pollution?

What would the Grand Canyon experience be if visitors could not see it or
if most of their experience was traffic congestion?

Sustainable Tourism

Sustainable development is defined as development that meets the needs of the

present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs. The application of sustainable development to tourism is known as sustain-
able tourism, which has become an important part of planning for the conservation
and development of natural and cultural resources. Sustainable tourism often includes
an emphasis on mass transit, renewable resources, leave-no-trace activities and com-
munity development. The challenge of the sustainable development concept is how
to balance environmental conservation (the sustainable part) with economic develop-
ment (the development part). This is typically simplified into a political dichotomy
between the environmental Left and the pro-development Right. Successful sustain-
able development efforts have overcome these political divisions to find and work
toward a common future.
In recent years the United States National Park Service (NPS) and other govern-
ment authorities have been trying to address the environmental degradation of the
Grand Canyon by limiting the impact of sightseeing helicopters and airplanes, reduc-
ing the number of motorized boats on the Colorado River, working to adopt a mass
transit system that would replace the use of private automobiles within the park, and
increasing pollution controls on regional power plants. The NPS also requires the pri-
vate vendors who manage the hotels and restaurants in the park to practice resource
conservation and renewable energy in their operations.

Interpretation

Interpretation, or education, about the natural environment is a key component of

any tourism experience. Without it, tourists might not be inspired to engage in an
activity, might not be able to find their way to locations, and might not understand
the full significance of the area they are visiting. Subliminal forms of interpretation tell
us about places in indirect ways, such as through music, news stories, fiction, movies
and architectural design. More direct and intentional forms of interpretation include
maps, information boards and human guides. How places are interpreted in these
many different ways influences people’s perception and experience of places and envi-
ronments. Interpretation serves as a key variable in creating satisfactory visitor experi-
ences, though many places are subject to different and conflicting interpretations that
represent divergent views within a society. Interpretation is also related to the concept
of sense of place and how people interpret places and place experiences.

Summary

Geography is important to the study of tourism because tourism is geographical in

nature. It occurs in places, it involves movement and activities across space (between
places), and includes activities in which place character and personal self-identities

INTRODUCTION 21