Sustainable Tourism Law

The path towards Sustainable Tourism and its projection over education Graciela Güidi 1 I. THE CONCEPT OF “SUSTAINABLE TOURISM” Since the 1980s, we have been pointing out the impacts of the tourism activity on the physical and biological nature, on the society and culture of tourists and residents, on the economic structure of the different destinations; and the analysis of these impacts reflects that the alleged benefits of the activity are blurred by the damage it causes to each element of the destinations. For example, in terms of local development, the construction of a five-star hotel in a small community allows the arrival of international tourism, however, the provision of different services within and for the same hotel (for example, stores, gastronomy, a kiosk, a massage stall, banking terminals, etc.) creates, for the public sector, the intensive use of water, energy, generation of waste, and for the private sector, the inertia of local economic offers, low-level jobs and the destruction of natural, archaeological, anthropological and built supply, when it is offered without adequate restrictions. The place becomes “poorly” famous at an international level and the benefits of the activity do not turn positively to the host community and its environment. Since the 1980s, the identification of the negative impacts of tourism activity has created the conceptualization of a desired sustainable tourism development, initially closely linked to the protection of natural and biological physical support, in order to achieve the integral consideration of all the elements included in the idea of sustainable tourism at doctrinal and academic levels. And I am referring to the academic effort and the statement of prestigious international organizations such as the UNWTO because political actors and businessmen have used the “speech” but without subsequent concrete actions that promote a 1 Consulting Professor, Law School, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Director of the Tourism Law Observatory, UNWTO Affiliate Member. Director of the Postgraduate Program on Tourism Law, Law School, University of Buenos Aires. Director of “Derecho del Turismo” collection, published by Law School and Fundación Proturismo, 7-book collection, Buenos Aires, Argentina.