Tourism - Part of Sustainable Local Development

Local development could be described as an attempt of global territorial development including economic, social, ultural, political aspects, encouraging the endogenous development -involving all human and financial means which contribute to it and assuring their convergence. It is a process based on the involvement of all interested actors (persons elected at local level, socio-professional groups, associative groups, initiators of projects on a certain territory) but also of the local population. Tourism is one of the most important branches in Romanian economy, having at its disposal a huge development potential. This field can represent a development chance for many areas. The diversity of tourism activities as well as the presence of some of them in the structure of other branches of economy offers tourism the character of an interference branch, having complex, ample connections with the other economic branches, connections that must be taken into account when local development strategies are drawn up. Local authorities are increasingly involved in the development and running of several aspects connected to tourism. This fact is based on the decentralizing tendency found in many countries, which refers to granting more responsibilities to local authorities. They know best what is important for the areas they manage and will do their best to achieve the local development objectives. At the same time, this reflects the stress laid on the involvement of communities in planning tourism and in the developing process of their areas. Tourism has many positive effects and contributes to the economic development of the areas that contain tourism sights directly and indirectly. The currency contribution of tourism, its contribution to forming the community’s income, the generation of business and employment opportunities are only a few of the aspects that show the part played by tourism in the overall economic development of an area. Tourism contributes to the sustainable local development. Tourism development must take place both in rural and urban environments.