EVOLUTION OF TOURISM DEMAND AND DEVELOPMENT OF SUSTAINABLE TOURISM: WHAT IMPACT ON TOURIST DESTINATIONS?

In recent years, the international tourism market highlights the growth of a substantial segment of demand more aware and attentive to the responsible and sustainable dimension of the holiday. The growth of the cultural level of tourists, the increasing awareness of environmental issues, the respect and desire to learn about the traditions of local cultures are increasingly becoming key criteria in the choice of tourist destinations. The set of changes affecting the world of tourism, both as regard the demand and supply sides, is accompanied by increasing attention and sensitivity to sustainability understood in its social, environmental and economic dimension. These trends have led to the emergence of a new type of tourist, who aims to live a territory and to interact with the local community, in a relationship of mutual exchange, which translate into a new experience for tourists. In this perspective, starting from the review of the scarce literature on the subject and by the definitions of sustainable tourism offered by different international institutions official documents, the paper aims to deepen both characteristics and evolutionary trends of sustainable tourism, with the aim of capturing the impact this type of tourism could have on tourist destinations.