental awareness and ecological sensitivity in tourist guides in the last period reveal their differences in a positive way as a result of this research [89].…”

Sustainable Governance of Coastal Areas and Tourism Impact on Waste Production: Panel Analysis of Croatian Municipalities

“…Chaabane et al focused on solid waste generated by the tourism industry in Tunisia [17]. Their finding is that waste generation doubles during summer in most large tourism cities like Hammamet, and complicates its management.…”

“…The authors propose a collaboration of different stakeholders with stronger material recovery through recycling, supporting the system. In numbers, of the 2.8 million tons of municipal solid waste generated in Tunisia, only 20% to 30% being recyclable, the total recycling does not exceed 5%, making waste management inefficient and unsustainable [17]. So, recycling is the primary determinant of an efficient SWM.…”

Comparing Hungarian and Tunisian Guest Preferences for Sustainable Hotel Attributes

“…Tourism, as one of the world's largest industries, is the engine of the economy for many countries, especially in Tunisia and Hungary, so it is particularly important how a given country shapes its impact. (Chaabane et al, 2019). Several previous studies have dealt with the comparison of Tunisia and Hungary from a tourism point of view, but in this study we examine the attitudes of the two countries specifically from the point of view of sustainability aspects (Mollet and Neffati, 2004).…”