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The practices of the tourism industry create negative and positive effects, and this is the nature of the case in all industries. Those who work in this industry, must study these practices that affect the sustainability of the tourism industry and global standards for sustainability. Sustainability is not linked to a specific type of tourism, but all forms of tourism must be sustainable for future generations. The positive effects include creating job opportunities, supporting the domestic product, infrastructure, education, preserving natural and human resources, and contributing to poverty alleviation. The negative effects, including overcrowding, which results in environmental pollution, as well as damage to infrastructure, health problems and many more.
Tourism has environmental, economic and social impacts, sustainable tourism is about maximizing positive impacts and minimizing negative impacts. From the point of view of most organizations that environmental impacts are mostly negative, economic impacts are mostly positive, and social impacts are a mixture of positive and negative effects.

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I think tourism as activities will eventually create waste and damage the natural environment or built environment. Tourism as business activity, it is also hard to balance the long-term environmental value (natural resources) with short-term economic benefits. Or at least not all the tourism participants will be considerate into this issue at the current moment. Thus, Sustainable tourism is about creating framework to educate society, to guide the development of tourism with practical measurements, and to regulate the tourism activities and human behavior with specific details. In order to make tourism resources sustaibale for future generations.

Leo Zhang

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Sustainable tourism is about creating a balance of economic ,socio-cultural and environmental . Various stakeholders can benefit from this industry .It is maximize the efficiency of the usage of the resources.

It is to look at the tourism from the perspective of the future, it should meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations.（Crystal）

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Sustainable tourism means  satisfying the needs of present tourists and won't threat the needs of future tourists,  which providing and enhancing the opportunities for the future.It can influence economy, environment and social aspects aimed to keep the resources for environment and culture to be integrated and promote the equitable development of tourism. Cindy(BAI YUTONG)

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Sustainable tourism considers all impacts of tourism on communities and environment. It can affect them positively or negatively but sustainable tourism tries to reduce negative impacts to the environment and increase its benefits in the society.
Tiam

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There are many terms that float around that may sound similar but actually refer to something distinct.

Definition of Sustainable Tourism

Sustainable Tourism refers to sustainable practices in and by the tourism industry. It is an aspiration to acknowledge all impacts of tourism, both positive and negative. It aims to minimize the negative impacts and maximize the positive ones.

Negative impacts to a destination include economic leakage, damage to the natural environment and overcrowding to name a few.

Positive impacts to a destination include job creation, cultural heritage preservation and interpretation, wildlife preservation landscape restoration, and more.

Sustainable tourism is defined by the UN Environment Program and UN World Tourism Organization as "tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities."

Additionally, they say that sustainable tourism "refers to the environmental, economic, and socio-cultural aspects of tourism development, and a suitable balance must be established between these three dimensions to guarantee its long-term sustainability" ( UNEP & UNWTO, 2005: 11-12. Making Tourism More Sustainable - A Guide for Policy Makers).

Definition of Ecotourism

Ecotourism is a niche segment of tourism in natural areas. The term emerged in the late 1980s.

Fennell described it as such: "Ecotourism is a sustainable form of natural resource-based tourism that focuses primarily on experiencing and learning about nature, and which is ethically managed to be low-impact, non-consumptive, and locally-oriented. It typically occurs in natural areas, and should contribute to the conservation or preservation of such areas" (Fennell, 1999: 43. Ecotourism: An Introduction).

The Mohonk Agreement (2000), a proposal for international certification of Sustainable Tourism and Ecotourism, saw ecotourism as "sustainable tourism with a natural area focus, which benefits the environment and communities visited, and fosters environmental and cultural understanding, appreciation, and awareness."

The ecotourism definition by the Global Ecotourism Network (GEN): "Ecotourism is responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and creates knowledge and understanding through interpretation and education of all involved (visitors, staff and the visited)."

Definitions of Responsible Travel

Responsible Travel refers to the behavior of individual travelers aspiring to make choices according to sustainable tourism practices. The behaviors usually align with minimizing the negative impacts and maximizing positive ones when one visits a tourism destination.

Travelers that want to learn more about how to be a responsible traveler can visit the section on the GSTC website For Travelers.

Summary of the difference between Sustainable Tourism, Ecotourism, and Responsible Travel

Ecotourism is a niche segment of tourism in natural areas.

Sustainable Tourism does not refer to a specific type of tourism, rather it is an aspiration for the impacts of all forms of tourism to be sustainable for generations to come.

Responsible Travel is a term referring to the behavior and style of individual travelers. The behaviors align with making a positive impact to the destination rather than negative ones.

Sustainable Tourism and the GSTC Criteria

The GSTC Criteria serve as the global standards for sustainability in travel and tourism. The Criteria are used for education and awareness-raising. They're used for policy-making, measurement and evaluation reasons and as a basis for certification.

They are the result of a worldwide effort to develop a common language about sustainability in tourism. They are categorized in four pillars: (A) Sustainable management; (B) Socioeconomic impacts; (C) Cultural impacts; (D) Environmental impacts.

These standards were built on decades of prior work from industry experts around the globe. During the process of development, they were widely consulted in both developed and developing countries. They reflect our goal in attaining a global consensus on sustainable tourism.

The process of developing the Criteria was designed to adhere to the standards-setting code of the ISEAL Alliance. The ISEAL Alliance is the international body providing guidance for the management of sustainability standards in all sectors. That code is informed by relevant ISO standards.

Finally, the GSTC Criteria are the starting goals that businesses, governments, and destinations should achieve. Tourism destinations each have their own culture, environment, customs, and laws. Therefore, the Criteria are designed to be adapted to local conditions and supplemented by additional criteria for the specific location and activity.

There are two sets of Criteria

Learn more about Sustainable Tourism

Reading one article is not enough. The GSTC website offers those interested in learning more about sustainable tourism the needed resources. Make sure you visit the relevant pages for you:

1. GSTC Industry Criteria = relates to the sustainable management of private sector travel industry, focusing currently on Hotels and Tour Operators.

2. GSTC Destination Criteria = relates to sustainable management of Tourism Destinations.

You can also join one of the regular GSTC courses:

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What is Sustainable Tourism? There are many terms that float around that may sound similar but actually refer to something distinct. Definition of Sustainable Tourism Sustainable Tourism refers to sustainable practices in and by the tourism industry. It is an aspiration to acknowledge all impacts of tourism, both