Sustainable Development of Resort Towns and Territories: On the

Way to the Balance

E. Vidishcheva

and A. Kopyrin

Sochi State University, 94-1, Plastunskaya str., 354000, Sochi, Russia

Keywords: Sustainable Development, Resort Territory, Resort Town, Balance.

Abstract: The importance of resort territories development and sustainability is increasing in current conditions

characterized by the rapid growth of tourism industry and inflating contradictions between the increasing

tourists needs and the limited amount of recreational resources. The development of resorts and recreational

territories is directly connected with such vital parameters as the resource potential and its ability to reproduce

and replenish, life quality of local community, demand for territory resort product, and economic stability.

These development components define the need for balance between constant desire to maximize the financial

result and the preservation of recreational resources and social stability of the region. This issue is extremely

relevant for territories with economic activity fully dependent on the availability and conditions of recreational

resources.

1 INTRODUCTION

Change-over to the development based on the

sustainability principles puts the issue of socio-

economic-ecological balance of territory

development in the rank of the most significant ones.

To achieve a high level of sustainability resort

territories as integrated systems must meet all the

criteria and have the ability to maintain the positive

dynamics of socio-economic development in the long

term. However, nowadays most of social, economic

and environmental regulation instruments do not

correlate with each other, which leads to an imbalance

of targets and does not allow territories to achieve

sustainable growth rates. This is especially true for

resort territories and cities. The targets of the resort

regions, such as an increase in the tourist flow, growth

in the number of visits to recreational and cultural

facilities, contribute positively to the development of

the territory until the maximum permissible

recreational load is reached. The balance point

allowing resort regions to develop sustainably is

located at the joint of economic and socio-ecological

interests.

In the frames of this study sustainable

development of resort territories and towns is

https://orcid.org/ 0000-0003-2653-453X

https://orcid.org/ 0000-0002-4289-6701

understood as the rational use of territorial resources

in the long-term process of socio-economic

development goals achieving. The concept of

sustainable development of territorial subjects

implies a balance of the key components of

sustainability, and does not allow infringement of the

social or environmental interests of society. However,

the rapid growth of tourist traffic, as a key condition

for the region economic prosperity, counteracts

environmental sustainability, accompanied by the

expansion of natural areas used for recreational and

related purposes, exceeding the permissible

recreational loads on the territory, natural objects and

regional infrastructure.

The problems of sustainable development are a

major focus of interest for many foreign and Russian

researchers. Among the authors dealing with the

resort territories development we can mention

(Makarov, 2016; Atlmann and Aleksanyan; 2016;

Ignatiev, 2018). The issues of getting a balance of

interests in the sustainable development paradigm are

highlighted in the works of Boyra, J. (2004), Saufi,

A., Andilolo, I. R., Othman, N., Lew, A. A. (2017),

Mihalic, T. (2020). But despite a large number of

studies on the topic, and the priority of the change-

over to the sustainable development at both country

Vidishcheva, E. and Kopyrin, A.

Sustainable Development of Resort Towns and Territories: On the Way to the Balance.

DOI: 10.5220/0010666400003223

In Proceedings of the 1st International Scientiﬁc Forum on Sustainable Development of Socio-economic Systems (WFSDS 2021), pages 221-226

ISBN: 978-989-758-597-5

 2022 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All r ights reserved

221

and global levels, most territorial entities are still far

from the state of sustainability.

2 METHODOLOGY

The theoretical basis of the study is fundamental and

applied works of russian and foreign scientists in the

field of territorial systems sustainable development

theory, analysis and assessment of resort and

recreational areas sustainability level. In the course of

the study general scientific methods of research, such

as classification, grouping and comparison,

generalization and synthesis, were applied.

The aim of the study is to analyse the content of

the resorts and recreational territories sustainable

development concept in terms of the balance of the

main components, as well as to develop a list of

recommendations aimed at achieving a balance of

social, economic and ecological components of resort

areas and towns sustainable development.

3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

At the level of separate resort and recreational

territories the strategic goal of development is to

achieve sustainability as a state that allows to

withstand the main challenges: resource depletion,

uneven distribution and irregular consumption.

Integral components of the sustainability of resort

areas are tourist demand, socio-economic satisfaction

of the local community, favorable environmental

conditions, economic stability, as well as moderate

anthropogenic and recreational load. In recent years,

environmental issues, as the least regulated and most

vulnerable, have been of the greatest interest.

Environmental sustainability includes but not limited

to the following development directions:

 Natural Resources management (conservation

of bio-diversity, seawater quality control,

wastewater treatment, improvement of

resource efficiency of economic activities,

preservation of forests and other natural and

recreational resources);

 Waste and emissions management (control of

emissions, improvement of the territory

cleaning system, optimization of the disposal

process taking into account the resort specifics

of the region);

 Recreational impact management (regulation

of the passing ability of protected areas and

tourist traffic in general, preservation of

cultural and historical heritage).

The economic component of sustainability is

determined by the effectiveness of the regional and

municipal management system, as well as a number

of external and internal factors. The components of

economic sustainability include the tourist demand

for the territory and satisfaction with the tourist

product, the diversification of the regional economy,

a favorable investment climate, the independence of

the local budget, and others (Saufi and others, 2015).

Economic sustainability is the guarantee of the local

community well-being, and is directly related to

social stability, since the subject of the final good

receiving is a person in both cases.

Noting the diversity of approaches to the

components of social sustainability, it is necessary to

emphasize the versatility of this concept. In the

concept of sustainable development of the Sochi

resort city (Kontseptsiya, 2013), the social orientation

contains, firstly, a healthy lifestyle of the population,

stimulated by the availability of medicine, sports, as

well as the promotion of a healthy lifestyle. Secondly,

a barrier-free, comfortable environment: social

equality, opportunities for personal development.

Third. this group includes elements of the society

cultural development, in particular the preservation of

cultural heritage and the development of culture as

industry. In addition to the above, the social block of

sustainable development includes such elements as

infrastructure availability, the development of the

transport system, increasing education level,

modernization of the housing stock and other

components of a high quality of life.

The presence of three parallel directions in the

development of sustainability (economy,

environment and society) often leads to distortions in

one direction or the other. In an effort to preserve

natural resources and protect them from

anthropogenic impact, the economic component of

the issue is sometimes omitted, as well as increasing

tourist flows and maximizing profits people forget

about the socio-environmental consequences. In

general, sustainable development is a compromise of

the members of today society to achieve their goals

(conservation of resources, the natural environment,

and the satisfaction of the community). The transition

to the "rails" of sustainable development should be

ensured through the joint efforts of all participants of

territory economic activity. However, private

interests (short-term profit) still prevail, which leads

to the resources potential value reduction and

limitation of the further and sustainable territory

development capability. Thus, we have two parties

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222

with almost opposite interests: one seeking short-term

private advantage, the other holding the long-term

public interest. This imbalance is clearly shown in

Figure 1.

Figure 1. The imbalance of the resort territories

development (compiled by the author)

Characteristic feature of tourism as the basis of the

resort region economy is its duality and

inconsistency. At the same time, it is a driving force

for development, ensuring the improvement of socio-

economic conditions, and it has a huge negative

impact on natural resources as the basis of the

recreational product of the territory. Therefore,

environmental and resource-saving activities are

mandatory policy directions of a territorial entity that

strives for sustainability. The absence of a positive

effect on the environmental component as a result of

the realization of the potential of the territory can be

balanced either by distributing the result of the

economic component (compensation and recovery

approach), or by introducing and continuously

operating a system of recreational rationing

(preventive approach). Figure 2 demonstrates the

impact of resort and recreational activities on the

main components of sustainability, as described

above.

Balance in the concept of sustainability implies

taking into account the interests of all participants and

stakeholders. For resort areas, these are the local

population, business, investors, tourists (consumers

of the territory product) and the territory itself as a set

of natural resource potential. The intersection of

interests is a natural result of the development of the

components of a single complex system-the territory.

That is why when we talk about sustainable

development, we talk about trade-offs. Unjustified

deviation from the principles of rationality, or

ignoring certain aspects of development in the

process of life activity of the resort territory threatens

the achievement of sustainability state.

Figure 2. The influence of the resort specialization of the

territory on the components of sustainability, the

redistribution of the effect (compiled by the author)

A striking example of the unbalanced

development of resort regions is the emergence of

such concepts as "overtourism" and "irresponsible

tourism" (Mihalic, 2020; Milano and others, 2019).

Both terms refer to a situation characterized by a lack

of balance between the social, economic, and

environmental components of sustainability. They

appeared due to the priority of tourism development

(the economic component) and the lack of equivalent

dynamics in the field of environmental protection and

social development.

The following consequences of such an imbalance

were noted in the resort regions in recent years:

 degradation of life quality as a result of

unacceptable price increase in the region;

 increased tension between residents and guests

of the resorts;

 alienation of the local community, expressed in

protests and street actions;

 environmental damage to natural and cultural

attractions;

 overloading of transport and tourist

infrastructure, etc. (Ignatiev, 2018).

The list of destinations that have experienced

these phenomena includes Barcelona, Amsterdam,

Hanoi, Venice, Milan, Mexico City, Budapest, etc.

(Angina, 2018). The opposite example of

disproportionate development is undertourism, which

is an insufficient realization of the resort potential. In

this situation, environmental concerns are minimal,

but this is not due to the rational exploitation of the

resource potential and the nature restoration policy,

Short-term

private interests

Long-term

public interests

Sustainable Development of Resort Towns and Territories: On the Way to the Balance

223

the root cause lies in the lack of recreational load.

Here we are talking about a low level of tourist

demand, which makes it impossible to have a positive

trend in the socio-economic sphere. It follows from

the above that the lack of balanced territorial

development is an obstacle for resort cities on the way

to a state of sustainability, since the concept of

sustainable development is based on the equivalence

of all components.

Foreign experience shows that on the way to a

sustainable development, it is necessary to

consolidate the efforts of all participants of the

economic activity of the territory. The search for a

balance between the socio-economic and

environmental goals of the development of the resort

region should consist in rationing the recreational

load, targeted support for the least developed areas

and continuous monitoring of the inter-component

balancing.

The existing system of the tourist and recreational

complex functioning is far from the principles of

sustainable development, and requires serious

financial and time investments to meet the

requirements of reality. The way to balanced

development, based on consideration of the interests

of all participants, begins with overcoming a number

of barriers that prevent achieving the desired balance:

 Structural and organizational barriers: a huge

number of actors and intermediaries involved

in the implementation of the resort potential of

the territory complicates the implementation of

a system of orderly tourism;

 Legislative barriers: lack of a regulatory

framework for the use of recreational load

management tools (many natural and cultural

heritage sites are not protected from the

negative impact of continuous tourist flows due

to the lack of a legal basis for such protection:

load rationing). This group also includes the

lack of leverage on individuals who promote

their interests to the detriment of public

interests;

 Technological barriers: low level of "green"

technologies development in the region;

 Financial barriers: traditional problems related

to the distribution and lack of financial

resources, as well as a limited number of

funding sources, force territories to implement

a policy of selective development based on the

principle of the highest priority;

 Cognitive barriers: difficulties caused by the

human factor, ignorance or lack of

understanding of the harm caused, as well as

cultural and social differences, for example,

foundation of luxury resort in a region with a

low life quality (Boyra, 2004).

The most of the presented barriers based on the

weak controllability of the process of tourist product

realization. A number of foreign resorts face

irreversible processes of recreational potential

depletion as a result of the direction of both public

and private efforts exclusively on stimulation of the

tourist flow and economic development without enter

into the needs of other parties to the process. Resort

activity and the associated use of the recreational

potential of the territory are concentrated in the hands

of private individuals focused on promotion of their

own interests. This fact allows us to conclude that a

public-private partnership is a necessary tool for

achieving a balance and sustainable development of

territory.

After studying the sustainability component

composition, and justifying the need for its balance, it

is possible to form a number of recommendations

aimed at achieving a balance of interests, as an

integral stage on the way to sustainable development

of the territory:

 Cooperation with the local population in

determining development priorities: an

opportunity to be heard for each subject of the

resort area.

 Preliminary assessment of the socio-economic

and environmental consequences of all steps of

the regional development plan.

 Ensuring a flexible and open system of

territorial development. Flexibility implies the

possibility of making adjustments during the

implementation of program activities

depending on the current conditions. Openness,

or clarity, provides a correct perception of all

parties of the process (what we do and why).

Development of tourist culture and promotion of

careful attitude to the territory. The source of the

negative reaction of the local communities is often the

inappropriate behavior of resort guests, disrespect for

local culture, vandalism and consumer attitude to

recreational resources.

Rationing the recreational load and minimizing

the negative impact on urban infrastructure and the

environment. In order to avoid an imbalance with the

environmental components of sustainability, it is

necessary to monitor the perfect compliance with

environmental legislation, as well as to maintain the

preservation and enhancement of natural wealth for

present and future generations.

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4 CONCLUSIONS

The development of resort territories and cities is

accompanied by a constant balancing on the

intersection edge of the business, environment, and

local community and tourists interests. It requires

detailed study while implementation of strategic

measures and functioning of the resort complex as a

whole. Recreational resources, unfortunately, are

traditionally perceived as a tool for attracting

financial flows that do not require returns or fees for

using it. In addition to performing its attractive

function, the nature and environment form an

important component of the social good by being a

part of such concept as life quality.

The study presents an analysis of the content of

resort territory sustainable development concept in

terms of the main components balance. The current

imbalance of these components (ecology, economy,

society) is a serious obstacle to the territory

sustainable development. The presence of three

parallel directions often leads to distortions in one

direction or the other. The main reason for the

existing imbalance, identified as a result of the study,

is the predominance of short-term private interests

over the long-term interests of society. While a

balance implies taking into account the interests of all

participants and stakeholders.

In addition, ecology as a component of

sustainability is distinguished by the fact that its

development cannot be achieved due to the

multiplicative effect of the positive dynamics of other

elements (which can be observed between the social

and economic components). It follows that the

management of recreational load, environment

protection measures, as well as effective waste

management are mandatory conditions for

environmental sustainability.

The danger of an imbalance of interests is proved

by the examples of consequences that take place on

the territory of foreign resort regions. It should be

noted that most of them are provoked by the priority

of the tourism industry development and the lack of

equivalent dynamics in the field of environmental

protection and social development of the local

community. The study also systematized the barriers

that stand on the way of achieving the necessary

balance. At the same time, it is noted that most of

them are based on the weak controllability of the

process of the tourist product realization. To

overcome the above barriers, it is advisable to follow

the proposed recommendations. The most significant

of them is the need to regulate the recreational load

on the territory. The analysis also made it possible to

conclude that a public-private partnership is a

necessary tool for achieving a balance and sustainable

development of territory.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The reported study was funded by RFBR and

Krasnodar region according to the research project №

19-410-230049

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