Sustainable tourism systems: The example of sustainable rural tourism in Sweden

The aim of the paper is to provide an overview of what is required of a sustainable tourism system with its two main aspects, demand and supply, and the meeting‐places between them. The term tourism refers to leisure travel away from home. As regards the demand side, the paper gives an overview of the motives for and restrictions on travel; on the supply side it considers resources for tourism and tourism products. The question of what is sustainable tourism development is examined, with mass tourism being contrasted with small scale tourism and, in particular, ecological tourism. Further, tourists' energy consumption on long distance journeys and tourism's local resource consumption are also discussed. The concept of meeting‐place, classified in a number of categories, is used to link demand and supply within the tourism system. The term refers to the encounter between the tourist and the local environment. Sustainable development, which is a normative concept, has several dimensions. Conditions of the following type are generally emphasised in definitions of sustainable tourism development: Sustainable tourism development should entail a long‐perspective for the use of resources in tourism production; A form of tourism should be developed that contributes to creating equality and economic and social welfare for the local community; Tourism development should make careful use of the natural and cultural conditions, including the built environment; Positive tourism development in line with the above points should not be a burden on other people and areas or on coming generations.