Without disorientation in the rich and complex conceptual framework
of sustainable tourism, a set of criteria typical of the sustainable
approach has been established (Ivars 2001): the recognition of its holistic
nature that entails the consideration of all the interrelated levels—
economic, environmental, social, cultural, political, or technological—
affecting development and, therefore, a multidisciplinary approach to
planning; the balance between the political and scientific-technical
components of planning, with a fundamental reinforcement of social
participation; the need for adaptation to the political and socioeconomic
context, the territorial scale and the type of geographical environment;
the rise in value of the local scale, where development problems are best diagnosed and where it is easier to make sustainability principles
operative (the local Agendas 21 promoted by the International
Council for Local Environmental Initiatives are a good example); the
long term as the inescapable time horizon including the need to show
solidarity with future generations; and the new role of the planner,
more aware of and committed to the process, with the ability to identify
the stakeholders, reconcile interests, and favor social consensus.