Workshop on Sustainable Tourism: Challenges, Opportunities and Way Forward

TERI organized a workshop on 'Sustainable Tourism: Challenges, Opportunities and Way Forward' on November 28, 2016 at TERI, IHC. The workshop was part of a recent study completed by TERI on 'Sustainable Tourism in Himalayan Cities' in association with TERI University and was supported by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The main objective of this study was to understand the inter-linkages between tourism and urban services in the selected cities and to suggest policy responses to address the challenges, particularly those related to environment and natural resource use in implementing sustainable tourism in these cities.

The main objective of the workshop was to examine the interdependence of factors related to tourism, urbanization, and environment, and sustainable resource use to integrate Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) practices in the tourism sector. The workshop brought together various stakeholders ranging from government officials to tour operators, association representatives, NGOs, and think tanks.

The discussions at the workshop highlighted the need to address the unregulated, unchecked and unsustainable tourism that adversely impacts the ecology, culture, economy, and environment of the host destination. The participants shared various examples of practices that bring in sustainability aspects into the product and service offerings from the tourism sector.

During the workshop, it was also decided that destination management or destination-based sustainable approach should be adopted along with better cooperation and co-ordination among stakeholders at all levels to mitigate unsustainable practices and promote sustainable tourism. It was also agreed upon that the engagement of stakeholders and their efforts in spreading education and awareness regarding sustainable practices needs to be scaled up in a more holistic manner.