International Journal of Management and Business
IJMB Volume I, Issue 1
Tourism at the Crossroads of Economic, Social and Environmental Considerations
Maud Tixier
ESSEC Business School, Cergy-Pontoise, France
Email: tixierm@essec.fr
ABSTARCT
The sphere of sustainable tourism involves the three, well-known pillars of sustainable development – the economic, social and environmental issues that need to be addressed and handled.
It is difficult to assess whether offer and demand actually meet in this market. Research on actual demand is scarce, as are satisfaction surveys from responsible tourists. Offers on the other hand are plentiful, although not easily differentiated in such a specialized and fragmented niche market.
The words used to describe what sustainable tourism more or less amounts to are abundant and improperly applied, a factor which contributes to the general confusion surrounding the concept.
Among the media used, brochures and Internet sites were studied in detail to clarify the supply side of sustainable tourism. From examples described, we draw conclusions on who are the tour-operators that come closest to a balanced view on sustainable tourism. We then draw conclusions on the role of customer choice in selecting a journey and influencing future offer.
Keywords: tourism, sustainability, corporate social responsibility (CSR), Internet site, tour operators.
Click for full manuscript (PDF) or back to Volume 1, Table of content.