Sustainable tourism & the millennium development goals: effecting positive change

Endorsed by The International Ecotourism Society, Sustainable Tourism & The Millennium Development Goals: Effecting Positive Change demonstrates how ecotourism and sustainable tourism can assist in supporting and meeting the goals set forward by the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, achieve universal primary education, promote gender equity and empower women, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, ensure environmental sustainability and develop a global partnership for development. The practice of ecotourism and sustainable tourism has the potential to assist in conserving natural areas, alleviating poverty, empowering women, enhancing education, and improving the health and well being of local communities. The text discusses how ecotourism and sustainable tourism can assist in supporting and meeting this potential by drawing on case studies and examples. It takes a historical perspective looking at the development of ecotourism and sustainable tourism over the past twenty years, from where The International Ecotourism Society and other associations began, and in particular the key landmarks and events that have brought ecotourism and sustainable tourism to the present day. The remaining chapters discuss how these forms of tourism can and have the potential to support and meet the MDG. The final summary chapter will discuss how ecotourism and sustainable tourism can assist in supporting and meeting the MDG by 2015, and look towards the future in identifying some of the challenges and goals that need to be considered.