Page 19 - sustainable tourism-- Dr.Aya

At the beginning of XXIst century the idea of

sustainable tourism has become more popular

among public sector which is responsible for

planning and strategy and also private, i.e.

travelling and touristic enterprises. The United

Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP)

introduced its Initiative for Sustainable

Tourism, which was aimed at tour operators.

This was followed by the UN declaration to

designate the year 2002 as the International

Year of Ecotourism. Later-on a World Summit

on Sustainable Development was held in

Johannesburg (also called ―Rio+10‖). This

initiative for the first time stressed the

importance of sustainable development in

tourism. Moreover a world eco-tourism

summit was held in Quebec in the same year.

Other organizations connected to the

industry such as World Tourism Organization

(UNWTO) or the World Travel and Tourism

Council (WTTC) contributed to the principles

of sustainable development, which aims to

minimize damage the environment, wildlife

and local populations caused by tourists and

the industry. Together with the Earth Council

19