Abstract

Destination managers frequently describe strategies, plans, or projects in destinations as part of an overall commitment to sustainable development or sustainability in the destination. The meaning of the term sustainability, however, is highly contested in both academia and practice, and it is not at all clear what destination managers mean when they claim to act in the interests of sustainable tourism. This paper assesses the concept of sustainability and its operationalisation by destination managers at the regional destination level. Our international, comparative study examines two destination regions that emphasise nature-based tourism, the Tyrolean Oberland, Austria, and the South Island of New Zealand. Twenty-two high-ranking destination managers representing 20 destinations were interviewed. We demonstrate how colloquial, academic, and applied interpretations of sustainability are tangled and intertwined in day-to-day destination management. The types of destination management interventions that are described as sustainable and the extent to which the economic component of sustainability is prioritised vary strongly across destinations and destination regions. The study results demonstrate that in order to achieve sustainability in destinations, stakeholders need to develop a shared understanding of what constitutes sustainable destination development, and how it can be meaningfully operationalised.

摘要

目的地经理经常将目的地的战略、计划或项目描述为对目的地可持续发展或可持续性的总体承诺的一部分。然而，可持续性一词的含义在学术界和实践中都存在激烈争议，当目的地管理者声称为可持续旅游的利益行事时，他们的意思完全不清楚。本文评估了目的地管理者在区域目的地层面的可持续性概念及其实施情况。我们的国际比较研究考察了两个强调自然旅游的目的地地区，奥地利蒂罗尔高地和新西兰南岛。代表 20 个目的地的 22 位高级目的地经理接受了采访。我们展示了口语化、学术化、可持续发展的应用解释在日常目的地管理中交织在一起。被描述为可持续的目的地管理干预措施的类型以及可持续性的经济成分被优先考虑的程度在目的地和目的地地区之间存在很大差异。研究结果表明，为了实现目的地的可持续性，利益相关者需要就什么构成可持续目的地发展以及如何有效地实施可持续发展达成共识。被描述为可持续的目的地管理干预措施的类型以及可持续性的经济成分被优先考虑的程度在目的地和目的地地区之间存在很大差异。研究结果表明，为了实现目的地的可持续性，利益相关者需要就什么构成可持续目的地发展以及如何有效地实施可持续发展达成共识。被描述为可持续的目的地管理干预措施的类型以及可持续性的经济成分被优先考虑的程度在目的地和目的地地区之间存在很大差异。研究结果表明，为了实现目的地的可持续性，利益相关者需要就什么构成可持续目的地发展以及如何有效地实施可持续发展达成共识。