It is the ambition of the Scottish tourism industry to grow by 50% in the next ten years, however that growth has to be in a sensible and sustainable manner. If that growth is done in the wrong way it will have an impact on our natural resources, scenery and brand image.

If we look abroad there are many examples of how over development or climate change is impacting on tourism. These include Machu Picchu, which attracts 500,000 visitors a year, but their feet are eroding the stone foundations and footpaths away. The Coral Reefs of Florida attract thousands of tourists, but due to popularity of diving the marine environment is beginning to suffer.

In order to understand the implications of growth in a sustainable way, the scenarion planning group for tourism commissioned the Future Foundation to examine the issues. The report highlights that sustainability depends on economic well-being of tourism, as sustainability is about communities, business, the environment and social dimensions – a holistic rather than pure environmental issue, as each dimension is important but dependent upon each other.

For more information:

• Sustainable Growth in Tourism
• Scenario Planning Group for Tourism