This ambiguity can be particularly problematic in terms of who is doing the interpreting, as
meaning can be fitted to agenda. One critical conflict emerges in the use of the terminology
itself. It is suggested that ‘sustainable tourism’ can be used to denote the sustainability of
the tourism industry, which would suggest that approaches should only seek to ensure the
survival of the tourism industry. This usage of the term is allegedly favoured by those
pursing sustainability as a marketing tool over desire to affect change (Jamrozy, 2007;
Lansing & De Vries, 2007). The alternative to this interpretation is more widely accepted,
where sustainable tourism (also, ‘sustainable tourism development’) refers to the
development of tourism which sustainably exploits local resources whilst minimising harm
to the local community and environment (World Tourism Organisation, 2005).