Therefore, being of a different nature than sustainability pillars, political sustainability (Mihalic et al., 2012) is a requirement for sustainable tourism development (Edgell, DelMastro Allen, Smith & Swanson, 2008; UNWTO, 2004). This requirement refers to the informed participation and collaboration of all relevant stakeholders, critical mass, consensus and leadership (Mihalic et al., 2012, Edgell et al., 2008) that enable the implementation of sustainable tourism development. Furthermore, we argue that sustainable tourism development meet the needs and desires of local residents; the more the development is sustainable, the higher the positive and/or lower the negative actual and perceived impacts on economic, socio-cultural and natural environment and, consequently, the residents’ satisfaction with tourism development. According to Andriotis (2005), attitudes can dictate the extent to which residents accept tourism; in most studies, it is assumed that positive attitudes mean positive support for tourism development (Andereck & Vogt, 2000; Nunkoo, Gursoy & Juwaheer, 2010).

In fact, the purpose of this research is to test the connections between how residents perceive tourism’s impact on the sustainability pillars, the political environment and residents’ support for tourism development. Stakeholders’ collaboration ''... improves the coordination of policies and related actions, and promotes consideration of the economic, environmental, and social impacts of tourism” (Bramwell & Sharman, 1999: 392). Therefore, the outcome is potentially more efficient for sustainable tourism development (Lane, 1994).

We have developed and tested a theoretical model that assumes that political sustainability (focusing only on the stakeholder relationship between residents and local government) has an impact on resident’s satisfaction and support for efficient and sustainable tourism development. The studied destination is Bled, an Alpine tourism destination in the north-western Slovenia. Bled has 8,200 inhabitants and more than 600,000 overnight stays per year. Its main attractions are glacial Lake Bled with a small island, millennium Bled castle and green environment.