Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of this study was to investigate how sustainable tourism policies are being developed and put into practice at the state level in the United States. For those states that have sustainable tourism policies, this study also examines the internal and external conditions that appear to be correlated with the presence of such policies. Theoretical framework. This study is based on the research foundations of Diffusion of Innovations, Commons Dilemma, and Agenda-Setting literature. Methodology. This study is designed as an exploratory, non-experimental descriptive study of all fifty states, evaluating and comparing state policies at a specific point in time as a basis for comparison. The data for this research comes from an examination of secondary sources, focusing primarily on legislative and other official records through Internet-based resources. An initial descriptive narrative provides a broad overview of the status of sustainable tourism policies and initiatives across the fifty states. This study then analyzes internal and external determinants that may be associated with state sustainable tourism policy adoption. Findings. This study found twenty-eight states with sustainable tourism policies. These policies ranged widely in terms of scope and depth, from general policy statements promoting ecotourism principles to comprehensive policies covering hotel, transportation, and land-use policy issues. Nearly all policies are voluntary; and when certification programs are involved, these overwhelmingly tend to be self-reported. A distinction was made between "pale green" and "deep green" state policies, based on the depth of the states' adoption of sustainable tourism policies. Four internal and external characteristics of states were found to have significant positive correlations to sustainable tourism polices: coastal states; states with a higher level of environmentally aware citizens; states that are regionally proximate to other states with sustainable tourism policies; and states having Travel and Tourism Satellite Accounts. Conclusions and recommendations. The research suggests that some states with sustainable tourism policies are successfully addressing economic, environmental, and social aspects, while others can be considered to be emergent. The analyses of the independent variables also suggest that both internal and external determinants influence state adoption of sustainable tourism policy.