Sustainability Indicators as a Support for Tourism Planning: Conceptual and Methodological Issues

Abstract

Sustainable tourism planning has been a relevance worldwide topic, arousing researchers’ interest from different areas in the methodologies construction capable of measuring the sustainability sector’s level and stimulating sustainable development. In this context, the tools linked to the tourism sustainability indicators have been used in different ways in order to assist in tourism planning and management at different geographical scales. Thus, this article addresses the sustainability indicators importance, emphasizing the need to treat them in a systemic and integrated manner, highlighting three methodologies enshrined in the process of surveying and analyzing such indicators. It's concluded that, even though it is a topic addressed in the scope of bibliographic research, the present reflection is necessary in order to support the possibility of a new horizon on the issue of sustainability indicators applied to tourism planning.