In the article, the authors analyze the current situation, when in the modern scientific literature devoted to the problems of sustainable development, the bulk of research, as a rule, is focused on the environmental and economic aspects of tourism development, while the social aspect is undeservedly given the least attention or is completely ignored. The aim of the study is to consider the key social aspects of managing the development of sustainable tourism. The article presents a systematic review of the literature on the topic "social aspects of sustainable tourism", carried out with the help of a comprehensive search for relevant publications on a specific topic. As a result of the selection of scientific literature, more than 100 publications were selected, after their verification and evaluation according to the eligibility criteria, 23 publications were retained, and the rest were excluded because they did not consider or mention the social aspects of sustainable development or the development of sustainable tourism. As a result of the analysis of scientific publications of Russian and foreign scientists, the authors identified 9 social aspects of managing the sustainable development of tourism, to which the authors attributed: local cultural norms and traditions, harmonious socio-cultural environment, employment of the local population, health of the local population, social responsibility, preservation of cultural and environmental attractiveness of the tourist destination, proper management of tourist destinations, support for local entrepreneurship, economic self-sufficiency of the tourist destination.