Journal of Tourism & Hospitality
Open Access

Opportunities and Challenges for the Development of Sustainable Tourism to the Local Communities

^*Correspondence: Temesgen Kasahun Assefa, Department of Tourism Management, University of Tsukuba, Tokyo, Japan, Tel: 08033028709, Email:

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Introduction

Tourism practices are progressing since their introduction into the present industry with an estimated worth of US$ 3.5 trillion. However, it is a fact that tourism may get affected by the socioeconomic mechanisms that differ from community to community and impose serious challenges of underdevelopment [1]. There is an inherent need for sustainable development in tourism. Sustainable tourism enhances the quality of tourism and produces interest in local cultures. It is useful for community interactions and empowerment. It can conserve natural resources for the benefit of mankind and raise awareness about cultures [2]. Conservation of natural resources and historic objects ensures that communities are aware of the distinguished fashions and elements of the world and prevent damage to the elements so that future generations can get advantages. It can be inferred that the tourism industry needs substantial changes to accomplish the viewpoints mentioned above. A prospective concept of ecotourism allows for preserving societies' social, ecological, and economic components [3]. Ecotourism has seen quite a lot of anticipation and sometimes pits and falls since its emergence. The reason may be the implementation and adoption challenges. However, ecotourism focuses on the refinement of biodiversity and the safety of environmental values and therefore is an expansion of local preservation. The concept must be promoted to survive ecological elements, either living or non-living, corresponding to each other.

Some other sustainable tourism concepts are more specifically called cultural tourism, which links tourism with cultural elements. A greater diversity of cultures gives different cultural identities to the people and various local communities. Cultural identities and values are the important assets of the local regions, which mean that productive and historical insights can explore these assets through tourism activities [4]. It is an emerging concept and discusses some unique challenges and opportunities concerning the management goals. Both elements can be better understood by gathering comprehensive knowledge about cultural tourism. Both forms of tourism entail the concept of preserving the natural heritage of local and developing communities.

Likewise, geotourism is an additional concept that supports the growth of communities by providing equal protection for community rights [5]. It promotes fairness and transparency at the individual level. Geotourism is also important to achieve sustainability in society and reduce poverty's burdens. Such kind sustainability is related to the social aspect of community, where the sustenance of social relations is the key to achieving sustainable social engagements of individuals [5]. The relationship is an important key to survival in modern culture where societies demand an equal and healthy balance of each relation that may lead them to better future growth. Hence, some potential challenges revolving around the present societies can be addressed by the geotourism approach.

The tourism components focus on the social values of people especially those residing in local areas. It sure has various underlying opportunities and challenges for the development of sustainable social growth. Opportunities for sustainable development are associated with proper resource allocation [6]. In addition, sustainable tourism can develop several opportunities for employment, health promotion, and educational recreation to grow local cultures [6]. Raising the job opportunities with sustainable tourism involvement can enhance the income distribution and build a proper infrastructure of communities to promote their local economies [7]. Therefore, local cultures require opportunities such as the capacity building of societies. The community-based tourism approach is quite significant as that offers communities to develop their cultural and social values [8,9]. All such positive aspects can only be studied and implacable in local communities once the challenges of these communities are addressed. Challenges involve a lack of community participation and integration into sustainable tourism development [10]. Addressing these challenges can help explore the factors that may drive the participants lesser engagement. Afterward, such challenges will open up entangled opportunities with the sustainable development concept. The reluctance of society and barriers to introducing new values are significantly negative reinforce in a society that must be uncovered in the research dimension to provide evidential support for future implications.

There is a significant gap in the research concept. Tourism is still not studied effectively for local communities and it is so because there is a lack of participation from communities and cooperative sites for planning tourism programs. Lack of policy implementation is also another challengeable factor preventing communities from not adapting to the tourism culture[11].Local communities are the area of local deprivation with the problems of income, housing, and health benefits.

On the other hand, sustainable tourism is predicted to surface the local areas with useful means and opportunities to address the deprivations. However, most rural areas are not getting advantages of tourism. They tend to express negative perceptions about tourism, which means there might be some challenges along with opportunities for local communities while adapting to the tourism culture. However, the literature is scarce about what opportunities and challenges communities encounter in the tourism industry. This review paper is helpful to fill that gap and provide useful evidence to support policymakers in finding solutions and changing the community's perceptions. The paper's aim creates the basis for research conduct, and it relies on the existing research gaps and knowledge that must be incorporated into the research studies. Since local communities face contrasting realities about the tourism industry, it is necessary to explore what challenges and opportunities are present for such local areas that produce positive and negative perceptions. The present research study aims to spread knowledge about such opportunities and challenges for developing sustainable tourism in the local communities. The paper's aim is further divided into sub-sections and objectives that would further clarify the concepts.

• To identify the opportunities for the development of sustainable tourism to local communities.

• To identify the challenges to the development of sustainable tourism to local communities.

• To provide a comprehensive piece of evidence that can contribute to the future research implication.

The research aims to identify opportunities and challenges involved in consideration while developing sustainable tourism in local cultures. The research contributes to the theoretical knowledge of the topic. There is no current evidence that structured the research context the same way as the present research. The research has described sustainable tourism and its factors in a detailed manner, and it presented both opportunities and challenges individually to better understand the difference between both variables. Apart from this, Sustainable tourism is necessarily required to achieve the cultural importance of the local communities [12]. It would be understood by knowing how tourism affects the communities positively and negatively and from different perspectives. The present study is the summative evidence for both perspectives and will contribute to future studies on policy-making and its implications.

Literature Review

Sustainable tourism

Traveling over a long distance involves various activities such as burning fossil fuels, large unsustainable practices, and some contribute to climate change via CO₂ emission. Tourism emerges as the form of traveling practices over distinct geographical regions posited that traveling for tourism is the most growing industry worldwide [13]. Tourism contributes greatly to the local communities' social, economic, and political development. However, the pollution from cars and other unsustainable practices in the form of environmental degradation and others create an alarming situation and bring humans towards sustainable tourism. According to sustainable tourism can be defined as a phenomenon whose aim is to positively impact tourism development in the local communities, tourism companies, and the tourists themselves [13].In a similar context, articulated the history of sustainability [14]. As per the author, sustainability in the market was introduced by a document release named 'Our Common Future,' where sustainable development is defined as satisfying the needs of the present generation without comprising the needs of the future generation. Then Brundtland Report came out, which urged the tourism industry to adopt sustainable practices. It means sustainability in tourism is the one that can help the local communities, tourism companies, and tourists to protect the tourism areas and let the present and future generations get amusement from its existence.

Nowadays, sustainability is a popular trend in every industry, including tourism [15], articulated that some people are confused about whether sustainability development applies to the tourism sector or not because this term does not find in Polish literature. To answer these people and remove their confusion critically reviewed the tourism sector of Poland by using monographic and descriptive methods [15]. The research findings have shown that sustainable development is completely applicable to tourism because it covers the economic, social, and political aspects such as economic profitability, quality of employment, social equity, and local prosperity.

Additionally, according to sustainability has become a key entity for tourism competitiveness [16]. However, making tourism sustainable is not easy because of the imprecise concept of nature that makes it difficult to apply. So, the various organization in the form of the International Union of Official Travel Organization, now the World Tourism Organization (WTO), and the Organization for Economic Corporation and Development (OECD) have identified the importance of sustainability in the tourism sector and articulated policies because tourism is necessary for the attraction of natural resources and factors of production in the local communities.

Moreover elucidated that the COVID-19 humanitarian crisis negatively impacts the tourism sector [17]. It has been estimated that the tourism sector has cut 50 million jobs and about 75 million jobs at risk; therefore, the importance of sustainability has increased in the tourism sector. Sustainability is necessary for the local communities' social, political, economic, and environmental aspects.

Factors affecting sustainable tourism

Certain factors contribute to changing the pattern of sustainable development of tourism. These factors are part of changing social, cultural, and environmental contexts. These factors influence attaining the key resources required for ensuring sustainability in tourism practices [18]. One of the factors is the socio-economic factors which involve support, awareness, access, and facilities for local participation. Impacting the quality of tourism in providing sustainability to the local environment [19]. Any disadvantage in these factors can disturb the society or economy and affect the community. Social structure and influence are necessary contributors, especially in tourism practices [20].

Apart from social influence cultural diversity can also influence the initiation of an approach to sustainable tourism development. Cultural differences between organizations compromise their values and commitment to implementing sustainable initiatives, and it can interfere with specific mergers and respectful cooperation [20]. On the contrary, cultural factors can also promote societies to achieve sustainability. It is reported that cultural productivity is an investment that enhances sustainable tourism studied that an agenda of 2030 defines the role of cultural factors as the marginal role that facilitates the spreading of urbanization and preserves tourism practices for the growth of communities [21].

Lastly, environmental factors can also affect sustainable tourism. The impact is polarized with both positive and negative outcomes. Environmental disasters led communities, especially rural ones, to go into recession. Tourism has also got affected by poor tourism practices because of the destruction of local areas.

Other environmental influences include region-based differences. For example, tourism in the rural areas in the coastal and alpine regions where environmental issues related to the climate, transport, and inappropriate management of natural resources are potential inhibitors of not developing sustainable tourism in those areas [22]. These factors are the threats that negatively influence the tourism industry. All socio-economic, cultural, and environmental factors should be considered and understood to know more about sustainability in tourism.

Sustainable management

Sustainable management plays a pivotal role in managing the tourism industry as it fosters the practices of economic growth. It facilitates the strategic planning and implication of sustainable tourism. The change in management efficiency can alter tourism sustainability. Management practices should be effectively developed, and therefore they must be produced intensively [23]. Sustainability is an inclusive necessity in tourism because it creates a balance between cultures and economies. Specifically, in rural areas and local communities, sustainable management can facilitate tourism growth. Such kind of tourism can reduce poverty, preserve humans' cultural rights, and maintain social integrity [24]. The concept of sustainable management is optimistic as it provides a responsible tourism experience for both tourists and local communities.

There are different views where tourism was not proved economically beneficial because of a lack of strategy, which means that management is required for planning and building a proper infrastructure of the tourism setting [25]. It is one of the most important spots for consideration while implementing sustainable development in tourism. It can support local areas by correctly including promotion programs for education, poverty control, education awareness, and perseverance of natural heritage. Communities need appropriate planning for overcoming the barriers in adapting tourism benefits that can be acquired through sustainable management of tourism spots.

Principles of sustainable tourism development

Sustainable tourism is based on providing support to local communities and preserving natural resources and biodiversity. Sustainable tourism yields various benefits for the local communities, such as involving them in transforming and shaping societies with different values and beliefs and making these communities important from visitors' perspectives [8], articulated important principles for the development of sustainable tourism. These principles include supporting the preservation of valuable things on site and promoting their safety, minimizing the load on the environment, strengthening the local aspects of the tourism site, promoting the economic growth and flourishing the job creation, promoting the use of the site and its health benefits, and communicate together with the values and services of the site. UNESCO also implements these principles in Finland to encourage sustainable tourism development. In a similar context, has defined some principles related to sustainable tourism development [26].These principles include intergenerational equity means making available the activities and ecological scope for the present and future generations, intra- generational equity, social welfare, and poverty alleviation means improving the well-being of the local communities and not only benefiting the powerful, public participation meaning-making the collective community beneficial decisions, environmental protection as an integral principle means economic development without environmental protection is not acceptable, and lastly dealing cautiously with risks and uncertainty meaning that environmental impacts are not known and changing with every passage of second; therefore, making decisions cautiously until the likely risks determined [26]. Hence, the authors have developed several principles in the scholarly literature to protect the tourism sites through sustainable tourism development [26].

The concept of sustainable development is continuously increasing in various areas of life and decision development made by human beings articulated that the success of sustainable development in the tourism sector depends on the principles established to help the local governments protect the local communities and tourist sites [27]. The principles of sustainable tourism development include ecological principles, economic principles, and social principles highlighted that establishing principles is not enough for sustainable tourism development; however, making a linkage between these principles is important [27]. For example, preservation of natural resources should be done while maximum utilizing the tourist infrastructure, which can result in the achievement of social principles, i.e., increasing the level of employment for the local people. In a similar context, elucidated that the sustainable development of the tourism sector was introduced in the 1960 in the Declaration of the United Conference on the Human Environment which discussed the 26 different principles related to the sustainability development of the tourism sector, which further elaborated by different scholars to let the tourism sector to adopt them [28].

Additionally, said that all the principles established by any author or in any conference want the effort from the local government for sustainability development in the tourism sector [28]. The rationale behind it is that the local government can formulate the policies and actions according to their local needs and implement the principles more efficiently. Thus, sustainability development is necessary for the tourism sector, and it can only be achieved when the local government implements the principles for the betterment of the local communities.

Opportunities of sustainable tourism to the local communities

An increasing number of reports and discussions have shown that sustainability has become an established part of corporate and governmental agendas related to hospitality, particularly the tourism sector proclaimed that the tourism sector is seen as the new industrial sector [29]. Where sustainability must be achieved. The rationale is that the tourism sector with sustainability can provide several opportunities to the local communities. These opportunities include improved income status, job opportunities, enhancing the economic welfare of the area, and empowering the stakeholders involved in tourism planning and deployment. According to stakeholder empowerment can promote collaboration between providers and local communities [29]. For instance, sustainability in tourism can achieve collaborative working between communities and can ease the effective use of land and resources. In addition to this said that another opportunity for local people is promoting the values of their cultures [30]. It is the most important for indigenous cultures. For example, sustainability in indigenous tourism helps people in these areas to promote their cultures and uniqueness. Also, tourism comes with employment opportunities for many people in that area. In this way, the tourism business can help the local people to improve their economic health and continue it for future generations. Sustainable tourism facilitates empowering the local people, removing the culture of isolation and deprivation, resolving the succession issues by providing the rights to the desired ones, solving the internal disagreements, understanding the diverse cultural values, and enabling local communities to engage with other communities around the globe. The marketing with social media helps tourists and visitors to promote local cultures and sometimes by an intermediary involvement and raise the awareness about the social needs in these cultures. Thus, sustainable tourism can provide various opportunities to the local communities that can even pass on to the next generations, which is the actual essence of sustainability.

Some empirical studies received by United Nations sustainable tourism development suggest the tourism sector is the most unsustainable; therefore, it is highly important to identify opportunities for the local community to increase the factor of sustainability [31]. According to the development of sustainability in the tourism sector can only be achieved by highlighting immense opportunities for the local community's economic growth [31]. Sustainability in the tourism sector could bring education, economic growth, job creation, innovation, safety, and security to the local communities and it can also help control climate change hazards. Moreover, articulated that Tourism is considered one of the world's largest industries that contribute hugely to the economic welfare of the countries around the globe [32]. So, achieving sustainability through planning, development, and management in the tourism sector can create various opportunities in the form of an increase in tourism. As per strategic management can help the locals to adopt innovative ways to move forward [32]. Innovative initiatives can be in distinctive forms carefully achieved through planning, collaboration, and education. Hence, sustainable tourism can produce various distinctive opportunities for the local communities that can be achieved through planning, collaboration, and management.

Challenges of sustainable tourism to the local communities

Sustainable tourism provides various opportunities to the local communities; however, it also creates various challenges [33]. Articulated that sustainable tourism aims to transform the tourist sites and preserve them for future generations. However, the implication of sustainable tourism in rural areas is synonymous with fashion-driven industry, which requires a shift in the rural areas as the leisure areas.

This shift creates the challenges of destroying the real essence of rural areas, disturbing their cultural settings, and increasing anxiety. The rationale behind it is that the rural area people are not well equipped in using the innovative strategies to attract the tourists, therefore, the lack of knowledge encourages the intermediaries to make the tourism only for their economic well-being rather than for local community benefits so, and it emerges the challenges for the local people [33].

In addition to this propounded that sustainable tourism demands well-educated people from the local community that comes forward and play their role [34]. Every country cannot grab this opportunity; in fact, it emerges various challenges for them. These challenges include tourist anger, less tourism, job decline, lack of training, linguistic difficulties, quality service, and lack of good faith. Moreover, [34] also said that although sustainable tourism increases the job for the local community, it does not improve their economic condition because these people still receive low remuneration, have low job security, and face safety and security issues. So, sustainable tourism can create opportunities for local communities, but it also increases challenges for poor people who need immediate solutions.

It has demonstrated that sustainable tourism can create distinctive challenges for local community’s critiques sustainable tourism as a myth because, according to the author, it is the hypocrisy that only encourages the economic benefits for developed and well-educated countries but keeps the developing countries and communities away from its benefits [35]. The author articulated that sustainable tourism encourages the unequal share of benefits for particular countries, and it challenges for rest of others, so it is only the contradictory manifestation of Western hegemony. In addition to this, elucidated the viewpoint of Hoffman, who explained that the world no longer has debates on climate change relevant to tourism [36]. However, it will have debates on culture, values, worldviews, and ideology relevant to local tourist areas and communities.

It outlines the challenges for the local communities with relevance to their local culture, values, and ideologies that sustainable tourism can create for them. Thus, sustainable tourism is a great phenomenon; however, it needs to be implemented while encountering the challenges it may create for local communities.

Discussion

The development of sustainable tourism has been regarded as an opportunity to increase the gains for the local communities. However, the development encounters some challenges, which prevented many communities from still not availing of the benefits of tourism practices. In this context, the present discussion is based upon the key findings from the literature relevant to both opportunities and challenges of sustainable tourism development. The review of the extant relevant literature would delineate the major opportunities and challenges and provide product information for local communities.

Opportunities for the development of sustainable tourism to the local communities

The selected papers discussed the opportunities underlying sustainable tourism development for rural communities. Some of the significant opportunities are highlighted with an explanation.

Economic prosperity

One of the significant opportunities associated with the development of sustainable tourism is the socio-economic benefits for the local community members the notion of sustainable tourism emphasizes that the development of tourism positively impacts the environment and socio-economic dynamics of the region [37]. A rise in the inflow of tourists can positively impact the economic outcomes for the country's local communities, with direct economic gains for the ones directly involved in tourism-related activities. The economic gains and prosperity are also manifested in the positive contribution of sustainable tourism development. These gains are mainly from the secondary motives of tourists coming to the rural areas. The motive is to introduce tourism events, festivals, and recreational activities for rural people. Not only this, but they also buy the local agricultural products becoming the source of their income raising [6].

It is deduced tourism and traveling contribute to the growth of the income of the countries; thus, local communities can benefit from rising revenue generated from the tourism activities have presented that sustainable tourism development also greatly contributes to the equal and increasing dissemination of the economic benefits among the members of the local communities [37]. It also enables the women and the people belonging to lower-income groups to extract economic gains by participating in tourism-related activities have also presented the finding that the sustainable development of tourism in the region facilitates uplifting the economic status of the local communities, particularly the otherwise marginalized community [38]. Thus, all of these benefits collectively contribute to the local community's long-term economic and financial prosperity in terms of employment creation and support for small businesses.

Community based tourism

Another opportunity resulting from sustainable tourism is the development of community-based tourism in the country. According to Acha-Anyi it is found that community-based tourism is focused on tourism management by the local communities resulting in greater gains and advantages for the local communities. The opportunity of community-based tourism translates to the opportunity for the local communities to improve their quality of life with the maximization of their participation in the economic activities and exchanges with the tourists while protecting their environment and cultural identity. Moreover, community-based tourism also enables the local communities to strengthen their cultural identities and heritage. It also emphasizes that community tourism facilitates the increment of the tourists' interaction with the countryside's human environment, and it actively engages in the locals' customs, activities, and lifestyles.

In the context of community-based tourism, local communities also have the opportunity to flourish and gain from rural tourism [2]. Rural tourism facilitates the development of economic activities via tourism in non-agricultural rural regions. Thus, this results in creating small businesses and revenue streams for the community members in such rural regions. Unlike traditional tourism, this type of sustainable tourism development facilitates the promotion of capital inflows and job creation for rural community members. Therefore, it often targets poor areas where it is implemented. It encourages local entrepreneurs to organize communities in launching and operating successful communitybased tourism businesses. Financial and social capitals are actively invested in indigenous communities, further improving their rural tourism programs. This capital inflow can ultimately enable the communities to further develop their infrastructure, well-being, and literacy also reported that a rural tourism homestay program in Malaysia had facilitated the rural people a lot by the improved spending from tourists staying in the rural regions [2]. The people were also encouraged to participate in the tourism activities and make their spending while preserving their cultural identities. Rural tourism also focuses on promoting local businesses and increases support for local efforts. It increases capital, but it also increases the intrinsic value and health of the environment and the natural resources. The idea of rural tourism has allowed rural entrepreneurs to offer tours of their home villages and use their proceeds for their lives and communities.

Community empowerment

Along with the economic prosperity and the financial gains, the development of sustainable tourism is also found to be positively contributing in terms of empowering the local community people and strengthening their well-being and social status. From the analysis of the findings [18], it was found that the development of sustainable tourism allows for the preservation of the natural resources and the environment that protects the livelihood of the local communities from the negative impacts of mass tourism. Moreover, through sustainable tourism, the local communities can also communicate the greater value of their cultures and traditions, thereby attracting a greater inflow of tourists. Tourism in the indigenous regions and community is particularly noteworthy as the development of sustainable tourism also enables the indigenous communities to convey their true indigenous values, lifestyle, customs, and arts [30].

It is also found from the review of the selected literature pieces that culture or the community's identity cannot develop on its own unless it is deepened through social contact. The community's identity results from the cross-cultural exchange and the formulation of perceptions. Thus, by having a greater inflow of tourism and greater cross-cultural exchange, the local communities can communicate their cultural identity to the world, empowering their cultural identity [2]. In addition to this, the development of sustainable development also empowers the local communities by increasing the involvement of the local community members, thereby granting them a greater voice in tourism-related decisions and activities. Thus, in this context, the notion of community empowerment delineates the opportunity for the local communities to gain greater control over their affairs pertinent to enhancing tourism in the country presented this as the local communities' active participation [37], enabling them to take more active roles in shaping and promoting tourism in the country, making associated decisions, implementing decisions and actions, and proffering solutions. As a result, the local communities can acquire greater autonomy, control, and self-reliance, contributing positively to their overall quality of life and well-being. Thus, the sustainable development of tourism emphasizes the respect for the well-being and socio-cultural authenticity of the local communities, thereby strengthening their social status and cultural identity.

Challenges for the development of sustainable tourism to the local communities

The analysis of the extant literature also reveals that although sustainable tourism aims to yield greater gains and opportunities for the local communities; however, it also ends up resulting in various challenges for the local communities that must be carefully addressed and mitigated.

Lack of community involvement

In terms of challenges, one of the challenges that emerge as a barrier to the development of sustainable tourism is the lack of consideration of the local community. As per the findings of [37], the local community members are not often granted autonomy and control for the decision-making pertaining to the development of community-based tourism in the country. This lack of community participation has always been a challenge in community-based tourism. Local community members are also the stakeholders in the planning and deployment of tourism but are not usually treated as important partners in tourism planning by the government. The local community members are given little opportunity to participate in discussions on local tourism issues and further decision-making processes, allowing them to make better decisions that reflect their voices. Contribution is also not encouraged. It would be better explained by the Sebele study, which reported that lack of community involvement is a major challenge. He informed that most rural communities were not allowed to participate in Goolwa tourism activity. They were not part of the decision-making process and hence faced adoption barriers to such kind of tourism in their rural environment [37,38]. The power of the government has allowed them to take full control of all tourism activities so that the local community does not actively participate in the planning and development of sustainable tourism. Thus, this lack of community participation acts as a barrier to the development of sustainable tourism, which can be truly beneficial and contribute to the local communities.

Acha-Anyi has also proposed similar findings presenting that although the local communities are equipped with good knowledge for the development of tourism; however, poor management, as well as the infrastructure-related issues and challenges, have been impeding the involvement and the engagement of the local communities in the tourism. In this context, it can be deduced that although the development of sustainable tourism is beneficial for the local communities, its implementation with the community's involvement is a difficult task that requires government cooperation. Therefore, applying the efforts pertinent to sustainable tourism development requires difficult economic and political choices and decision-making based on the complex socioeconomic trade-offs. In this regard, Ponna and Prasiasa found that the active participation of the local community members is crucial for the promotion of sustainable tourism. The local people should be encouraged to create various tourism-related businesses and activities in terms of homestays and lodging services and showcase their art and local crafts and customs to tap into the interests of the tourists in the local culture. Thus, various development programs should be launched to promote the participation and involvement of the local community members in the rural areas in tourismrelated businesses and activities.

Ecological damage and harmful effect on the rural climates

It has been found from the findings of that although sustainable tourism efforts can increase tourism inflow to the rural and indigenous regions of the countries [14]. However, it also poses negative impacts on the natural and physical resources of such regions. The authors have presented the findings that as more and more emerging economies have sought to follow the development path to reach western consumption levels; the global community faces difficult justice issues regarding the tremendous growth of tourism consumption given the severe environmental impact of tourism, the ethics of justice should apply to everyone who enjoys traveling. The rising middle class in populous countries like India and China represents a favorable opportunity for multinational tourism enterprises. Still, justice and security issues in tourism consumption direct the attention towards the need to set limits for the future, which is ignored due to the tourist population. The world is growing rapidly as resource shortages increase. It resonates with the preliminary analysis of the literature findings that asserted that the rise in rural and community-based tourism has been destroying rural regions' real essence and disturbing their cultural settings. According to some foreign tourist spots are the main cause of environmental damage and have more adverse effects on the environment than local spots. For example, tourist restaurants consume more water and energy from the environment, affecting natural resources. Such increased foreign investment imposed a greater challenge on the local areas and made it difficult to achieve sustainability.

Besides, the people in rural regions are not equipped with the knowledge and strategies to attract foreign tourists. As a consequent impact, intermediaries attempt to intervene and use tourism only for their economic well-being rather than for local communities. Thus, this creates challenging situations for the local communities.

Conclusion

The present paper attempted to analyze the opportunities and the challenges pertinent to the development of sustainable tourism for the local communities. The preliminary analysis of the extant literature revealed that tourism could be conceptualized as the practice of traveling outside of the native environment with the intent to explore a new environment and setting. The rising tourism is considered beneficial and positively contributing to the local communities. The development of sustainable tourism in a particular region positively contributes to the development and the empowerment of the communities. The analysis of the extant literature also highlights different forms of sustainable tourism such as ecotourism which is focused on the perseverance of social, ecological, and economic conservation; community-based tourism which is focused on the tourism management by the local communities resulting in greater gains and advantages for the local communities; rural tourism that is focused on the development of the economic activities via tourism in the non-agricultural rural regions.

As a methodology, the present paper incorporated a qualitative approach to analyze the data extracted from secondary sources. In particular, the present paper conducted a systematic review that enabled the researcher to conduct a comprehensive and critical analysis of the relevant extant literature. In this regard, incorporating the PRISMA approach for ensuring unbiased and fair data collection and extraction, the researcher shortlisted 11 papers for the systematic review and analysis.

The papers were used to analyze both opportunities and challenges of developing sustainable tourism for the local communities. Conclusively, it was found that sustainable tourism development positively contributes to the economic prosperity of the local communities. The rising inflow of tourists to the rural regions results in socio-economic benefits for the local community members. It is facilitated in terms of job creation and employment and the development of the small businesses that ultimately benefit the members of the marginalized local communities. Moreover, sustainable tourism presents the opportunity to develop community-based and rural tourism. It led to the improvement of the quality of life of the local communities. It enabled the local people from the non-agricultural rural regions to earn from the tourism activities. Thus, the development of sustainable tourism facilitates the promotion of capital inflows and job creation for rural community members.

Furthermore, this allows the local communities to strengthen their cultural identities and heritage, empowering them. It enables the local communities to preserve their identities and convey their customs and culture to the world, thereby attracting more tourists. Moreover, the local communities are also empowered by gaining greater involvement in tourism activities. Along with such opportunities, sustainable tourism development is also characterized by various challenges. The literature review revealed two major challenges: lack of community involvement due to greater government control and the environmental damage due to rising tourism flow in the rural regions. Thus, in this regard, carefully planned strategies are required to develop sustainable tourism for the local communities. n.

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