Environmental regulations versus sustainable tourism indicators: a pathway to sustainable development

Purpose The purpose of this study was to profile the current state of sustainable tourism indicators (STIs) in order to assess risks and draw attention to potential solutions. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative methodology and documentary analysis were used, and primary data were gathered about STIs from four publicly available regulatory documents. Findings The study findings indicate that one of the primary impediments to sustainable tourism development is a lack of supervision and control over the enforcement of existing laws and regulations. Existing systems with relevant laws and regulations contribute to the fact that the environment is unsustainably developed because of the absence of specific explanations relating to STIs. The study identifies some of the actions that could be taken to mitigate the negative impacts of conventional forms of tourism development. Research limitations/implications This article argues that policymakers should act quickly to audit and manage the environment and that they should involve non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the tourism industry in this process. In addition, regulations should be revisited to include the necessity of being certified by international bodies for tourism enterprises and adopting European Union (EU) environmental standards. Practical implications The tourism industry must adopt a more responsible and participatory approach to economic growth in order to ensure sustainable tourism, learning from the global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Further, the industry must collaborate with policymakers to develop mechanisms to protect and control the resources they consume for the sake of future generations. Originality/value Sustainable tourism development in which all aspects contribute to economic development, especially Small Island Developing States (SIDS), is of the utmost importance. No prior work seems to have been published that evaluates publicly available regulatory documents with reference to the current state of STIs in SIDS, especially in North Cyprus.