Sustainability is Key to the Future of the Tourism Industry.
With the opportunities it offers, its geographical location, climate, flora and fauna, unique historical heritage and sectoral experience, our country is in a remarkable position among tourism destinations. The concept of "sustainable tourism", which has attracted attention among leading tourism destinations in recent years, is not only limited to shaping the future tourism planned, but also affects even today's tourism. Considering that tourism has an extremely important place in terms of our national economy on a macro scale, the tourism sector will be the locomotive of sustainable development for our country.
As the International Sustainable Tourism Association, in order to determine its institutional position and areas of activity, we commissioned a team of experts to conduct a research on the global needs and gaps in the tourism sector, especially in the field of sustainable tourism. Based on this research, we aimed to focus our institutional capacity on exactly the issues and activities that the sector needs.
Within this framework, USTUD, within the scope of the concept of "sustainable tourism", mainly works on conceptualizing sustainability in accordance with universal norms, developing strategies and planning approaches, creating labelling systems and developing new products for the sector, including luxury tourism.
Conceptualizing sustainability in universal norms
Conceptualization of sustainability and sustainable tourism in accordance with universal norms. The concept of "Sustainable Tourism", which is of utmost importance in the sector, is in danger of losing its meaning and becoming hollowed out or appearing as a meaning and activities other than its purpose if the necessary measures are not taken.
Developing strategy and planning approaches
Preparation of strategic plans for sustainable tourism at sectoral, urban, national and international levels and representation of these plans at implementation and monitoring levels. Institutional and sectoral planning for sustainable tourism at all levels and integration of these plans with resilience and smart system plans has been identified as one of the key gaps in the sector.
Sustainable Tourism Criterias
Establishing and advocating sustainable tourism criteria for stakeholders and fields of activity such as cities, countries, hotels, restaurants, agencies, etc. at sectoral and institutional level. It has been identified as a gap in the sector that certification and criteria systems are not represented at the level and competence, they should be in order to increase the representation of sustainable tourism, to live the concept correctly and to monitor and ensure the continuity of the process.
Sustainable Luxury Tourism
To set out the conceptual infrastructure and criteria for sustainable luxury tourism, to develop examples of sectoral practices and to create products within the framework. There are significant gaps in what sustainable luxury tourism is, how it can be characterized as luxury and sustainable, and how to distinguish between good and bad practices.
Training Activities
The concept of sustainability is multi-layered and includes elements of many branches of humanities and natural sciences. There is a serious shortage of trained personnel and managers in the sector in the field of sustainable tourism. It is important to develop training modules and curricula on this subject and integrate them into the sector, academia and tourism high schools.
Local and International Collaborations
Establishing exemplary models for sustainable destinations, products and attraction values (hotels, restaurants, agencies, etc.) with local and international sectoral collaborations in different geographies. In this context, it is important for sustainable tourism sectoral development to establish examples of sustainable tourism at all levels, such as districts, facilities or restaurants.