Moving from Mass to Sustainable Tourism. A Step Closer to Achieving Green Resilient Cities

Tourism serves as a powerful economic engine worldwide, driving job creation, economic prosperity, and cross-cultural exchange. Yet, the conventional mass tourism model, fixated on maximizing visitor numbers and profits, has exacted a toll on the environment and local communities. Issues such as environmental degradation, pollution, cultural dilution, and social displacement have underscored the negative impact of mass tourism expansion.
Responding to these pressing challenges, a paradigm shift towards "Sustainable Tourism" has emerged, offering an approach that goes beyond the boundaries of traditional tourism. Unlike mass tourism, Sustainable Tourism seeks to leave a positive imprint by contributing to the restoration and enrichment of local ecosystems and communities and promoting them. It looks at tourists’ visits beyond being an investment opportunity and a source of foreign currency but can be a tool to preserve the city's resources and raise the standard of living.
The intersection of sustainable tourism with urban development emphasizes its crucial role in applying innovative approaches to city planning, and community engagement. This paves the way for the creation of environmentally conscious urban spaces that prioritize a better quality of life for residents and the environment. In addition, sustainable tourism has huge potential to attract investments as investors are now increasingly attracted to sustainable initiatives that are in line with the principles of regeneration.
Involving a diverse range of stakeholders, from government agencies to local communities and businesses, fosters a collaborative environment essential to moving sustainable urban development initiatives forward. By cultivating strong partnerships and encouraging active participation from all sectors, cities can attract investment, drive economic growth and create a resilient urban landscape that thrives on sustainability, inclusivity and innovation.
Hence, this event will serve as a platform dedicated to exploring the multifaceted impact of the Sustainable Tourism model on a global scale. It will delve into the potential of this model to radically transform urban development, create eco-friendly cities and attract investments.
Case studies will be highlighted by presenting a group of local and international experiences, especially the experience of the General Organization for Physical Planning (GOPP) in Egypt as an example of taking the Sustainable Tourism model as one of the focus areas in the Strategic Plans for cities, where the GOPP has worked to develop cities such as Dahab as a sustainable tourism center which attracts jobs and investments while preserving its identity and culture. Looking at cases similar to Dahab around the MENA Region and globally will help share successful examples, lessons learned and recommendations for other cities to adopt. Existing sustainable tourism guides and frameworks will also be discussed.