While working on the sustainability of tourism, it should also address the needs of visitors, the industry, and host communities. I agree that "The government and its planning authorities play the most important role in ensuring the sustainability of tourism." However, there are other various groups that are responsible for ensuring the sustainability of tourism.
An important role of the public sector, which is the government and planning authorities, is to control the rate and scale of development in tourist areas, and to monitor tourism activities and development to secure a reliable source of information. This information can then be used to develop strategies and plans for sustainable tourism development. In order to achieve their role the government and the planning authorities have set quotas, by limiting the number of tourist arrivals. An example would be Bhutan. Bhutan's government has implemented "High Value, Low Volume" policy which has been successful according to studies done. However, the number of inbound tourists has increased each year despite its controlled tourism policy imposing an over-priced daily tariff of US$ 200 on each tourist. Maximizing the economic benefits while minimizing the negative impacts of tourism on the cultural and natural resources has been an ultimate goal of most destinations. Tourism income was an important source of revenue for Bhutan because it contributed 56% of the national tax revenue in 2005. Tourism also created self-employment and provided additional income for rural communities through the selling of local produces and handicrafts to tourists. This, therefore, ensured the sustainability of tourism, as while limiting the number of tourist arrivals, it did not damage to the environment or leave negative impacts on the surrounding society and culture. While working on the sustainability of tourism, it addressed the needs the industry and host communities.
