Previous Year Question
The main objective of sustainable tourism is
To increase the number of tourists
To manage mass scale tourism and small scale travel
To manage tourism and environment while maintaining cultural integrity and ecological processes
None of the above
Correct Answer: C
Detailed Solution
The objective of Sustainable Tourism is not merely to attract more tourists or increase tourism revenue. It seeks to balance tourism development with environmental protection, cultural conservation and the socioeconomic interests of local communities.
Under the sustainable-tourism approach adopted by the Ministry of Tourism, resources should be managed so that economic, social and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled while maintaining—
Cultural Integrity,
Essential Ecological Processes,
Biological Diversity, and
Life-support Systems.
Therefore, option (c) expresses the concept most accurately.
Cultural Integrity means ensuring that tourism does not cause excessive commercialisation or destruction of local traditions, heritage, customs and cultural identity.
Protection of ecological processes ensures that tourism development does not place unsustainable pressure on ecosystems, biodiversity, water, forests and other natural resources.
Sustainable Tourism also seeks to provide benefits to local communities through employment, local enterprise and livelihood opportunities, but such economic benefits should not be achieved at the expense of the environment or heritage.