The main objective of sustainable tourism is

Question

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — (c). Sustainable tourism, as defined by the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), is tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts while meeting the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities. Its core objective is to make optimal use of environmental resources and maintain essential ecological processes, to respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities (cultural integrity), and to secure long-term, fairly distributed economic benefits — i.e., to manage tourism and the environment together while preserving cultural integrity and ecological processes. Option (c) states exactly this balance.

Why the other options are wrong — (a) Wrong — maximising tourist numbers is closer to mass tourism, the opposite of sustainability. Unchecked footfall causes over-tourism, resource depletion and cultural erosion, which sustainable tourism is designed to avoid.  (b) Wrong — this describes managing the scale of travel, not the objective. Sustainability is about balancing environmental, socio-cultural and economic impacts, not merely juggling large- and small-scale tourism.  (d) Wrong — option (c) is a valid, standard definition of sustainable tourism, so 'none of the above' cannot be correct.

Concept: Sustainable tourism applies the sustainable-development principle — meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs — to travel and tourism. UNWTO frames it around three pillars: environmental (protect ecological processes and biodiversity), socio-cultural (respect host communities' heritage and authenticity) and economic (viable, long-term, equitably shared benefits). Ecotourism, responsible tourism and community-based tourism are related, more specific forms.

State PCS 2020 Q123 — Environment & Ecology PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2020 Q123 — Environment & Ecology PYQ with Answer