Sustainable tourism: a regional perspective

The aim of this research is to gain an insight into the perception of sustainable tourism, and to examine the ways in which it is implemented at the regional level, Using a case study of East Sussex in the UK, the research explores how the general principles of sustainable tourism at the macro level can be translated into workable practice, The research is focused on small businesses, as these form the majority of tourism enterprises, The data were captured using the technique of focus groups, Tracing the development of sustainable tourism as a starting point, three main themes are then explored, First, how well the concept of sustainability is understood by small businesses engaged in tourism, Second, how these sustainable concepts can be translated into workable practices and finally, the major barriers to implementing sustainable tourism by small businesses, The research reveals that despite a willingness on the part of small businesses to engage in sustainable activities those engaged in the tourism business have little understanding of the concept of sustainability. The vague principles do not easily translate into workable practice, The research identifies a number of barriers to successful implementation of sustainable tourism practices, the most prominent being a mistrust of government policy, poor administration and unclear lines of communication, The study concludes that despite the increased importance of sustainable tourism and the formulation of general principles and guidelines, cynical attitudes towards government policy and its implementation are significant barriers to the implementation of sustainable tourism practices in small businesses at the regional level. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.