Sustainable tourism not only promotes economic development, but also environmental and cultural conservation—and therefore employs the concept of a triple bottom line. This toolkit helps to train students, donor agency representatives, and others working in related fields to understand and develop sustainable tourism and further explores the role of tourism in both international development and the global economy.
This toolkit helps destinations put in place strategies and programs that will best tell their unique story and become an inviting host for visitors no matter the purpose of their journey. More specifically, this toolkit outlines how to build a successful Destination Management Organization (DMO) to increase visitation while preserving a destination’s natural and cultural assets.
Sustainable tourism enterprises confront the challenge to contribute to job creation, biological and cultural diversity conservation. This toolkit was written with these conditions and local stakeholders in mind to help them understand the purpose of a business plan, its audiences, what should be included, and the unique aspects of tourism business plans that can address community support and biodiversity conservation. By drafting a business plan, you will utilize your human and financial resources more effectively, minimize risk, prepare for the unexpected, and have a greater chance for a successful venture.
This toolkit includes two different publications developed with support of USAID aimed at linking tourism and conservation in a sustainable way. The first document was developed by Solimar under USAID’s Program for Management of Aquatic Resources and Economic Alternatives (MAREA). The “Sea Turtles Tourism Conservation Models” describe six conservation models that link sustainable tourism, biodiversity conservation, and community development. This document also contains The Nature Conservancy’s “The Threshold of Sustainability for Tourism within Protected Areas: A Quick Guide for Protected Area Practitioners” document, which provides a framework for responding rapidly to crises originating for tourism and visitation.
