CONSIDERATIONS ON THE IMPACT OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ON TOURISM PHENOMENON
Nicoleta Georgeta BUGNAR, Liana-Eugenia MEȘTER, Andreea-Florina FORA
Faculty of Economic Sciences, University of Oradea, Oradea, Romania
Abstract: Since 2010, the European Commission, through the Communication “Europe, No1 World Tourism Destination – A New Political Framework for Tourism in Europe”, has drawn the attention to the fact that local / urban tourism strategies should be essential to the way in which cities promote or limit the extension of tourism services; thus, the increase in the number of tourists in cities and the lack of local tourism policies can lead to negative pressures on the local (environmental, cultural and social) environment.
In the research, we will analyze how the explosive economic growth trend of the analyzed region (in our case due to the massive absorption of European funds for urban infrastructure and for industrial development) has positively or negatively affected the tourism sector of the area. The objective of the research will be: identification of local officials with the elaboration and implementation of sustainable tourism policies related to sustainability and identification of specific factors of influence – local vision on sustainability, local action instruments and, implicitly, the tourist flow generated compared to the economic growth level of the region.
From a methodological point of view, the research combines two levels of analysis: the comparative analysis of local economic development plans and strategies with local tourism policies as well as the comparative analysis of economic growth indicators of the region with the tourism indicators for the chosen period.
A comparison between local development strategies and local tourism policies allows us to identify whether the growth of the tourist phenomenon in the region is a mere consequence of the development of the region or it is based on a strategic thinking of tourism development. The idea behind this research is based on the fact that other studies have demonstrated that the notion of sustainable tourism in major European cities remains out of the local political agenda, without discussing possible conflicts between urban tourism and negative externalities.
Keywords: sustainable development, economic growth, tourism, local policies.
