Supporting sustainable development and tourism policy
Hitting the mark with tourism and sustainable development projects
Tourism is a vital economic activity capable of generating significant growth and employment. It has the power to boost a destination’s development and prosperity and plays a crucial role in sustainable development.
Tourism projects can be diverse and vary in terms of time, budgets, sectors and the variety of stakeholders they represent. There are additional challenges too that are arguably more relevant to the tourism sector, such as environmental and cultural impacts.
In order to achieve sustainable tourism, it is crucial to consider governance and management as key factors in success and competitiveness. Managing attractions, destinations and initiatives by looking beyond short-term benefits, and by building coherent partnerships between the private sector and public authorities, can make an important contribution to the economic, cultural and social development of tourist destinations.
We don’t always get it right
While policy developments aim to increase the sustainability of tourism, process has often been weak because of an inability to transform policy into effective action. Too often, funding for delivering sustainable tourism projects has been spent without achieving substantial results.
Some key questions to ask to avoid poor planning and project failure include:
- Has a situational analysis been carried out in the scoping phase? An effective analysis appropriately considers all factors that impact the project (e.g. political, social, cultural, economic).
- Does the initiative have government (local/regional/national) support? To ensure long-term sustainability, it is vital to ensure government support is there to begin with.
- Do all key stakeholders have a collective agreement on the scope and delivery plan for the project? It is important to ensure that all parties are involved and engaged during planning, initiation and delivery phases.
- Is there an exit strategy in place? It is important to have well-defined actions in the project-closure phase to ensure a smooth closure and handover.
Support is available
PM4SD (Project Management for Sustainable Development) is an internationally recognized methodology providing a disciplined approach to implementing sustainable tourism projects.
PM4SD supports the delivery of projects in a way that ensures benefits for everyone; visitors, local communities and stakeholders alike. Developed by FEST (the Foundation for European Sustainable Tourism), it’s a methodology designed for local, regional and national governments, companies, professionals and stakeholders operating in the tourism sector.
PM4SD is supported by an official training and certification program. Certification is awarded by APMG International and training courses are available via APMG’s network of accredited providers.
The primary target audience for PM4SD training and certification falls into two broad categories:
- Professionals involved in the day-to-day management of tourism initiatives for sustainable development (e.g. project/programme managers and executives, project officers, stakeholders and tourist operators).
- Professionals involved in decision making at local, regional, national and international levels in the fields of sustainable development policy, tourism and destination management.
Successful candidates will learn how to tailor the PM4SD approach to tourism and sustainable development initiatives, enabling them to effectively plan, design and manage projects with sustainability.
Click here for further information on PM4SD training and certification.
