The issue of sustainability and tourism has become a more widely studied topic in the past few years. However, little of this research investigates the relationship between the two concepts—sustainability and sustainable tourism—and how sustainability should be measured. Ambiguities in what is meant by sustainable tourism as reflected in the questions of how to make the industry sustainable, what should tourism sustain, and what is sustainable tourism further complicate social discourse. Progress on achieving sustainability is also limited by the need for shared definitions of means and ends among those involved in tourism development. This study provides a tourism industry perspective on what items could be sustained and what indicators should be used to monitor for sustainability policies. From the results in the state of Montana, the question of how sustainable tourism should move forward remains problematic because of differences between what should be sustained and appropriate indicators.

This introductory chapter outlines several of the pathways and pitfalls confronting tourism as it seeks an appropriate role in this world. These include: (1) the existence of different meanings of sustainable tourism; (2) the integration of tourism into broader social and economic development processes; (3) the search for sustainable tourism indicators; (4) planning and implementation of tourism development; and (5) public participation and the integration of different forms of knowledge into sustainable tourism planning.

The trend known as the "graying of America" is affecting the attitude that tourism marketers have towards seniors nowadays. This study focuses on analysing the differences between senior (50+) and non-senior tourists on their motivations for visiting a nature-based destination, their visitation patterns, and the recreation activities they engage in while there. The results demonstrate that seniors are more likely to be married, have thildren at home, be better educated than nonseniors, and use newspapers and magazines as information sources. The seniors are more likely to be motivated by activities that ensure their good health and physical fitness, their understanding of nature, and their personal enrichment. Marketing strategies are suggested to successfully appeal to this "new" nature-based senior market.

This paper provides an argument for going back to the simplification of branding and positioning based on features expressed by visitors as the attraction to a destination. Research indicates that as a result of visiting a destination, images tend to be more realistic, complex and differentiated. Therefore, an understanding of what attracted visitors can furnish the basis for image development and market positioning. Vacationers were cluster analysed and compared for significant differences based on the attraction features. The ‘attraction package’ portrayed five visitor group types. Within each visitor group a destination-specific icon was identified for market positioning.

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