| dc.description.abstract | This research aimed to analyze the waste management of the tourism industry and its influence on vector-borne diseases (VBDs) without ignoring sustainable tourism. The first objective of this research is to discover the current practices and stakeholders involved in the waste management of Curaçao's tourism industry. The second objective is to analyze the influence of waste management on the spread and control of VBDs and later link the practices with sustainable tourism.
The results are presented in four different topics: namely tourism, waste management, vector-borne diseases, and sustainable tourism. Across these topics, transect walks, semi-structured interviews, secondary data, and observations were held and collected.
It was discovered that the landfill system in Curaçao is indeed an effective and efficient method for overcoming the waste problem in Curaçao; however, the landfill system is not a sustainable solution for a more extended period. As the most effective method for the prevention of the spread of VBDs, there is a significant incentive to adopt advance waste management, such as recycling and reducing their waste volumes. Another result also pointed out that the tourism industry has the opportunity to become the leader in sustainable tourism following certifications. Hence, the tourism industry needs a stimulant to enforce the adoption of advanced waste management. Since waste management is one of the critical indicators in the certifications, in other words, the obtainment of the certifications will contribute to preventing the spread of VBDs. Thus, the external pressure put forward for the certifications from international travel agents has proven to be an efficient method for reconsidering sustainable tourism. Furthermore, the requirements of having the certifications in the tourism industry, such as a required permit to build a hotel or to extend the hotel’s permit, were recommended. | |
