Sustainable tourism development in Niagara

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide insights to the relevant past discussions, theories and projects; and sustainable tourism development in the Niagara region.Design/methodology/approachEach of the key four sections of this paper zooms in to specific areas. Outcomes from elite discussions involving 47 experts are followed by a concise literature review on sustainable tourism. The paper then analyses the concept of economic sustainability and reviews the outcomes from a blueprint for sustainable tourism development.FindingsThis paper discusses the economic pillar of sustainable tourism by outlining the negative and positive economic effects of the worldwide travel and tourism industry. In addition to reviewing the relative competitiveness of the world's travel destinations; with a focus on Canada's performance, it outlines strategies for Niagara region to enhance its competitiveness to support sustainable tourism.Originality/valueIn the recent years not much research has been carried out on the topic of sustainable tourism specific to the Niagara region. Therefore, this paper should be useful to a range of tourism stakeholders in Niagara region as well as readers involved in regional tourism development in other parts of the world. The versatility of the four authors – an administrator who chaired the Niagara Gateway Project, an academic researcher who has focused on sustainable tourism for a long period, a partner of a leading consulting firm and an applied researcher with significant international experience, makes the paper interesting.

A Critical Reflection on the Role of Stakeholders in Sustainable Tourism Development in Least-Developed Countries

“…It is common in LDCs for third parties (NGOs or, sometimes, government authorities) to propose sustainable tourism yet these organisations might operate from a domestic capital, or even another country, to implement projects in the poorest and most isolated areas of LDCs (Carbone, 2005;Manyara and Jones, 2007;Stoeckl, 2007;Buccus, Hemson, Hicks, and Piper, 2008). NGOs typically have fragile funding yet, often underfunded, they then also negotiate local customs, processes and authorities to achieve outcomes (Coate, Handmer, and Choong, 2006;Gounder, 2001;Feng, 2008;Hanh, 2006;Jayawardena, Patterson, Choi and Brain, 2008). Even national governments confront issues related to the unique cultural and community aspects of an area (Chens, Sok and Sok,2008;Teye et al, 2002).…”

The Future of Sustainable Tourism in Developing Countries

“…Tourism also frequently provides an economic incentive to safeguard local cultures and the natural environment. In this way, economic sustainability becomes an essential ingredient of fostering sustainable tourism (Jayawardena et al ., ). Many factors are used to assess the relative competitiveness of the world's travel destinations.…”

An Investigating the SWOT Analysis of Cultural Tourism Heritage for Sustainable Tourism Development: The Case of LALIBELA Rock Hewn Churches, World Heritage Site, Ethiopia

“…Meeting these challenges is a major task of policy makers as well as communities if they are to achieve comprehensive and sustainable heritage tourism development. There are a number of obstacles to achieving sustainable heritage tourism destinations [16][17][18]. Some major obstacles include the lack of financial resources, poor forms of governance, inappropriate project management processes, and ineffective enforcement of regulations, corruption and lack of support for heritage conservation [2,4].…”

“…Tourism also frequently provides an economic incentive to safeguard local cultures and the natural environment. In this way, economic sustainability becomes an essential ingredient of fostering sustainable tourism [17].…”