Strategic Options for Tourism Impacts on Local Sustainability: A Conceptual Approach

Abstract

This article draws on a framework for determining the sustainability conditions of an area given the multiple effects of tourism in the local development process. To this end, after the analysis of a basic theoretical model concerning the operation of ecosystems, the equilibrium conditions are sketched. The decisive factors of the ecosystem's sustainability are determined, taking into consideration the pressure from tourism activities. The analysis leads to proposals for main strategic options in turn deriving from the need to incorporate the notion of carrying capacity into an ecosystem's balance control framework, as well as the implementation of actions with a view to increasing the performance of that ecosystem.