Fonte: Journal of Tourism & Development; n. 15 (2011); 27-38
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Resumo: This paper discusses the use of indicators for sustainable tourism in Natural Protected Areas (NPA´s). The management of tourism in these areas is inherently complex, requiring the consideration of a large variety of aspects. In this context, this paper presents a study conducted in Natural Protected Areas in the Central Region of Portugal that revealed the importance employees of these Areas attribute to environmental, social and economic indicators of sustainable tourism. The article also investigates whether these indicators have the same degree of importance for all sustainability dimensions. More specifically, two types of NPA’s were identified within the region: NPA’s with “mass tourism” and those not visited by large visitor numbers (“non mass” tourism NPA’s). These two types were then compared in terms of importance attributed to all sustainability indicators. The study relies mainly on a descriptive methodology, including data collected via survey, interviews and direct observation. The results reveal a relative imbalance in terms of importance given to the diverse dimensions of sustainability, as measured by the respective indicators, although differences between the two types of NPA could be shown. On the other hand, the paper argues that the development of tourism in NPA should establish a balanced management between all dimensions of sustainability, which should be continuously controlled through a complete set of indicators.
