Tourism has obvious social, psychological and cultural connotations, both for tourists and for the towns and communities that host them, so these aspects must be taken into account when planning the development of a tourist destination, and they must be managed and controlled appropriately. It is possible to find many examples of the evolution of tourist destinations, with very varied dynamics, which show how complex the relationship between tourists and residents can be and its consequences for the destination.
It is, considering this situation, that good planning must be done to promote sustainable tourism and, therefore, it is necessary to carry out economic, social and environmental analysis studies, integrated with a view to tourism development and also with a view to inserting a sustainable dynamism with traditional life and the environmental factors of the locality. Given this, it can be said that the key to sustainable tourism is to effectively negotiate the cultural and natural approach that will be made in order to have advantages that contribute to social well-being and increase the interest of visitors.[8].
The principles that sustainability and environmental use manage are directly linked to tourism activity; Thus, an interaction between the actors of society and other complex systems such as ecosystems occurs, which can promote development in local communities through the implementation of harmonious tourism, linking elements such as education, culture, economic organization and urban development, among others, allowing the participation of the various actors in the community.[9].
It is in view of this complex particularization of the application of sustainability to local planning that the UNWTO, in its function of serving as consultancy and technical assistance for policies, development guidelines, management techniques and measurement instruments, at the service of national governments and the tourism industry, has incorporated the principles of sustainability in its processes and decision-making. Thus, UNEP has initiated a program aimed at integrating environmental sustainability for decision-making in the tourism industry. It is important to mention that sustainable tourism is not a different or special form of tourism, but, in fact, all forms of tourism should tend to be more sustainable; Its position can help benefit local communities economically and socially, but at the same time be a support for the conservation of the environment.[10].
The Government of Spain seems to be betting on sustainable tourism where not only economic benefits are obtained but, above all, the environment is taken care of. This concern has been reflected in the Europa Press news from the economy section, published on March 24, 2010, which reports on the fifty innovative tourism projects that received two million in aid to the AEI in 2009. The subtitle read: In total 123 applications were submitted, with Andalusia, the Valencian Community and Castilla y León being the most active. And it is proven that sustainable, nature tourism, in addition to preserving the natural environment, caring for the national and international flora and fauna, brings in money, thus covering both interests. Little by little we are fighting for environmental policies but the goal has not yet been reached.
Before, few people knew of the existence of this type of tourism and yet today there are many who practice it.[11] However, this sector should still increase, although it should be noted that the evolution has been favorable since it is not so long ago that nature tourism has appeared in vacation offers. Therefore, we hope that the lack of knowledge is due to its youth and that in a few years there will be hundreds of people who travel responsibly. A good advertising campaign, in which all the benefits were shown, would be a good start for its proliferation.
However, most of the measures proposed in the different political proposals remain merely on paper. There is numerous documentation and you can even download regional strategies and decrees, as well as government letters at the European level, but what happens on a day-to-day basis with ecotourism? Little thing. There is no awareness campaign on the matter itself. Most people live in ignorance about sustainable tourism and there are too many polluting activities that they have not considered stopping in pursuit of such an important goal. Visiting green areas and natural spaces is very good as long as you are careful. But if people are not fully aware, why don't they contribute by carrying out a strong campaign? After scanning newspapers, both digital and paper, the news on the subject is minimal and is reduced to mere information that the Board is going to take tourism sustainability measures, but nothing is done so that people find out and begin to become aware. If you want to truly know about the subject, you have to search the blogs, get to the point, take into account the opinions of people who know what they are talking about because they believe and practice ecotourism and not get stuck in the lack of information that, like a halo of sanctity, surrounds sustainable tourism.
The main community of responsible tourists in Spain is grouped into a community of national and international travelers who demand shops, restaurants, accommodation, festivals, professionals and brands that are committed to ecology and well-being as the cornerstone of their leisure time. In August 2017, the community had more than 250,000 active followers and the sustainable tourism events guide has more than 1,000 new proposals per quarter.[12].
Unlike developed countries, sustainable tourism in Latin America must be understood as a tool to alleviate poverty, value natural and cultural heritage, address the particularities of the most vulnerable groups and be a useful instrument to produce inclusive development that prioritizes local communities and favors the social use of tourism resources.
The strongly environmentalist idea of the original concept, which applies so well to Europe or the United States, is a simplifying version in the case of Latin America, which does not mean losing that dimension, but also enhancing the sociocultural and economic dimensions, also including the idea of institutional sustainability.
One of the main weaknesses in the region is the limited participation in decision-making on a global scale, which has motivated the best projects and initiatives to be generated from the world of English-speaking cooperation, based on the idea of "sustainable tourism", rather than sustainable tourism, which leads to thinking about tourism development in Latin America without considering the particularities and without creating conditions to increase the participation of individuals and organizations in this task.
There is therefore a pending and very important task, which is to create innovative initiatives and projects so that Latin Americans themselves can decide about the meaning of sustainability in tourism, supported by the current lines of development cooperation and the incipient collaboration of the tourism industry.
The Sustainable Tourism Certification Network of the Americas, founded in 2003 in Costa do Sauipe, Brazil, by a group of organizations from the region such as the Rainforest Alliance of the United States, the Plan21 Foundation of Argentina, the Natura Foundation of Colombia, the Green Alliance of Guatemala, Conservation and Development of Ecuador and representatives of several countries and international organizations, was a good attempt to strengthen regional processes, which allowed, among other things, to create the baseline of sustainable tourism indicators, the first of its kind to international level.[13] Currently there are many organizations in different countries that work to modify tourism development processes and on a regional scale the new Sustainable Tourism Institute for Latin America and the Caribbean has recently been launched, a joint initiative of the Plan21 Foundation and the University for International Cooperation, organized in five strategic areas: training and capacity building, applied research, political advocacy, project management and integration of actors and efforts.