ABSTRACT
The idea of sustainability has been incorporated into tourism development policies since the 1990s. Over the years, sustainable tourism has become one of the success stories of tourism research and policy-making. However, there has been an increase in criticism towards the idea of sustainable tourism and how it has been practised and transformed by the industry and guiding policies. In particular, the growth orientation of the industry and the transformation of tourism-centric sustainability have been critically debated in academia. Furthermore, various recent policy documents have highlighted the idea of sustainable growth and its applications in tourism development. This chapter discusses the idea and evolution of sustainable development thinking in tourism. First, the chapter starts by introducing the key aspects and background processes of sustainable development and the concept of sustainable tourism. This is followed by a critical discussion on evolved sustainable growth thinking and its problematic nature in a global tourism development context. Finally, the current growth emphasis in sustainable tourism is briefly discussed in relation to the increasing calls for a degrowth or post-growth economy.
