Today in the world in which advances in information and science technologies result in the reduced workforce, in which large economic alliances are created, in which a number of countries experience the rapid growth and immense opportunities of domestic tourism and other countries suffer from appalling poverty, we witness significant increase in leisure and business travel, new means of transport and communication, and diversification of destinations.
According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, each individual has the right to rest and leisure time, as well as a limit of working hours. However, these rights are far from being universally accepted, with a large percentage of population in developing countries worldwide having no access to leisure and travel opportunities. To address these issues, the concept of social tourism has been developed as an important means in the struggle against limited abilities of those living in developing countries.
Identified and implemented by the social tourism are a set of specific measures, including the definition of social policies of tourism, the establishment of support systems for staff training and creation of infrastructures among others. The majority of initiatives that form part of the overall strategy are generally regarded as effective shapers of society, rather than large-scale projects. Social tourism operators strive to make essential contributions to the improvement of human relations, through animation activities and training.
Currently millions of people worldwide are welcomed by the social tourism that appeals to all budgets and age groups. Such tourism is seen as a promoter of economic growth, offering an exceptional economic opportunity and generating a continuous flow of investment and people, which, in turn, contributes to regional development, encourages the transfer of resources from rich economies to poor countries and promotes national and international wealth.
Social tourism is aimed at benefiting the whole community by contributing to the economic and social development of regions and citizens as the whole. All the players in the tourism development are subject to the same expectations of professionalism and competence, whether facility managers or entrepreneurs, guides or tour organizers, entertainers or educators.
Long before the promotion of social tourism by international tourism institutes and organizations, the concept of sustainable tourism has been adopted and expressed in the following objectives: to provide neglected regions with fresh resources; to reconcile environmental protection and tourism development; to generate local cultural, social and economic benefits. Regarded as one of the engines for regional development, tourism should never lead to local population's exploitation, destruction of its culture or uncontrolled invasion of a region.
Protection of the natural environment has always been and remains one of its primary goals, dominated on personal or commercial gain of individuals and organizations.