Policies related to sustainable tourism - An assessment and comparison of European policies, frameworks and plans

Policies at European, national and regional levels are meant to influence rural tourism development. This paper analyses the policies relevant to sustainable tourism at the local level by investigating policy documents and related stakeholder processes in seven European Union member states and one pre-accession nation. National policy assessments were conducted by stakeholders and resulted in roundtable discussions between government representatives and policy implementers. The results were policy recommendations that seek to create stronger multi-level governance structures for long-term sustainable development. In the study presented here, it became clear that while policies at European and national levels follow many sustainability aims and seek to implement sustainable rural development, these policies are showing little influence on development at the local level. By providing recommendations, this paper examines the conditions under which policies could become more practical for local implementation of overarching policy goals.