ABSTRACT
This chapter integrates the two mutually compatible approaches of strategic planning and life cycle analysis to provide a guiding framework for the implementation of sustainable tourism at the destination. A review of both quantitative and qualitative parameters of tourism growth is provided and the implications for the management of tourism destinations outlined. In particular, the growth of demand in volume terms is placing pressures upon destinations while the changing nature of demand implies that destinations adopt sustainable principles. The process of strategic planning is described and the Tourism Area Life Cycle introduced as an explanatory framework for the adoption of sustainable principles. At each stage in the life cycle the competitive position of the destination demands a distinctive strategy and approach to management. The chapter outlines the options at each stage of the life cycle. The chapter concludes that only by considering life cycle stage and thinking strategically, can the true elements of sustainable tourism be achieved.
