Market trends towards ecotourism and ethical tourism would suggest that tourists will have
a positive impact on sustainable tourism practices. However, it is unclear how tourists
understand sustainable tourism and how much influence this understanding has (Mvula,
2001; Tepelus, 2008). The risk is that tourists’ understanding of sustainable tourism is not
founded on true cases of sustainable tourism, but the product of marketing techniques
employed by the private sector. This can impact tourist satisfaction in the long term, and
have negative implications for success in sustainable tourism.