Sustainable Destination Management
Strategies in the OIC Member Countries
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political cost) in supporting action to safeguard the climate and – by so-doing – help to protect
the very assets it hopes to use to attract tourists for sustainable economic purposes in the
future. Now is not the time to be nationalistic or short-sighted. Issues such as transport
(particularly by air), constant internet use, in-country movement and security need, of
course, to be acknowledged, challenged and responded to, but these will always remain
subservient to the global challenge.
Many of the policies relating to sustainability expressed by various OIC countries cover three
main areas: inclusivity, opportunity and equality. In some OIC countries, at least one of these,
sometimes all three, are potentially problematic. In order to create a truly sustainable future
for tourism, all resources need to be engaged: men, women, the young, the old, the disabled,
on equal terms – that is essentially what the sustainable agenda offers and what it means,
and all countries need to embrace it in full.
Many countries all over the world pay lip-service to these issues. Women earn less for the
same job in the UK and the USA as do men, access to the vast majority of archaeological sites
is almost impossible in a wheelchair … the list goes on.
The OIC countries can, through their avowed and published commitments to sustainable
tourism initiatives take a principled world lead in all this. Sustainable tourism means
sustainable people: equal access, equal rights, equal job prospects, equal political
representation: this is the underpinning framework for a sustainable future, of which tourism
is certainly a major part.
Some OIC countries may see this is a challenge. But as it is an underpinning aspect of
sustainable tourism it will require change. Or not. Some countries may decide that the risks
of engaging the whole population in sustainable tourism initiatives may be a step too far. In
this case other social priorities will prevail.
Policies and Strategies
In the policy recommendations framework below, the sustainable destination management
parameters introduced in Chapter 3 serve as the overarching parameters that govern the
recommended strategies. Each of the six sustainable tourism strategies (increasing
awareness, protection of natural and cultural heritage, etc), which were introduced in
Chapter 1 are mapped against the UN Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the
UNWTO’s Sustainable Tourism Goals.