Can certification make destinations more sustainable? An Australian perspective

Abstract

One of the major challenges that stakeholders in tourism destinations face is how they can plan and manage tourism in their areas. To do this public, private and community organisations are looking for tools that may help them manage change so they can limit the negative impacts of visitation whilst increasing the positive impacts for all stakeholders. One tool that some destinations around the world have adopted to help make tourism more sustainable, is certification. However, while some research has been conducted to explore the implementation and effectiveness of certification programs in Europe and North America only a very limited number of studies consider their role in Australia. To address this gap in the literature, semi-structured interviews will be conducted with managers from the six destinations certified in Australia to consider if such programs are effective, and what benefits and challenges they provide to all stakeholders.