Sustainable Tourism Law

SUSTAINABILITY AS A STRATEGIC VECTOR OF TOURISM 467 resources consumption footprint; it also corresponds to a form of affirmation of the patrimony and associated sociocultural values, increasing the number of products that incorporate concepts or attributes inherent to the mentioned matrix. In fact, due to the change in the tourists’ profiles as millions of people labelled as millennials, perhaps rather incorrectly, enter the market, and considering the variations of tourists’ motivations, according to Crompton the notion of experience, of soaking in an atmosphere and effective immersion in the reality inherent to the chosen destination is now of decisive relevance. To a large extent, the demand for “housing tourism” in the city centre results from this new perspective harboured by tourists. Precisely in this context, preservation and respect for natural and environmental resources, as well as for historical heritage and cultural identity, can satisfactorily meet the expectations of tourists and visitors, along with the desired social and economic benefits for local populations and the transmission of these assets to future generations. In this different perspective of sustainability, heritage, culture, traditions, experiences, and finally, the social reality of each nucleus, incorporate and are an integral part of the experience and, as such, of the tourism offer. By option in order to create differentiated and quality products, but also following a strict instinct of survival, Tourism needs to preserve and affirm the above mentioned attributes. This issue of sustainability, which equates and articulates environment, culture, traditions and heritage as vectors of Tourism, has gained special significance at national and international level, namely since the pre-UNCTAD meeting held in Lisbon in 2004 for the preparation of UNCTAD XI in S. Paulo – Brazil. Since then, its significance has not ceased to be highlighted. Consequently, the sustainable dimension of tourism as a strategic option for the economic and social development of countries and their populations has become a mandatory subject and, symptomatically, the General Assembly of the United Nations has proclaimed 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. This emphasis requires that the structuring of the offer articulates the intervention of the public sector and the private sector with the definition of common objectives and the adoption of appropriate policies, especially between Tourism and Land Planning, Environment, Employment, Culture, Training and Transport. This way, Tourism will undoubtedly be sustainable and will make the contribution which is within its reach and expected from it towards the development of countries.