Sustainable Tourism Policy Implementation: An Ex Ante Critical Examination

Abstract

It is a rather simple truism that policy prescriptions divorced from reality are unlikely to be implemented. For sustainable development policies, including sustainable tourism development policies, this condition is critical as the existing policy formulation and implementation structures and apparatuses may not be fit to the demands of relatively new policy ideas and orientations. Several analyses of the implementation difficulties of sustainable development, including sustainable tourism development policies, have appeared since the mid-1980s (Redcliff, 1987; De Kadt, 1990; Dutton and Hall, 1990; Environment Canada, 1990; Opschoor and Van der Straaten, 1993; Van der Straaten, 1994; McKercher, 1993). This paper adds an ex ante critical examination of the implementation potential of sustainable tourism development policies (henceforth, sustainable tourism policies). It is premised on the idea that tourism is not a simple economic activity or sector, in the traditional sense, but a multifaceted activity complex, which presents multidimensional implementation particularities. As the formulation of truly sustainable tourism policies is at an early stage, an ex ante policy implementation analysis within the actual tourism implementation environment is expected to aid in the design of implementable, effective policies.