Sustainable Development And Sustainable Tourism In The European Union

Sustainable development is the great challenge of this century. In conditions of resource depletion, pollution, and emphasis of population growth, many experts consider that the very survival of the human race depends on the extent to which it becomes reality. The concept of sustainable development designates all forms and methods of socio-economic development, whose foundation is primarily to ensure a balance between these systems and socio-economic elements of natural capital. Sustainability for tourism as for other industries has three independent aspects: economic, socio-cultural and environmental. Sustainable development implies permanence, which means that sustainable tourism involves an optimal use of resources (including biological diversity), minimization of the negative economic impact, socio-cultural and ecological benefits, and maximization of the local communities’ benefits, national economies and on the nature preservation. Sustainable development has become an objective of the European Union. Cooperation for sustainable development should be a concern for both the EU and Member States. Community policy for sustainable development must be complementary to policies carried out by Member States.