There are a few definitions of sustainability within the context of tourism. One definition is tourism "development which involves the use of renewable natural resources in a way which does not degrade them- France (1997, P10). For instance a travel organisation may use a great deal of paper to advertise their company, if they considered the above definition, perhaps they could try to use recycled paper in the future in order to not degrade a renewable natural resource. .
Another definition of sustainability that is relevant to tourism is that "while tourism can build understanding, tourism managed poorly can ruin a place. Yet if handled well, tourism provides an incentive to preserve the best things a destination has to offer: wildlife habitats, historic districts, great scenery, even a style of music or a unique local cuisine- National Geographic Online, (2003). For instance if a businessman decided that a fragile environment with magnificent scenery would make an excellent destination area for tourists, then instead of managing it mass tourism style he should try and adopt a more sustainable approach, in order to try and reach the goals outlined in the above definition.
There are obviously positive and negative affects of tourism operations and activities on a destination area. An obvious positive example would be ecotourism in a destination area. If mass tourism with little regard to the environment occurred, wildlife could be greatly affected. In Australia there is a government program called Land for Wildlife that "aims to encourage private landowners to provide habitat for wildlife, while continuing to use the land for primary production- Buckley (2003, P98). This program would provide benefits for landowners who followed such a scheme. It would also be very relevant for someone who managed a tourism facility sustainably. Frasers Selection is a tourism destination area in Australia which is located in a rural area and has "wet and dry sclerophyll forests, remnant rainforest, waterfalls and a number of rare endangered species- Buckley (2003, P98).
