Whose responsibility is it? – Evaluation of sustainable tourism development at Lake Balaton

Abstract

Organisations play an important role in creating well-being of society and the environment. The main objective of the study is to map perspectives on sustainability among selected stakeholder groups including tourists/temporary visitors, local communities, and public and private decision-making professionals (public, non-profit, and for-profit) in the Lake Balaton region. The study is based on a combined methodology. First, insights from tourists and local residents were collected in a quantitative survey. Insights about sustainable tourism development from public, non-profit and for-profit tourism industry professionals were collected using semi-structured interviews. Results show that from an environmental perspective sustainable tourism represents nature-based tourism development. As regards a profit/economic perspective, buying local products and choosing locally owned restaurants, local markets play a significant role in the region. Differences in consumption patterns among locals and visitors are reflected in the lower need for off-season tourism offer. Interviewed stakeholders recognized the need for knowledge sharing and attitude forming.

Keywords

• tourism
• sustainability
• stakeholder
• development
• nature-based destination