Private sector drivers.

This chapter examines the role of private sector organizations (commercial companies) in sustainable tourism. The chapter begins by examining whether there is a moral responsibility for industry to be committed to greater sustainability and moves on to examine the more instrumental, business case for why a company might promote sustainability (i.e., winning greater customer numbers and improving customer loyalty). The example of the finance industry is used to show how the private sector can move towards greater sustainability, as the finance sector is reliant on information, and monitoring is shown to be crucial if it is to fulfill its potential in terms of sustainability. The role of different private sector stakeholders is examined and an interdisciplinary approach is applied, looking at what the tourism industry can learn from efforts to apply sustainability to other areas.