Volume: 7  Number: 1  Page: 77–86  doi:10.2167/joe176.0

Research Note

Reviewing the IYE and WSSD Processes and Impacts on the Tourism Sustainability Agenda

Camelia Tepelus International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics at Lund University, c/o ECPAT USA, 157 Montague Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA

Two major events marked 2002 as a milestone year for the sustainable development agenda and in particular for the tourism sector. The declaration by the United Nations of 2002 as ‘International Year of Ecotourism’ (IYE), culminated in the organisation of the World Ecotourism Summit (WES) in May 2002. This was followed in August 2002 by the World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD), a global event where the research and business communities gathered to review the last decade's achievements in making business and society more sustainable for future generations. A review of the proceedings of these events is carried out here, in light of the actions of different stakeholders. Policy-makers and the research community may consequently revisit the current tourism sustainability agenda, especially when scrutinised under the Global Code of Ethics in Tourism and considering the challenges posed by the Millennium Development Goals and their application to tourism policies.

Keywords: ecotourism, evaluation, IYE, sustainability, WSSD

© 2008 C. Tepelus

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