Progressing the Sustainability Debate: A Knowledge Management Approach to Sustainable Tourism Planning

The concept of sustainable development has been a key focus of academic research since the early 1990s. However, both the public and private tourism sectors have been criticised for their progress in applying the concept; with some authors noting that sustainability principles are not put into practice. The application of sustainable development concepts is a prime example of the difficulties associated with diffusing the body of knowledge generated through academic research to the tourism industry. Therefore, a study was undertaken to examine the transfer of academic knowledge regarding sustainability to tourism public sector practice. A two-phase qualitative research process was undertaken involving in-depth interviews with tourism destination stakeholders from five case study destinations in Queensland, Australia. The research results show that the vast body of knowledge on the topic has not been diffused effectively to the destination level where it is actually needed by those who plan and manage tourism activity. A knowledge management approach is suggested as being necessary to bridge this knowledge-practice gap.