Abstract
Modernization theory has a direct link to development processes of states or regions. Therefore in regions where the tourism sector is a relevant factor of development it may contribute to modernization. By a comprehensive review of tourism and modernization literature this paper shows that there exist only few research about modernization and destination development. The authors are in favor of a modern understanding of modernization as proposed by He. Therefore they argue that the fact that greening of economy and society are an integrative part of second level modernization only a sustainable destination development approach can contribute to it. Based on the analysis of 23 sustainable tourism development processes from the Alps it can be shown that the setup of the tourism governance systems has a strong influence on the level of developments҅ sustainability. Thereby participation and transparency are key success factors for sustainable tourism governance. This supports the hypotheses that decentralization and democratization are important preconditions of second level modernization.