Sustainable Tourism Development,
Fact or Fiction in Small Tourism
Companies?
ABSTRACT
Sustainable tourism, sustainable tourism development and sustainable principles are, within the framework
of a sustainable development, the main concepts both tourism researchers and practitioners are
trying to understand, develop, integrate and apply. Tourism planning processes have been analyzed,
sustainable strategies identified and optimal goals defined. The theoretical discussion has progressed
considerably. The problem is that the theoretical discussion seems to be too far ahead and too abstract
in comparison to the development found on an operational level, leaving the practitioners empty
handed.
Sustainable tourism development was studied from two perspectives in this research project. Small
tourism companies were surveyed to determine how far their sustainable tourism development efforts
have progressed. Tourism project leaders were interviewed about the interest in sustainability issues
they meet when consulting small tourism companies. The results from these two studies show, on the
one hand, that there was a positive attitude towards sustainability issues in small tourism companies
in Finland, but, on the other hand, the results did also show that most tourism companies have not yet
engaged actively in sustainable tourism development processes – a reality also acknowledged by the
project leaders. Small tourism companies want and need external support, but the whole sustainable
tourism development process seems to be in jeopardy because the project leaders have no environmental
management training.