Sustainable tourism is only achievable through the development of alternative and new forms of tourism. Critically discuss this statement with reference to one or more examples of alternative tourism in developed or developing countries.

The development of Sustainable Tourism has allowed society to meet their own present needs, without compromising such needs of future generations (Weaver and Lawton, 2010). Much attention in relation to sustainable tourism has been devoted to Alternative Tourism. Alternative Tourism aims to preserve environmental, economical and socio-cultural impacts tourists have on a destination. This paper will explore the benefits and criticisms of sustainability by a means of Alternative Tourism and also the
This approach provides the potential opportunity of volunteer tourism fostering creative, alternative and more sustainable types of tourism and tourism activity (McIntosh and Zahra, 2007). Furthermore, it is a form that conforms to the ideology that was promoted by the initial pioneers of Sustainable Tourism and unites with the principles of those who encourage creative tourism as an alternative option of Cultural Tourism (Richard and Wilson, 2006). One of the many criticisms of such new form of tourism, however, involves the ethics of Volunteer tourism as a ‘best practice’ alterative of tourism (Wearing, 2004). Such example involves the idea of viewing Volunteer Tourism as a contributor to the limitation of self-sufficiency in communities.
Alternative forms of tourism do have disadvantages and criticisms. These can include clan or group rivalries, advocates being bias and uncritical, modest economic returns, control assumed by local elite, reflections of “Western” values, and the fact that locals may actually prefer Mass Tourism (Weaver and Opperman, 2000). Furthermore, it can be quite difficult to achieve sustainability through alternative tourism due to inadequate resources, management, control systems and income, and if proper controls are not in place it may be difficult to distinguish between Mainstream Tourism and Alternative Tourism (Leksakundilok, 2006). For example,