Sustainable Destination Management
Strategies in the OIC Member Countries
29
government has included environmental conservation targets into its national tourism law,
however, it has not developed an action plan with well-defined targets.77
In New Zealand, the Resource Management Act of 1991, published by the Ministry of
Environment, provides guidelines for managing the country’s environment and natural
resources and sets out “national environmental standards” in several areas, including
biodiversity, the coastal environment and land use planning. The Ministry of Culture and
Heritage published several regulations concerned with the protection of cultural heritage assets,
including the Heritage Historic Places Act of 1993 and the National War Memorial Act of 1992.78
Licensing is used to complement regulations in areas where there is a need to ensure at least a
minimum level of compliance or to limit which businesses can operate in certain sensitive
environments or protected areas. Land use planning and development regulations cover zoning
regulations specifying which areas are suitable for different tourism developments as well as
regulations concerning building standards including design, density and height of buildings,
building materials, and waste disposal systems.79
There are also a number of policy instruments that are used by governments to promote the
tourism industry’s adoption of sustainable practices such as taxation and the provision of
financial incentives. Beyond highlighting the importance of sustainability in national tourism
policies, environmental taxes can be imposed on touristic locations to be paid either by tourism
operators or tourists.80 In terms of financial incentives, governments either provide direct
financial support or access to financial support given by international development agencies or
commercial financial institutions. The effectiveness of financial assistance in fostering change
can be increased through tying such assistance to specific sustainability-related forms of tourism
or minimizing environmental impacts and supporting conservation. Besides general tourist or
business taxes, some governments impose taxes on specific inputs or outputs to promote
sustainable tourism practices, such as user fees on water usage or taxes on waste disposal to
encourage recycling and effluent taxes to influence tourism businesses to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions. In Costa Rica, the government offers both subsidies and tax exemptions for
private nature reserves that offer ecotourism services for the protection of biodiversity,
greenhouse gas emissions reduction, and water management.81 In Italy, a tax credit system was
introduced in 2015 for the renovation of tourism accommodation establishments, with
particular focus on energy efficiency and anti-seismic measures. The tax credit covers between
30% and 65% of the cost. This tax credit system is expanding in 2018 to cover the renewal of
the structures most closely related to green tourism such as campsites and agritourism.82
77 The Economist Intelligence Unit. (2017). The sustainable tourism index: Enhancing the global travel environment. Retrieved
from
78 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. (2013). Sustainable development of tourism destinations. Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation.
79 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. (2013). Sustainable development of tourism destinations. Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation.
80 The Economist Intelligence Unit. (2017). The sustainable tourism index: Enhancing the global travel environment. Retrieved
from
81 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. (2013). Sustainable development of tourism destinations. Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation.
82 Please refer to Italy’s case study for further information and sources.