Tourism planning: impacts as benchmarks for sustainable development plans

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive list of indicators to be used in the tourism sector, in support of the development of sustainable strategic plans. Specific objectives include making a comprehensive assessment and categorization of those indicators and facilitating an easier to use system that guarantees the use of those benchmarks as a base for objectives definition and performance standards monitorization. Design/methodology/approach: This research adopted a descriptive design using secondary data. The data was analysed using content analysis and a posteriori categorization system, resulting in 87 indicators divided into positive and negative within six categories. Findings: The results showed that there are six key factors that may have a significant impact on tourism development suggesting they could be used for setting objectives and performance indicators when developing a strategic plan, and therefore, ensuring the sustainability of a destination and its stakeholders. Practical implications: The framework adopted in this study offers a practical tool to be used by destination and organizations planners to improve sustainable tourism performance in relation to economic, socio-cultural, psychological, political/administrative, tourism/commercial and environmental/physical measurement standards. This guidance may help decision-makers to design, manage and control sustainable strategic plans in a more effective way. Originality/value: This paper links the academic debate on the impacts of tourism with the designing and implementation of sustainable tourism policies and strategies.