Page 203 - sustainable tourism-- Dr.Aya

positions they hold. The local community,

visitors, private investors, philanthropists, non-

government organizations and government

organizations at central, state and local level,

all have a role to play when it comes to

operationalizing the ideal of a sustainable

tourism destination.

- THE HOSTS AND THE VISITORS

The impacts that tourist destinations in the

form of isolated resorts, heritage hotels,

villages, towns or cities, regional landscapes

or a country as a whole; remain at the center of

discussion from the perspective of

sustainability and development. Who controls

and manages these impacts is the most

important question. As the local communities

are the original stakeholders who have an

association with the natural or cultural

resources of the location that develops into a

tourist destination, it is being established that

they are the ones who should be taking a call

on the process. The communities may suffer

from lack of decision-making ability and

empowerment, which in turn calls for

awareness generation and capacity building.

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