However, the
sustainable approach to tourism planning hinges on two key caveats: firstly, an enhanced level of multiple stakeholder participation in the tourism planning process
is required; and secondly, a need for a strategic orientation towards tourism planning
(Simpson, 2001). While Ritchie and Crouch (2000) claim that more destinations are
adopting strategic perspectives towards tourism development, Simpson (2001: 4)
finds that “although the concepts of stakeholder participation and strategic
orientation are widely endorsed as valuable contributors to sustainable development,
there have been no previous attempts to gauge the extent to which such
considerations play their part in real world tourism planning processes”.