SOME ASPECTS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF TOURISM

Abstract

This paper analyzes the basis of the concept of sustainable development and refers to the optimal level of space use for tourist purposes. In doing so, a special attention is mostly paid to negative impacts of tourism on space, i.e. the necessity of spatial limitation of tourism development in order to preserve and protect natural and created resources. An intensive and uncontrolled development of tourism in the second half of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century caused the degradation of the environment, the destruction of ecosystems and other social and cultural conflicts in the tourist area. For these reasons, it is necessary to align the planning of the future development of tourism with the principles of sustainable development by using different indicators. The main goal of this paper is to analyze various indicators of sustainable development that determine the possibility of using space in tourism, as well as sustainable tourism development. When selecting the indicators of future development, certain criteria must be taken into consideration, such as the criterion of relevance, feasibility (availability), credibility, and so on. The essence of use of the indicators is to determine the optimal number of potential visitors and facilities in the tourist area, without significantly affecting the environment, reducing the quality of tourist experience (sensation) or jeopardizing the sense of identity, lifestyle and activities of the domicile population.