MPR_TSCC
Monitoring
and measuring sustainable
tourism performance
Markéta Novotná, Ph.D.
Monitoring and Measuring
Tourism
impacts
Sustainable
Tourism
Tools
Monitoring
intensity of economic,
social and environmental
phenomena in the territory
monitoring the effectiveness and
efficiency of individual measures
Monitoring and Measuring
̶ The degree of success in achieving the goal measured by key quantitative
indicators
̶ A controlled cyclic process based on continuous monitoring of impacts and
change
̶ Monitoring of activities to determine if the targets set for environmental
improvements are being met
̶ If they are not, then strategies must be developed to rectify the situation.
Strategies for Assessing Progress
̶ Why Monitor and Measure Sustainable Tourism?
̶ To assess the environmental, social, and economic impacts of tourism.
̶ To ensure alignment with sustainability goals (e.g., SDGs, Green Deal).
̶ To support evidence-based decision-making and adaptive management.
̶ Key Questions:
̶ What is the current state of tourism sustainability?
̶ Are implemented measures working effectively?
̶ What areas need improvement?
Core Principles of Monitoring
̶ Relevance: Indicators must align with objectives.
̶ Transparency: Clear methods for data collection and analysis.
̶ Comparability: Consistent metrics to enable benchmarking over
time.
Areas to Monitor – Examples
̶ Environmental Impacts
̶ Resource use (water, energy, materials).
̶ Biodiversity conservation.
̶ Pollution (air, water, waste).
̶ Social Impacts
̶ Resident well-being and satisfaction.
̶ Community participation in tourism planning.
̶ Preservation of cultural heritage.
̶ Economic Impacts
̶ Contribution to local economies.
̶ Distribution of benefits.
̶ Overdependence on tourism.
Tools for Monitoring
̶ Digital and ICT Tools:
̶ Sensors for tracking
̶ Mobile apps and platforms for visitor feedback
̶ Surveys and Audits:
̶ Resident and visitor surveys.
̶ Regular sustainability audits for businesses.
̶ Big Data:
̶ Social media platforms
̶ Digital platforms
̶ Mobile operators gathering real-time data on user location
Indicators
̶ Predefined for monitoring specific phenomena
̶ Simplifies and objectively describes reality
̶ Evaluates the current state or continuous development over time
̶ Represents the result of processing data
Types of Indicators
̶ early warning indicators (species disappearance)
̶ indicators of stresses on the system (crime rates)
̶ measures of current state of tourism (occupancy, satisfaction)
̶ measures of tourism impacts (deforestation rates, change in
property prices)
̶ measures of management efforts (cleanup cost, repairs)
̶ measures of management effect and performance (changed
pollution levels, more returning tourists)
Indicators
̶ An effective indicator should have the following characteristics:
̶ directly related to the phenomenon or goal it is intended to measure and provide
meaningful insights for decision-making.
̶ be quantifiable, using reliable and accurate data that can be tracked over time.
̶ simple to understand and interpret by stakeholders with varying levels of expertise.
̶ allow for comparisons over time, across locations, or between groups.
̶ etc.
Indicators
̶ An effective indicator should have the following characteristics:
̶ directly related to the phenomenon or goal it is intended to measure and provide
meaningful insights for decision-making.
̶ be quantifiable, using reliable and accurate data that can be tracked over time.
̶ simple to understand and interpret by stakeholders with varying levels of expertise.
̶ allow for comparisons over time, across locations, or between groups.
̶ etc.
OECD tourism indicators
UNWTO tourism indicators
European Tourism Indicators System for
sustainable destination management
̶ management tool, supporting destinations to take a sustainable
approach to destination management
̶ a monitoring system, easy to use for collecting data and detailed
information
̶ an information tool useful for policymakers, tourism enterprises
and other stakeholders.
Your Activity
̶ Setting Tourism Indicators for Sustainable Management
̶ develop specific tourism indicators tailored to different types of destinations
̶ Provide a brief introduction about the challenges faced by each destination type in
terms of sustainability and climate change, including examples like:
• Mountain Destinations: Over-tourism, infrastructure pressure, melting glaciers.
• Natural Protected Areas: Habitat degradation, visitor overcapacity.
• Urban Destinations: Carbon emissions, overcrowding.
• Rural Destinations: Loss of traditional livelihoods, limited resources.
• Coastal Destinations: Rising sea levels, water quality degradation.
Your Activity
̶ Identify key challenges relevant to your destination type
̶ Propose 5 measurable tourism indicators to address these
challenges, focusing on sustainability and climate change
mitigation, specify: What it measures and Data sources
Your Activity
https://ec.europa.eu/docsroom/documents/21749
https://unstats.un.org/unsd/tradeserv/Workshops/Madrid/UNWTO%20presentation%20-
%20item19.pdf
Conclusion
̶ Effective monitoring is key to ensuring sustainable tourism development.
̶ Indicators and tools must be tailored to the destination’s specific challenges.
̶ Collaboration among governments, businesses, and communities is essential for success.