Building success through partnership and involvement Mass tourism has brought in its wake the destruction of cultures and environments of host communities. Many countries and tourism destinations are consciously veering away from mass tourism practices and are adopting policies for sustainable tourism development. The development of sustainable tourism policies that involve all stakeholders, and which they are committed to implementing, is one of the key building blocks of sustainable tourism.
 Tourism Intelligence International was retained by the European Union to assist South Africa in developing a tourism policy that would 'develop the tourism sector as a national priority in a sustainable and acceptable manner, so that it will contribute significantly to the quality of life of every South African'.
Tourism Intelligence International believes that the process (of arriving at the policy) is often more important than the product (the policy). As such, a great deal of time and effort was invested to ensure the involvement and 'buy-in' of all stakeholders. To this end, Tourism Intelligence International facilitated workshops in all nine provinces in South Africa, involving all stakeholders in the sector, including the previously-disadvantaged segments of society. A multi-disciplinary team of economists, trainers, environment, marketing and legal experts and development specialists facilitated the policy formulation process. Started in the fall of 1996, the process was completed with the adoption of the South Africa White Paper for Tourism by its Cabinet of Ministers in August 1998.  
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