Sustainable Tourism Law

LEGAL PROVISIONS PERTAINING TO SUSTAINABLE TOURISM 237 (b)how control measures could be adopted to promote sustainable tourism in this sector; and (c)how legal provisions could extend thereto, in order to enhance and ensure that the hotelier, nationals and tourists would uphold the regulations aimed at maintaining a sustainable culture. Indeed, the hotel industry could be envisioned as a small village, since: (a)it hosts different sectors for many and varied functions, including entertainment, catering, leisure centres [swimming pool, gym, spa area]; accommodation, housekeeping, maintenance, engineering; (b)it must abide by many different legal regimes (such as Public Health Legislation; Food Safety Regulations, Occupational Health and Safety Legislation; Tax Regulations; Industrial Law; Civil law, Fire Safety Regulations and Waste Regulations); and (c) it involves different people and different cultures, with regard to employees, guests and visitors. This paper will therefore describe what it actually means for the hotel industry to be “sustainably viable” and the efforts that should be made to promote this concept. It can be stated that, from a Maltese and European point of view, many criteria pertaining to sustainable tourism are in fact enacted consecrated in various laws. Hence, that is why when one is thinking of Tourism Law, one cannot think of one law, but an array of laws which are interlinked if not interdependent, as shall be exemplified hereunder. II. POLICIES AND GOVERNANCE – A WAY TO ACHIEVE SUSTAINABLE ACCOMMODATION It could be easily stated that the hotel/accommodation sector should be legally well catered to ensure that it provides as much sustainability as is reasonably possible across the services it provides; however, these objectives could only be achieved through strong tourism policies and governance. A sustainable policy with regard to accommodation providers has to be considered both with regard to new accommodation providers, and also with regard to those who have been established therein, hence both future and present providers.