Motivations and obstacles of enterprises in the tourism sector to adopt sustainable tourism

The continuous expansion of tourism, which has become one of the most important sectors nowadays, has resulted in a large number of negative impacts. Examples include the destruction of natural resources and severe pollution. Therefore, is it possible for tourism businesses to transition towards sustainability in order to promote a more responsible tourism and pursue more sustainable objectives such as environmental preservation, local community well-being and long-term economic viability? A concept of tourism has evolved in the literature: Sustainable tourism. The purpose of this thesis is to address the concept of sustainable tourism and its implications in the tourism sector, with a particular emphasis on Walloon Brabant. The thesis is divided into a literature review to define and explore the concept and an empirical research based on interviews with eighteen tourism businesses. The exploratory analysis aims at highlighting the motivations that tourism enterprises in Walloon Brabant have or would have to develop sustainable tourism, as well as to determine what obstacles they encounter when developing sustainably. The empirical research was based on a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews. To have a diverse sample, different types of tourism companies were chosen, mainly attractions and accommodations. From our study, we conclude that sustainable tourism remains an opportunity for tourism businesses today but will become a necessity in the future. We have also identified ways to overcome barriers and made some recommendations to tourism authorities and tourism enterprises to encourage this shift towards sustainability.