Principles of Sustainable Tourism-RTM 481

Local Perceptions of Tourism Impacts

The question of how the tourism industry has affected the environment, social-cultural and economic activities of a particular community give a clear picture of the importance of sustainable tourism. It focuses on how society needs to value the environment and its available natural resources. The big challenge in most of our communities are competing to use resources, which are limited. Sustainable tourism agencies collaborate with stakeholders and try to conserve the “natural heritage and biodiversity, and optimal use of environmental resources” (An Educational Portal 2019). Apart from focusing on environmental matters, sustainable tourism is also concerned about the destinations for tourists. As visitors move from one point to another, they interact with various groups of people, including the host communities. So tourists explore the economic and social-cultural activities of the local community they visit.

The social-cultural aspects allows tourists to explore the cultural richness and prosperity of various communities. By interacting with the local communities, it will enable the visitors to understand social equality and the wellbeing of these communities. Tourists also make a big contribution to economic activities, and again the group of people who benefit most are the local host communities. When they explore the economic activities of the new destinations, it allows both the communities and stakeholders to learn aspects such as economic viability, physical integrity, employment quality and resource efficiency. On the side of stakeholders, it is crucial to understand the principles of sustainable tourism, which according to (Sustainable Tourism 2019) involves social-cultural equity, environmental conservation and economic efficiency.

I was lucky to have a phone conversation with one of the stakeholders from Best Western Rocky Mountain Lodge in Montana. In the past assignment, we saw Montana has many tourist destinations such as hotels, parks and coastal beaches, and most of its cities have benefited a lot from tourism in many ways. I choose this hotel because I noted that it is among the tourist destinations that is keen on the key themes of sustainable tourism. That is, the hotel “make optimal use of the environmental resources, respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities, and ensure viable, long-term economic operations” (An Educational Portal 2019). The stakeholder I met via a phone call no. +1 406-862-2569 identified herself as Shear. I took her through five questions, and I aimed to know how tourism industry has affected the environmental, social-cultural and economic activities in that community.

Best Western Rocky Mountain Lodge is situated in Whitefish town about 42 km from gorgeous outdoors of Glacier National Park. Other nearby tourist destinations are Whitefish Lake, Victorian Casino and Whitefish Mountain Resort. In my first question to Shear, I was concerned about visitors who frequently visit the Hotel and the impact(s) they have on the local culture, environment, and economy activities. Shear started by appreciating all visitors who create time to visit the hotel. A huge number of tourists who visit Best Western Rocky Mountain Lodge come during the summer season. During winter, the number of visitors reduces, and the stakeholder thinks it is because of the bogus weather. Shear mentioned that tourism has boosted business activities and offered employment opportunities to the locals. Apart from the services hotel offer, we have other “accommodation providers, service providers and tour operators” (Inkson & Minnaert 2018).

The socio-cultural impacts of tourism are sometimes hard to measure because culture emerges more slowly, unlike economic and environmental impacts, which tend to thrive within a short time. Some of the positive social-cultural impacts of tourism for host communities include “revival of culture, improved standard of living and a better understanding between cultures” (Inkson & Minnaert, 2018). I noted that there is a big improvement of people who reside in Whitefish town compared to a decade ago. The next question I asked Shear was about whether tourism is manageable in her community as one of the stakeholders. She mentioned that the tourist sector is manageable in her community, and I think the availability of resources has allowed the host community to move tourism to the next level. I was interested to know from Shear that apart from the locals, where do most visitors come from and what special services do the hotel offers?

Best Western Rocky Mountain Lodge has spacious rooms with features like “a cable TV and coffee maker, hairdryer and free bathroom amenities are also included in each guest room” (BWRML Whitefish, USA). Visitors can “enjoy the outdoor pool and hot tub or use the on-site fitness center” (BWRML Whitefish, USA). The hotel provides a full continental of different meals and a good example is the morning breakfast which is offered with “various breads, cereal, fruit, eggs, breakfast meats, yogurt, juice, and coffee” (BWRML Whitefish, USA). Shear shared that most visitors come from Canada and the surrounding States. I brought the issue of Covid-19 in our conversation and how it has affected the tourism sector. The Pandemic has so far caused countless loses in hotels, which depends on internatinal visitors. Shear emphasized how both the host community and stakeholders have taken measures to stop the spread of the disease and othe pandemic in the future.

In my conclusion, I think the tourism has both positive and negative impacts on the environment social/cultural and economic activities of the host community. The important thing “maximize gains that local communities may be able to make from tourism” (Shah & Gupta 2000) and reduce negative impacts that emerge from tourism. It depends on the concerns of stakeholders and the type of tourism activities they are interested with. Lastly, “stakeholders should play an active role in designing and formulation of the strategies” (Shah & Gupta 2000) that aims at principles of sustainable tourism.

References

“★★★ Best Western Rocky Mountain Lodge, Whitefish, USA.” Booking.com, www.booking.com/hotel/us/best-western-rocky-mountain-lodge.en-gb.html?aid=356980;label&keep_landing=1&sb_price_type=total&type=total&

Shah, K., & Gupta, V. (2000). Tourism, the poor and other stakeholders: Experience in Asia. London: Overseas Development Institute.

https://www.odi.org/sites/odi.org.uk/files/odi-assets/publications-opinion-files/3244.pdf

Sustainable Tourism – Definition, Principles, and Dimensions of Sustainable Tourism. An Educational Portal, (2019, February 4). Retrieved from https://tourismnotes.com/sustainable-tourism/

Inkson, C., & Minnaert, L. (2018). Tourism management: An introduction. Sage.

https://us.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-assets/91334_book_item_91334.pdf