Socio-cultural sustainability
Socio-cultural sustainability refers to issues related to
community wellbeing, cultural assets, community
participation and tourist satisfaction. Tourism puts an
economic value on traditional arts, crafts and cultural
practices and encourages preservation of historical sites
and heritage buildings. It respects the socio-cultural
authenticity of host communities, conserves their
established and living cultural heritage, and traditional
values, and contributes to inter-cultural understanding and
tolerance. Sustainable tourism has to allow community
participation but requires global understanding and
acceptance. It enhances income distribution within
a society and poses a catalyst effect on infrastructure
development. Tourism is often blamed for the
commoditization of local culture. Tourism may potentially
transform the local values, social and moral behaviors,
consumption pattern and occupational structure of the
society. That is why sustainable tourism should maintain a
high level of tourist satisfaction and ensure a meaningful
experience to the tourists, raising their awareness about
sustainability issues and promoting sustainable tourism
practices among them. If not managed sustainably,
overdevelopment may lead to antipathy and/or opposition
of the local residents towards tourism.