Inter-generational concepts of sustainability and the role of children in local tourism destinations

Abstract

The concept of sustainable tourism is more than a piecemeal policy solution which Agyeman and Evans (2004) described as “just sustainability”; it indicates above all the concept of holistic development and finding such solutions that solve the integrity of the human problems. Therefore, the current generation that is undertaking the governance of tourism and sustainability (Bramwell and Lane, 2011) should be aware that, at this moment, there is a generation of young people that seeks to feel and see the impact of sustainability in their lives. Young people’s views on tourism are very often neglected, making the sustainability concept incomplete. However, at the end of the day, these young people will be part of the community that will live and work in the tourism sector in the future. Hence, in this chapter, we focused on young people to explore their role in a tourism community and how they engage in a participatory way in the planning of their tourism environment. In our study, we have demonstrated that young people are not only ‘residents’ in tourist areas, towns and villages, but participants in events in these areas and careful observers of the environment around them.