the lack of clear theoretical definitions, and the complex stakeholder environments in LDCs,
exacerbated by the added vulnerabilities of LDCs, demand that more attention must be
given to considering effective practical approaches to sustainable tourism development.
However, to improve practical implementation, the priority must be to identify objectives of
sustainable tourism for development which consider the unique challenges presented by
different communities. As such, objectives should identify key areas which are common
between communities, but also have the flexibility to be able to address specific community
issues.
It is these objectives which should be evaluated to assess the success of sustainable tourism
development. If the key objectives are used for evaluation, the bias of particular stakeholder
groups can be minimised based on the clearer understanding of individual goals in a
particular context. Also, objectives based evaluation techniques can be utilised in multiple
settings enabling a clearer and more consistent viewpoint of the practice of sustainable
tourism development in LDCs worldwide.
It is suggested in this overview that the available literature does not support the creation of
this understanding of how sustainable tourism works, and what can be done to improve the
success of implementations in any LDC context. This research will focus on the gap in
information regarding community issues. A better understanding of these issues will
facilitate successful sustainable tourism development in LDCs.
In summary, it is evident from the literature that debate surrounding the definition of
sustainable tourism has led to difficulties in implementing sustainable tourism approaches.
This is a result of difficulties in further defining sustainable tourism approaches and
identifying objectives of these approaches. What must become a priority the use of a clearer
and practically-founded understanding of sustainable tourism development to inform
practice by highlighting common community objectives, but also encouraging flexibility in
practice to adapt to specific community conditions