Abstract

Click www.e-unwto.org for the electronic version.

The UNWTO has always made it a point to study each form of tourism taking into consideration the characteristics of each type of destination – urban, cultural, rural, nature, coastal, or island destinations, among others – in order to provide international institutions, national and local tourism administrations, and the private sector with useful criteria for appropriate planning, management and follow-up action to ensure the sustainability of tourism activities in each specific socio-geographical context.
On the occasion of the International Year of Deserts and Desertification, 2006, this new UNWTO handbook addresses the development of tourism in deserts and areas that are experiencing desertification. It is aimed at the international community, and in particular the governments of countries with desert areas within their territories, as well as the international, national and local private-sector actors that operate in them, with a view to helping them implement policies and actions, and to provide them with an resource they can rely upon in carrying out their initiatives. It presents a vision of sustainable tourism specific to these areas characterized by an extreme climate, taking into account both their fragility as well as their richness in natural, human and cultural assets. Last but not least, this manual can also serve as a valuable reference for local desert communities, who are the main stakeholders in this process.

Table of Contents

• Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Characteristics and Potential of the World’s Deserts
  • The World’s Main Deserts: a Great Diversity of Landscapes
  • The Potential Offered by Nature and Heritage in Desert Areas, by Continent
  • People of the Deserts: Their Culture, Their Specificity, and Their Fragility
• The Impact of Sustainable Tourism Development in Desert Areas and the Issues at Stake
  • Sustainable Tourism Development in Desert Areas: the Issues at Stake
• Characteristics of Desert Tourism
  • General Trends in Desert Tourism
  • An Increasingly Diverse Clientele
  • What Type of Tourism is Involved?
  • The Types and Modalities of Tourism Products Involved
• Guidelines and Recommendations for Sustainable Tourism in Desert Areas
  • Guidelines for Sustainable Tourism in Desert Areas
  • The Role of Tourism Actors: the Challenge of Sustainable Tourism in Desert Areas
  • Implementation of Sustainable Tourism Strategies in Desert Areas: what Tools and what Methods?
• Conclusion and Outlook
• Case Studies
• The Role of Governments in Developing Sustainable Strategies and Deploying Integrated Destination Management Tools
• The Role of NGOs and Networks of Associations
• The Role of Private Enterprise in Developing Sustainable Tourism
• Tools for Promoting Visitor Awareness
• Annexes
• Bibliography