Kenneth F. Backman
Abstract
What Is Happening With Sustainable Community Tourism? What is the good of tourism development if the people who are the intended beneficiaries receive little or no benefit after the project occurs? The less developed countries of the world are focusing more and more on tourism to bring in foreign currency and to build growth in GDP but can regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa and parts of South America and Asia make any progress if research into sustainable tourism development does not help to lead the way? Twenty years ago in Rio sustainable development and sustainable tourism were the answer to the preservation of the world’s resources and the more equitable distribution of wealth. But here in 2012 not much has changed and in most cases has gotten worse. In the twenty years that have passed we cannot agree to a definition of what sustainable tourism is and as Sharpley states there may not even be this thing we have called sustainable tourism.