Evaluating a standard for sustainable tourism through the lenses of local industry

This paper investigates the reasons for the failure of the Mediterranean Standard for Sustainable Tourism (MESST), a European Union initiative to create sustainable certification schemes for tourism destinations and local enterprises in Southeast Europe. Following an ex-post facto analysis based on the opinions of local tourism professionals who had involved in the creation of MESST in 2007, this study evaluates the credibility and the applicability of the standard in Rhodes island, Greece. The findings indicate that structural idiosyncrasies of cultural, political and socio-economic context influence the perceptions of the local tourism industry regarding tourism sustainability. According, to the results the incomplete accreditation process, the inability of tourism businesses to comply with technical and operational requirements, inadequate local governance and a general feeling of distrust to local authorities and tourism institutions sabotaged the utility and adoption of the standard. Finally, the study questions the capacity of sustainability indicators to map out the constant transformations and challenges of destinations so that to provide feasible benefits for tourism professionals, enhance the well-being of host communities and deliver quality services for visitors.