ENGLISH Naturopa N° 84-1997

Naturopa 84-IW7 ENGLISH Naturopa N° 84-1997

Editorial A. Merkel 3

Naturopa is the environmental magazine Principles and actors of the Council of Europe. It is published Tourism and the challenge of sustainaibility F. Frangialli _ 4 three times a year in four languages: Eng- lish, French, German and Italian. Integrating sustainable principles Council of Europe. Centre Naturopa, F-67075 Strasbourg Cedex in the development of tourist projects A. Ellul 5 Tel: 33-3 88 41 22 78 A few concepts and definitions S. Blangy 7 Fax: 33-3 88 41 27 15 Respect for sites and local populations

Chief editor: Interview C. Pinto _ g Jean-Pierre Ribaut A collective challenge 5. Thibal g

Co-operation and assistance Conception and editing: The Council of Europe's programmes H. Bouguessa 10 Marie-Françoise Glatz Application and management tools e-mail: [email protected] Environmental assessment C. Zysberg 11

This issue's special adviser: Cleaner production in tourism Anne Herberich From theory to practice O. Perera ] 2 Consultant Secretary of the European Environmental The European Prize: reinforcing Management Association (EEMA ) the tourism/environment relationship M. Vanden Abeele _ La Chapelle Aiming for quality tourism F-38710 Mens Environmental awards H. Hamele 14 A European Charter for parks S. Vautier 15 Production: Artegrafica Silva s.r.l., Parma, Italy Role of training, education and awareness-raising

Articles may be freely reprinted provided How to train tourism professionals M.Wagéus 18 that reference is made to the source and a Are you familiar with the cultural copy sent to the Centre Naturopa. The copyright of all photographs is reserved. routes of Europe? M. Thomas-Penette 19

Lesiure activities and the environment: a winning combination! The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not neces- An awareness-raising campaign in the Walloon Region P. Jouret _ 20 sarily reflect the views of the Council of Europe. Help for projects

Financing sustainable tourism A. Hórhager 21 Next issue's theme: Nature conservation and land use problems ProtectinPractical gEuropea the assetn sUnio uponn supporwhich ttouris m thrives M. Vanden Abeele 22 A few projects Since 1993 Naturopa has been printed on chlorine- and wood-free paper. Steps towards sustainable tourism in Greece D. Matthews 23 The National Trust and sustainable tourism M. Drury 24

Rural tourism in Taramundi E. Lastra Pérez 25 A selective bibliography on sustainable tourism development, as well as a booklet The Abruzzi National Park "Tourism and environment" in the Ecodevelopment and ecotourism F. Tassi 26 "Questions and answers" series, are A Green Label on the island of Hiiumaa T. and R. Kokovkin _ 27 available, free of charge, upon request to the Centre Naturopa. New perspectives

Sustainable tourism and employment C.-M. Mo 28

Cover page, from top to bottom: Towards new solutions P. Keller 29 P. Carbiener, X. Varela Vilaririo, Molavi/Sipa Image Pages 16-17: A. Nouailhat At the Council of Europe Intergovernmental activities on tourism and environment F. Bauer and J.-P. Ribaut 30 Editorial

Sustainable tourism development

- Between 1900 and 1990, for instance, as well as relevant associations and interna- Europe lost around 43% of its sand dunes to tional organisations, to an international con- tourism, with the figure being as high as 75- ference on biological diversity and tourism in 80% in some Mediterranean countries. Berlin from 6 to 8 March 1997. - The amount of land used for tourism is huge; according to the "Blue Plan" for the Mediter- The "Berlin Declaration " adopted at the con- ranean region, on the north-west Mediter- ference reflects the first ever global consensus ranean coastline alone, 4 400 km2 are taken on the principles of sustainable tourism which up by tourist accommodation and related respects both the environment and nature. The infrastructures. key principles are: - In the Alps, too, which are visited by around 50 million tourists a year, valuable natural - Sustainable tourism allows for the rational environments are having to give way to build- use of biological diversity and can contribute ing and development projects. to the preservation of that diversity. - The development of tourism must be con- ow ism has grown into one of the world's trolled and carefully managed so that it major industries and has thus also There is growing recognition of the need for remains sustainable. become an increasingly important, if tourism to develop in a sustainable and envi- - Particular attention must be paid to tourism rcomplex, issue for environmental policy. ronmentally friendly manner. Many countries in ecologically and culturally sensitive areas, Unless it is developed in a sustainable man- have, for instance, introduced regulations where mass tourism should be avoided. ner, we will be unable to achieve key objec- which require environmental impact surveys - All parties concerned, including in particu- tives of global environmental policy such as to be carried out at least for larger tourist lar the private sector, have a part to play in the preservation of biological diversity, the developments. Since the Rio Summit in 1992, bringing about the sustainable development prevention of climate change or the conserva- there have also been more initiatives in sup- of tourism, and voluntary initiatives (codes of tion of natural resources. port of sustainable tourism at international level. The European Union and the Council of conduct, quality labels) should be encouraged. Tourism itself depends a lot on the existence Europe have developed specific activities in - Particular importance should be attached to of unspoilt nature and landscapes, as well as this area. In 1995, the United Nations Envi- the local level, which is not only responsible a healthy environment. If nature is plundered, ronment Programme ( UNEP. Paris) published for the sustainable development of tourism landscapes are destroyed or water, energy and for the first time a collection of the environ- but should also derive particular benefit from soil resources are over-exploited, the eco- mental guidelines in existence throughout the tourism. nomic basis of tourism is also undermined. world for the tourist sector. In April 1995, The needs of tourism do therefore overlap Unesco held a world conference on sustain- The "Berlin Declaration" is now being fed with those of environmental protection and able tourism in Lanzarote, in co-operation into the conference process of the States Par- nature conservation. with the Spanish Government. The participants adopted an 18-point Charter for Sus- lies to llie Convention on Biological Diversity with a view to achieving world-wide agree- However, many trends in tourism are hard to tainable Tourism, which has had a significant ments on the sustainable development of reconcile with the goal of "sustainable impact. tourism. It is also to provide the basis for development", which the representatives of back-up activities in the context of the extra- over 170 states agreed to pursue at the The first example of an international legal ordinary session of the UN General Assembly United Nations Conference on Environment instrument can be found in the implementing in June 1997 and at the UN Commission on and Development in Rio cle Janeiro in 1992, protocol on tourism of the Convention for the Sustainable Development. and are posing new challenges for environ- Protection of the Alps, which commits the mental policy at both European and global eight Alpine states to the goal of sustainable I hope that it will mark the successful begin- level. tourism in the Alpine region. ning of internationally co-ordinated efforts to make tourism environmentally and socially On the one hand, for instance, tourists are In my view, however, these are only first steps, sustainable so that many generations to come becoming increasingly environmentally con- which are not enough in themselves to ensure can continue to experience and enjoy the scious and are looking to get back to nature that tourism develops in a sustainable manner beauty of nature on our planet. • and enjoy unspoilt environments when on at global level. At the second conference of holiday. On the other hand, however, the the States Parties to the Convention on Bio- Angela Merkel number of international tourists is growing logical Diversity in Jakarta (Indonesia) in Federal Minister for the Environment, constantly, having risen from around ISO mil- November 1995. I therefore called for the Nature Conservation and Reactor Safety lion in 1971 to almost 600 million last year. convention to be used as the basis for devel- Postfaeh 12 06 29 The proportion of long-haul journeys is also oping international principles and rules D-53048 Bonn increasing steadily, especially in the industri- designed to bring the needs of tourism into alised nations, where travel is now taken for line with those of nature conservation. Admit- granted as part of people's lifestyles and has tedly, the convention - like Agenda 21 - does become an important factor in social status. not deal specifically with issues of tourism. The many different types of travel and holi- Nevertheless, just as several chapters of days are covering more and more countries Agenda 21 are of relevance to tourism, the and regions and, as a result, increasing num- Convention on Biological Diversity also bers of previously unspoilt natural environ- offers important starling points for global ments are being opened up to tourism. This agreements in this area. applies equally to coastlines, small islands, coral reefs, rock formations and mountain To make the most of the opportunity offered regions. Various surveys have produced find- here. 1 invited states from all over the world ings which in some cases are nothing short of which are major international tourist destina- dramatic: tions and also have great biological diversity. Last February, in London, this Agenda 21 for Tourism and the challenge Travel and Tourism was given a careful review by the three partners. In perspective, the review showed that considerable progress has been made in educating the travel and of sustainability tourism industry about sustainability. While more needs to be done - in certain sectors of Francesco Frangialli which are important ingredients in any tourist tour operations, in the procurement policy of product. enterprises, in encouraging clean technologies f there is any single change that has charac- and above all in promoting environment- terised the tourism sector in the past two friendly transport - the reflex of "thinking Idecades, it must be its attitudes toward the Travel trade green" is increasingly manifest in the travel environment. Not so long ago, it was unusual business. to include environment on the agenda of a Turning to the travel trade, the change has travel trade meeting. Environment was simply taken place through two influences. First is Fortunately, WTO is not alone in believing not considered a problem for tourism. the natural desire of tour operators to improve that the tourism industry has much to gain by Besides, it was stressed, tourism could always and enhance the quality of the products they being a leader in sustainable development. be relied upon to develop unassisted in har- offer. Second, it is the feedback the travel Europe-based international organisations such mony with the environment. trade receives from its customers which is as Unesco, OECD, the EU and of course, the convincing travel professionals of the need Council of Europe, are devoting considerable Today, all those concerned, from top manage- for sustainability. resources to this subject. ment to local planners, are far more pradent. They know that rapid tourism development strategies for the purpose of reaping short-term Governmental level benefits are no longer acceptable. Furthermore, Ecotourism they recognise that only sustainable tourism As to governments, the process has been insti- policies will ensure a steady stream of profits In Europe and elsewhere there are an increas- tutional. After Rio, all government depart- from the industry to the national economy. ing number of practical examples of the ments were asked to embrace Agenda 21. tourism earnings of wildlife making a sizeable Since Agenda 21 is a lengthy document con- contribution to its conservation. taining 40 chapters, they needed some assis- Market level tance. For tourism, the World Tourism Organ- In July 1996, in Arusha. at a WTO regional isation (WTO), the World Travel and Tourism seminar on finance and management of At market level, the environmental movement Council and the Earth Council volunteered to wildlife parks for tourism, H. E. Minister has profoundly influenced consumer attitudes produce a draft Agenda 21 for the travel and Juma Ngasaongwa, Minister of Natural towards tourism, especially in main generat- tourism industry with a set of recommenda- Resources and Tourism of Tanzania, ing countries, such as Europe. This in itself is tions aimed both at governments and the pri- explained to participants how African a reflection of the way UNCED - the Rio vate sector. Agenda 21 for Travel and Tourism countries are increasingly relying on Earth Summit of 1992 - has integrated the provides a kind of road map for national tourism to generate revenue for protection global environmental movement into the action and international co-operation. In of fauna and flora. Or, in the memorable mainstream of action for sustainable develop- essence, it sets the following main objectives words of H. E. President Maumoon Abdul ment. Whether tourists come from North for governments: Gayoom, President of the Republic of the America, Japan or Europe, they are today Maldives, addressing WTO's Asia-Pacific extremely conscious of their holiday environ- - to adopt measures both externally and in- Members in February 1997, "Wildlife stays ment and generally well-disposed to its con- house to bring about sustainability; because wildlife pays". servation. - to promote Agenda 21 through education and training; European national parks are also experiencing Furthermore, travellers' higher expectations - to encourage integrated planning for sustain- the same benefits through conservation of their of quality are also working in favour of envi- ability; biodiversity. Tourism is being developed in ronment. Since tourists have no prior commit- - to foster information and technology park peripheries with a resultant boost to the ment to revisit a destination, it is basically exchanges; local economy and earnings of residents. only quality that will attract them back as - to build sustainability into the design of new Simultaneously, populations of rare endan- repeat visitors. That quality is based on both tourist products; and gered species in the park core-zones are recov- natural assets and on personal service, both of - to measure progress in achieving the above. ering and constitute attractions for visitors.

Top ten tourism destinations in Europe Top ten tourism earners in Europe

1996 Country Arrivals (000) % in Europe 1996 Country Receipts (US$m) % in Europe

1 France 61 500 17.7 1 Spain 28 428 13.1 2 Spain 41 295 11.7 2 France 28 241 13.0 3 Italy 32 853 9.3 3 Italy 27 349 12.6 4 United Kingdom 26 025 7.4 4 United Kingdom 19 738 9.1 5 Hungary 20 670 5.9 5 Germany 15 815 7.3 6 Poland 19 420 5.5 6 Austria 15 095 7.0 7 Austria 17 090 4.9 7 Switzerland 8 661 4.0 8 Czech Republic 17 000 4.8 8 Poland 8 400 3.9 9 Germany 15 205 4.3 9 Netherlands 6 256 2.9 10 Russian Federation 14 587 4.1 10 Turkey 6 000 2.8

Source: World Tourism Organisation (WTO) Heritage Cities: challenges and opportunities" Parks in northern Italy and France, among Heritage sites to be held in Evora, Portugal, in September others, are examples of this trend. Members 1997. of WTO's Commission for Europe attend- Those responsible for Europe's built heritage ing WTO's Heidelberg seminar on also look to tourism to provide funds for con- "Tourism and environmental protection" in servation and enhancement of historic build- In conclusion, sustainable tourism requires May 1996 learned, for example, how ings and monuments. WTO has encouraged the right balance between government regula- tourism had created 1 500 new jobs and the trend for tourism and cultural administra- tion and free market forces. Equilibrium generated 200 000 bed-nights in the tions to work more closely together. WTO between these often opposing forces can only Cévennes National Park, which is also a also applauds the move by many cities to be achieved through dialogue and co-operation - World Biosphere Reserve. work together to resolve the problems that dialogue in each destination among all stake- large, often highly seasonal, numbers of visi- holders in the tourism sector and more co- WTO is also supporting work on a European tors. raise for major heritage sites. Later this operation between tourist generating and Charter for sustainable tourism development year, WTO and ICOMOS will jointly publish receiving countries. • in protected areas. The charter will be of assis- Guidelines specifically developed for sustainable tourism management of heritage sites. F. Frangialli tance to WTO in its work to update the 1992 Secretary-General edition of its own "Guidelines: developing WTO will also contribute to the 4th interna- World Tourism Organisation tourism in national parks and protected tional symposium of the organisation of Capitán Hava 42 E-28020 Madrid areas". World Heritage Cities: "Tourism and World

Integrating sustainable principles in the development of tourist projects scape or landscape of the area it is to be Anthony Ellnl Planning located in; ourism is increasingly becoming the The planning of any project is the initial - can be economically viable without having to world's main industry. International stage of any development. The whole con- exert significant adverse impacts on the area; Ttourist arrivals for 1996 totalled 593 mil- cept of the project is being planned and the - has received some degree of acceptance lion, a substantial increase from the 25 million objectives and goals being set. During this from the local community following adequate in 1950. International receipts for the same stage it is to be ensured that the develop- consultation and will benefit the local com- year topped US$ 423 billion. The World ment: munity. Tourism Organisation (WTO) forecasts that It is also recommended at this initial stage that international tourism will grow at the rate of - will not destroy any significant ecological, developers carry out an impact assessment of 4% per annum and by the year 2010 interna- geological and archaeological resources; their proposed project to identify any signifi- tional arrivals will exceed 970 million with - will not constitute a potential threat to a pro- cant adverse impacts and lake any measures to receipts in the range of US$ 1 500 billion. tected area or areas both in terms of the development itself and the type of tourism activity mitigate such impacts. Such an assessment willliave to address the likely impacts on: These figures are enough to visualise the the development will be attracting (e.g. nature immense dimension of this phenomenon tourism or mass tourism); - the natural environment and the socio- called tourism and its contribution to various - can integrate itself with the capacity of the cultural fabric; economies. This also means that new destina- locality without adding significant pressures tions are likely to develop, as traditional des- and impacts on the natural resources and the - the existing infrastructure both physical tinations start to decrease their share of inter- socio-cultural fabric of the area; (roads, utilities) and human (availability of national tourist arrivals. These new destina- - is of a scale and mass that respects the town- trained personnel); tions will face development pressures to provide the necessary tourist infrastructure to meet demand. On the other hand, some existing destinations will struggle to maintain their market share. This may also lead to new developments to attract new markets (e.g. golf courses, theme parks) and which may place additional pressures on the environment and its resources.

"Protecting the environment and successful tourism development are inseparable" (Inskeep. 1994). Therefore, in developing the tourism infrastructure (i.e. hotels, attractions, tourist facilities, etc) due attention must be given to the resource base that such development may affect. Criteria

There are a number of criteria which have to be considered to ascertain the sustainability of a tourism development project. These criteria can be examined under the following categories: planning, design, marketing and operations. Example of vernacular architecture in Malta with little visual impact on the landscape

tion include reducing pollution through waste water treatment and prohibiting the use of hazardous chemicals, waste reduction, energy- saving measures and water conservation.

The regulatory planning framework in Bermuda prohibits the use of neon signs on - the tourism product being offered; the direct, enable them to understand better the destina- building facades and building regulations indirect, immediate and long-term effects of tion. particularly the values and customs of specify that new buildings must not exceed the project. the local community and other environmental two storeys in height and must utilise local considerations; architectural styles. Design - the careful planning and design of the development, which takes account of the various Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo incorporates The design stage is when the planning stage is environmental and socio-cultural elements of environmental considerations within its translated into drawings and plans by the the location, are also other aspects which tourism development designs, from the mate- architects and engineers. In designing a would enhance the development's marketing rials used through to energy-and water-effi- tourism development project the following strategy and make customers more conscious cient buildings. criteria should be considered: of the sensitiveness of the locality they are visiting; Grecotel, the Greek hotel chain, works with - respect for the architectural character and both tour operators to develop collaborative - marketing programmes should ensure that cultural identity of the area by adopting tradi- programmes to protect and improve the envi- the level of tourist activity to be attracted is tional architectural features in the design; ronment, especially in resort areas, and with appropriate to the social and ecological capac- local businesses to improve overall environ- - capitalise on climatic conditions of the localities of the locality, particularly in terms of the mental performance and improve the infra- ity to reduce dependency of artificial lighting numbers and types of tourists and the activity structure for environmental responsibility. (e.g. maximise on the use of sunlight to light this will generate: up public areas and guest rooms) and heating. - collaborative marketing between develop- This will depend on the climatic conditions of The design of the Center Pares holiday village ments in the same locality will also ensure a the various localities; in Sherwood Forest has ensured the careful concerted approach to the overall marketing - make use of indigenous plants and trees in siting of the villas and facilities, blending of the locality and not just the development paths and roads into the landscape to enhance landscaping designs, and where possible itself. This is important in retaining a distinct heights of buildings should not exceed that of the natural qualities of the site and trans- and unified image of the locality enhancing formed an area which previously had limited the highest trees so that the whole develop- the tourist's overall holiday experience. ment is screened to minimise potential ecological value into an area with rich aquatic adverse visual impacts; flora, planting of 500 000 new trees and Operation bushes, seeding of special grasses and wild - take into account measures to reduce energy flowers, together with the creation of a consumption, particularly through the selec- The final aspect which is equally important in reserve for a herd of deer. tion of building materials, water conservation ascertaining a sustainable development pro- and waste water treatment; ject relates to the operational aspects of the Major tour operator groups like Thomson - the sensitive integration of the development development. This simply refers what mea- Travel Group and TUI have asked suppliers of into the landscape by respecting the configu- sures the development has taken to ensure that accommodation to improve their environmen- ration of the land and the features present in its operations minimise the impact on the tal performance. In fact TUI, voluntarily and the area. environment. This would include: as part of their commitment to environmental conservation, also undertakes environmental Marketing - carrying out periodical environmental audits of their operations to identify areas where impact assessments for all new areas of development including socio-economic and physi- "'Marketing that provides tourists with full environmental performance can be improved cal environmental criteria. and responsible information increases respect to minimise impacts; for the natural, social and cultural environ- - training of staff to be more knowledgeable ments of destination areas and enhances cus- and understanding of the environmentaf prob- The above are just a few examples of the type tomer satisfaction" (Eber, 1992). lems of the locality and thus be more aware of of actions being taken to make developments the impact of their work on the environment more sustainable. Developments must adopt Marketing is the process by which the cus- and seek to improve their methods to reduce sustainable criteria throughout the various tomer is attracted to the product being offered. any adverse impacts; development stages. No development is sustainable if it is environment-friendly in its The right marketing will attract the right cus- - the use of environment-friendly technology, operational aspects but on the other hand it tomer and thus avoid a situation of product- where possible, to improve environmental has destroyed or degraded an entire ecosys- market mismatch. Marketing a project to performance particularly in the areas of tem for its construction. A sustainable devel- achieve sustainability necessitates: energy saving, water conservation and waste opment needs to keep itself focused on its water treatment and re-use; environmental performance at all stages of its - the selection of appropriate channels of dis- - the reduction of waste produced by buying tribution (e.g. travel agents, tour operators, development cycle, from the conceptual and in bulk and making sure that unwanted pack- planning stages through to design and opera- newspapers, magazines) in marketing the aging is returned to the supplier. development. Selecting those channels that tion. In this way tourism development and environmental protection can achieve a long- show respect to the socio-cultural attributes of Worldwide examples the destination and its environmental term harmonious relationship. • resources, rather than being exploitative, will The International Hotel Environment Initia- A. El I uI certainly lead to a better symbiosis between tive brings together 12 main hotel chains conservation and tourism activity; Planning Authority which have committed themselves to make Floriana - the marketing strategies should provide their developments more environment- P O Box 200 potential customers with information that will Valletta CMR 01 friendly in their operations. Areas of interven- Malta A few concepts and definitions

Sylvie Blangy But ecotourism is first and foremost an people living, working or staying in these approach to development that involves new areas" (FNPNR. Charter of Sustainable cotourism, sustainable tourism, nature forms of partnership between tour operators, Tourism). tourism, rural tourism and green tourism - agencies in the host countries, local commu- Ethe confusion is such that we need to re- nities, managers of protected areas, environ- The WTO has adopted three types of criterion examine the content, the criteria and the cov- mental organisations and scientific circles. All of sustainable tourism development: erage of these different concepts and illustrate these partners sign a charter promising to min- each of them in terms of products and projects. imise their impact on the environments vis- - the resources of the environment must be ited, to inform travellers about local rules and protected; customs, to join in any local programme - local communities must benefit both eco- Ecotourism, a form of aimed at the protection of wild species and nomically and in quality of life; sustainable tourism their habitats and to give interested local com- - visitors must be given a quality experience. munities the means to keep under control all facilities for the reception and assistance of Europe feels more at home with this terminol- Ecotourism was born in North America tourists. ogy of sustainable tourism, which takes around 1985 in the wake of the development account of its particular limitations - man- of tourism for naturalists in the most remote dominated landscapes, over-visited protected and fragile areas of the world. At the time, Sustainable tourism areas, low biological diversity, urbanised environmental organisations, NGOs and the mediterranean coastline, concentration of tourism industry were seeking to raise public Sustainable tourism is a more recent people in cities, pollution and damaging of awareness in an attempt to reduce visitor natural sites used for recreation, management impact on these natural environments and on approach, an offshoot of the concept of sustainable development that emerged during of abandoned farmland, pressure of hunting. the communities living in them and to make In Europe, the concern is not so much to quite sure that the money generated by such the Rio Conference in 1992. It also sprang from concern about the future of fragile develop an elite tourism for experienced natu- tourism went to support efforts to protect the ralists as to sensitise the tourist industry as a sites and local cultures. regions of the world, especially tropical forests. The "environment" component is whole and persuade it to adopt environment- friendly practices. The most frequently quoted definition is: therefore very important. But the concept of "Ecotourism is tourism in areas virtually sustainable tourism is relevant to the tourist industry as a whole since it covers rural and The concept of ecotourism thus fits into that undisturbed by human beings. It must con- of sustainable tourism like a Russian doll. tribute to nature conservation and the well- urban areas as well as natural landscapes, incorporates the idea of cultural and archi- Although ecotourism is an older concept, it is being of local populations" (The Ecotourism one of the many facets of the philosophy Society, USA). tectural heritage and urges changes in behaviour at home and not just in the countries vis- underlying sustainable tourism. Ecotourism is therefore based on observation ited. It is a broader concept than that of ecotourism. of the natural world. The tourist products on Other concepts offer are focused mainly on the southern hemisphere, on countries with great biological "By 'sustainable tourist development' is In Europe, rural tourism is the meeting point diversity and undisturbed natural environment meant any form of development, provision of between ecotourism and sustainable tourism and which have national parks, private amenities or tourist activity that emphasises since it is organised in relatively undisturbed reserves and local communities still practising respect for and long-term preservation of natural, cultural and social resources and makes natural areas inhabited by traditional commu- their traditional activities. The markets from a positive and equitable contribution to the nities. Rural tourism reflects a deliberate which these tourists come are North America economic development and fulfilment of choice (based on the desire to escape, at least and, more recently, Europe. temporarily, from an urban life style) within the confines of the rural world. This approach calls for few physical changes to the places concerned.

This type of tourism embraces three kinds of activity: outdoor sports, exploration of the natural environment, and a restful change of surroundings; all attach importance to an unspoilt environment and may be practised without transforming that environment.

"Green tourism" is a broader concept than rural tourism and involves periods spent in rural surroundings; it includes the idea of "alternative" or "soft" tourism with its concern for and responsible attitude towards local sites and cultures. •

S. Blangy Ecotourism consultant SECA Parc Scientifique Agropolis F-34397 Montpellier Cedex 5 Respect for sites and local populations Interview

arlos Pinto, a member of the Por- What steps have been taken to promote tuguese Parliament and Mayor of sustainable tourist development? CCovilha, has often been confronted • Various legal instruments have set restric- with the problem of respect for sites and tions on land use as well as tolerance thresh- local populations. This is his view of olds for tourist areas. A programme for the tourism in Portugal. restoration of sites has been adopted. In this o context, projects to restore coasts, towns and Naturopa: historic centres receive funding. For example, How has tourism developed in your country? in 1995. the government approved a range of • Carlos Pinto: initiatives to improve the standard of beaches: In Portugal, the first references to tourism they entail renovating existing local infra- date from the late eighteenth and the early structure, improving the cleaning and safety nineteenth centuries. A number of buildings of beaches, controlling the use of water-borne bear witness to this period - the Hotel vehicles, etc. More recently, development Lawrence in Sintra (1780). the Hotel Bragan^a plans for coastal areas have been approved, in Lisbon and the first Parisian-style cafes for example the National Plan for Waste such as the Marrare de Polimento, the ture (eg fishing, extraction of sea salt, fish establishing a national network for collecting, Principe dos Botequins and the Majestic. canning factories) lose their labour force, treating and storing waste. Some seaside spa towns also date from 1810 which is attracted by better paid and less gru- onwards: Oerez, Vizela, S. Pedro do Sul, Cal- elling jobs in the tourist industry; What improvements would you like to see das da Rainha and Estoril. - the high spending power of tourists has in the future? In the mid-1960s, the hotel capacity was driven up the price of goods and services in 80 000 beds. The number of tourists entering tourist areas; • The large number of problems linked to Portugal jumped from 150 000 in 1953 to a - the local population's behaviour and values tourism in Portugal justify the political prior- million in 1964 and two million in 1968. By change when they come into contact with the ity which this sector is being given, particu- 1975. this figure had exceeded ten million and lifestyles of tourists; at the same time, these larly the transformation of the existing Secre- a year later it had reached 19.6 million. Today social changes are leading to higher crime tariat of State and Ministry. Portugal is among the top 13 tourist destina- rates; The consequences of tourism in different eco- tions in the world. - the countryside and traditional activities are nomic sectors mean that closer co-ordination gradually disappearing because of standardis- is needed at the highest levels of decision- ation. making so that the measures necessitated by Does the presence of tourists present spe- the development of the Portuguese economy cific problems for Portugal? can be taken. • • Yes. Given the seasonal nature of the Have you set a tolerance ceiling? demand (more than 45% of tourists come • For the last ten years, the government has been applying rules on land use. Municipal C. Pinto between July and September) and the high PO Box 185 geographical concentration (the Algarve nor- and regional master plans for the most sensi- P-6202 Covilha mally receives over 40% of the visitors, fol- tive areas have been drawn up, for instance lowed by Madeira and Lisbon, each with in the Algarve. on the Alentejo and Douro 15%) the main problems are water supply and shorelines and in the Sintra/Cascais nature the excessive concentration of tourists in a park. few regions, which typically do not have adequate waste management. Municipalities and central government have therefore had to make enormous efforts, for example, to build new infrastructure, to provide water supplies through underground catchment systems and dams, to maintain the road network and provide new forms of transport and to treat or recycle waste.

Has the environment been changed, or even damaged, by tourism? • In spite of Portugal's considerable efforts, marine pollution and the erosion of certain parts of the coast have been extensive. This is mainly due to the excessive amount of building on the sea front; this has resulted in "urban jungles" which are currently being converted.

What impact does tourism have on local inhabitants? • It has both an ecological and a socio-economic impact since: - land normally used for agriculture, forestry and stock-farming has been taken over in order to build tourist and public amenities for mass tourism; - economic activities associated with agricul- j¡ >

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Pazo de In Tanza, restored as a rural tourism office, Spain A collective challenge

Suzanne Thibal sumption - including the tourist industry. All The most important thing is to be able to of this, combined with the new aspirations of choose the appropriate co-ordinating bodies After Rio people in terms of quality of life and the emer- and legal instruments to promote partnership: gence of a new sense of responsibility towards ustainable development is based on prin- future generations, means that we can right- - among the various local players, ciples whose theoretical validity was fully talk of a •'post-Rio" effect in the field of - between local players and outside operators, officially recognised by many states development. - between local players and the local authorities S - and between the local population and throughout the world following the Rio Sum- mit. tourists, A general consensus Sustainable tourism development, which so as to combine private and public property seeks to implement this new concept of devel- The European institutions (the Council of as well as private interests and collective opment. is based on the enhancement of nat- Europe and the European Union) preceded, needs in a process of interactive and system- ural, cultural and social resources, with the accompanied and have since built on the Rio atic development. dual aim of improving the standard of living Summit in terms of the principles and values and quality of life of local residents, while sat- it set forth. This is particularly noticeable in From the outline above we can see the key role assigned to the local authorities, as guar- isfying the expectations and the needs of visi- the area of sustainable tourism development antors of the public interest, mediators tors, and preserving natural habitats and cul- (human rights, culture and environment in the between conflicting interests and forums of tural identities for future generations. This case of the Council of Europe, subsidiarity local democracy, in this process of devising a means: principle and Community funds in the case of sustainable tourism development project the European Union). which benefits the local population as well as - making an inventory of potential available visitors and tourists and respects the collec- resources and assessing the extent to which All the evidence suggests that there is now a tive natural and cultural heritage. • they can be enhanced through tourism; consensus on the need for sustainable tourism - identifying products and markets in line with development as an approach to development the planned provision for tourists; and a goal to be achieved. S. Thibal Secretary General of Euroler - devising an overall development programme Tourism in Rural Europe based on co-ordinated individual schemes; However, given that, by definition, sustain- 82 rue François Rolland - mobilising and organising the various able tourism development has to be integrated F-94130 Nogent-sur-Marne players whose involvement in tourism into the environment and the local commu- development is felt to be desirable: nity, there is no standard model recommend- - setting up legal structures capable of drawing which partners should be given promi- ing in the available financial support, super- nence or what methods should be used. vising the various stages of development, promoting the overall project and encouraging interaction between all the partners. Key partnerships

Clearly, these principles stem from the desire The nature of the development project and for sound management of a valuable asset in the content of the implementation pro- what is a buyer's market. Well before Rio, gramme will determine the type of legal tourist facilities which were integrated into instruments required for the purposes of their environment and rooted in the local com- spatial planning, setting up and running munity were already being set up at the insti- facilities, promotion and marketing, some of gation of local authorities, cultural associa- which will have to be created from scratch tions, producers' organisations, national and some of which simply need to be adapted campaigns, spatial planning bodies, etc. to the circumstances.

However, the Rio Summit had the merit of Similarly, depending on the circumstances, highlighting the recent worldwide growth in the project will either be the product of a sin- awareness of how fragile the earth's resources gle initiative or a combination of individual are, and particularly how vulnerable they are schemes and. once again, the legal instru- to the destructive impact of unbridled con- ments will be chosen accordingly. Co-operation and assistance The Council of Europe's programmes

Hélène Bouguessa support this development, not only on the hinterland and adapt and improve agricultural basis of the successes achieved but also in the structures. he Council of Europe has been concerned light of the failures which had marked certain with sustainable tourism development for development policies pursued in western Finally, in Belarus, our co-operation and con- Ta number of years. Specific activities countries, particularly in the Mediterranean. sultancy work enabled the relevant authorities focusing directly on or linked closely with to plan and implement tourism development tourism have been developed both in the This back-up work consisted of: schemes geared to the natural environment, Organisation's intergovernmental sector and in first in the Berezinsky reserve and then in the the context of its assistance and co-operation - technical consultancy assignments on cer- Pripiatsky reserve. As a result, the Berezinsky programmes for the central and east European tain development projects; reserve, which is extremely rich in flora and countries. It should also be pointed out that the - thematic colloquies aimed at central and east fauna, received its first groups of tourists who Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of European experts. had not come as hunters, and will focus Europe has held wide-ranging discussions on increasingly on this activity, from which the the subject of tourism policies and adopted local population will also reap major social Recommendation 1133 (1990) which gives a and economic benefits. broad overview of all the aspects of tourism. Technical consultancy Technical consultancy assignments for sustainable tourism development were organised Colloquies The co-operation programme between 1993 and 1996 at the request of the Since 1991, colloquies focusing on the fol- Slovakian, Albanian and Belarus authorities. Thanks to a varied and often extremely well lowing topics have been organised to enable exchange of ideas and experience between preserved natural environment, landscapes The technical assistance given to Slovakia central and east European specialists: and sites which are new to many visitors, and was in response to a request from the Associ- a rich cultural heritage, the central and east ation of Slovakian Mayors and concerned the European countries have been a major attrac- following two major projects: - specific environmental problems arising tion since the fall of the Berlin Wali. Tourism from the increase of tourism in central and represented an important and necessary - the development of an essentially rural form eastern Europe (Budapest. Hungary, 1991); source of currency for economies in transi- of tourism in the Danube valley near - tourism development and the safeguarding tion. Consequently, it was easy to predict that Bratislava; of deltas (Bucharest, Romania, 1992); - tourism in mountain regions and the role of tourism would become one of the main eco- - the adaptation and expansion of tourism in the regional nature parks (Sofia. Bulgaria, 1993); nomic resources for many of these countries, High Tatras. with the emphasis on winter sports. as it is for many western European countries. - Europe's forests (Warsaw. Poland, 1994); In Albania, the national authorities responsi- - sustainable tourism development (Larnaca. Cyprus, 1995); Right from the start of this process, the Coun- ble for the protection of the environment cil of Europe expressed a desire to contribute asked us for our support and advice in con- - sustainable tourism development: reconciling economic, cultural, social, scientific and envi- to the debate which was getting under way in nection with two tourism development pro- ronmental factors (Maribor. Slovenia, 1996). • the central and east European countries jects on the coast around the localities of regarding the promotion of balanced tourism Spille and Golem in the district of Kawaja. H. Bouguessa development. It wanted to help them establish The aim of the projects was not only to attract Editor of the Strategy Bulletin the principles, rules and structures needed to tourists to the seaside but also to develop the Council of Europe Environmental assessment

Claudine Zysberg

he organisation of tourism on a sustainable basis is one of the challenges of the T21st century for Europe. To ensure planned and controlled tourism development we need to apply environmental assessment to overall plans and programmes.

What is involved?

Environmental assessment encompasses the whole procedure of analysing the environmental impact of a proposal (a project or strategy) so as to gauge its environmental acceptability and guide the decision-maker. Environmental assessment therefore includes preliminary studies, consultation of experts, government and the public, studies and opinions to help decide whether to proceed with a project, and monitoring of project implemen- Environment assessments are applied to all infrastructures involving tourism tation.

The advantages of applying this approach, which is a repetitive one, to overall plans and cultural heritage of a town, country or region all too often left out of decisions relating to programmes and not just to specific develop- even though it is exploring that very heritage tourism. Since it incorporates a monitoring ment projects are twofold. With impact stud- that is the basis of tourism. procedure it can be useful throughout the life ies of development schemes, the interests of of a programme. the environment are taken into account too The tourist trade is also a prey to fashions late in the decision-making process and it is (skiing, golf, sun worship and, more lately, In conclusion, environmental assessment of not always possible to adopt alternative, outdoor activities) and this makes investments plans and programmes could become a worth- more environment-friendly plans. Also. riskier. For a long time tourist regions lacked while way of reconciling the development of European Union policy on the environment - and some still lack - genuine plans or pro- tourism with nature conservation. It is not the and sustainable development stresses that an grammes for tourism development. only method but it has the advantage of being overall approach of this kind is important to comprehensive and of giving equal impor- information supply between states (eg in a tance to ecological and economic implica- transfrontier pollution incident). The Union Why is assessment necessary? tions. It can be adapted to any tourism plan or is preparing a Council directive on the programme, whether local or regional. effects of certain plans and programmes. The There are a number of reasons for building draft directive deals with plans and pro- environmental assessment into the design of A method of this type provides a better grammes adopted by a competent authority plans and programmes. response to one of the priority actions of the or by act of parliament and covers not only Pan-European Biological and Landscape town and country planning but also a whole The first reason is to encourage the drawing Diversity Strategy laid down at the Sofia range of sectors including transport, waste up of tourism plans and programmes. To be Conference in October 1995: "to integrate disposal, management of water supply, workable, such plans or programmes need to nature and landscape conservation objectives industry, telecommunications, tourism and include a strategy, take account of an area's into tourism and recreation policies and stim- energy. natural and cultural potential and its limits, be ulate their sustainability". • carefully targeted, estimate the economic resources of the town, country or region and C. Zysberg Ministère de l'Environnement Adjusting to plans and its inhabitants and decide what amenities it is 20 avenue de Ségur programmes for tourism really necessary to construct. F-75302 Paris 07 SP

In volume, tourism is the biggest economic Environmental assessment will help draw up sector in Europe. The very existence of the the plan or programme by means oi' an initial range of services that comes under the head- inventory of the environment and of tourism, ing of tourism depends 011 the building and and then refine and improve it by applying operation of transport infrastructure - airports, four criteria: ports, hotels, leisure facilities - for all of which an impact study is now mandatory - how can the environmental capital be pre- (under Community Directive No. 85/337 of served? 27 June 1985 on the impact assessment of cer- - what is the advantage to the country, town or tain public and private projects affecting the region? environment, amended by Directive - what are the benefits to local people? No. 97/11 of 3 March 1997). But such infra- - is the programme or plan realistic in terms of structure is all too often constructed piece- technical and financial feasibility? meal. with no overall plan to guide the expansion of tourism in the particular region, and Environmental assessment also plays an could damage or even destroy the natural and essential role by involving the general public, Cleaner production in tourism From theory to practice

O shan i Pe re ra materials and incorporated "heat mirror" by 7-10%. These include motion detectors, sheets in double-paned windows. This trans- individual thermostats, time relay control leaner production is producing goods parent wavelength-selective material allows systems, key card master switches, and and services so that the production of light but little heat in summer and retains energy recovery in swimming pools and laun- Cpollution and waste is avoided or heat in the winter. Windows and skylights dries. At the Hotel Inter-Continental Nairobi, reduced and resources are used efficiently. It maximise daylighting and reduce energy Kenya, the condenser from discarded chillers aims to reduce pollution from the very onset, loads. Recycled building materials were also was reused to install a flash steam recovery and not simply deal with waste and emissions used. unit. The cost of a new unit was reduced by after they have been created. 90%, while the recovered energy equals At the Movenpick Dead Sea Resort in Jordan, US$ 34 000 per annum. For tourism, cleaner production is the design vernacular architecture, i.e. stone walls, can- and delivery of transport, accommodation, vas-shaded pathways and courtyards, reduce Solid waste catering, leisure, and entertainment services heat gain and stimulate natural air flow. which: Unhandled solid waste is unattractive and reduces the overall quality of the destination. - are placed, designed and constructed with Waste minimisation is about the "3Rs", minimum environmental impact; Environmental management reduce, reuse and recycle. Hotel Guestline - integrate environment management into Before starting action, a preliminary audit has Days in Thirupathi, India, composts and daily operations; to be conducted to know where to begin. This reuses organic waste as fertiliser, makes a - systematically monitor environmental per- will vary from facility to facility based 011 the cleaning agent from left-over juices and formance and improvement. operations characteristics and customer base, wines, and reuses old linen as cleaning existing and impending legislation, and local cloths. The benefits are multiple. Using less water and regional environmental priorities. and energy and producing less waste will directly cut costs. Through improved mainte- Purchasing environment-friendly and Environmental management in hotels calls for nance and servicing of equipment, the use of recycled products resources can be further optimised. a seven-point action programme: Changing purchasing practices in areas which - water: minimising water use, waste water are highly visible to guests, e.g. biodegradable treatment and recycling: soaps, recycled stationery, wooden furniture Siting, eco-design and low - energy: minimising energy use and switch- carrying a sustainable felling stamp, and nat- impact construction ing to renewable energy sources; ural fibre textiles and linen, etc.. can be good - solid waste: reduce, reuse and recycle; starting points. Instead of always building new structures, the - purchasing environment-friendly and recy- possibility of renovating and refurbishing cled products: existing facilities should be fully explored. - emission control and reduction; Emissions - support measures: staff training and visitor Resource inventories and environment impact communication; Emissions from tourism facilities include assessments should be used to direct develop- - monitoring and reporting. emissions from fossil fuel boilers. CFCs from ment to areas of least ecological importance, refrigeration and air-conditioning systems, and to determine factors like building densi- Water and halon fire extinguishers. CFC alternatives ties, and minimum setback distances from are available on the market and wet scrubbers rain forests, mangroves, rivers, and coastlines. Simple measures such as flow reducers and can be used to reduce the carbon monoxide Eco-design elements include size, layout, low flush systems bring substantial water and emissions from boilers. Habitat Suites, Texas, solar orientation, daylighting, maximising the cost savings. The Mandarin Oriental in has eliminated the use of chlorine ¡11 the use of recycled, non-toxic and less resource- Jakarta, Indonesia, reduced water use by 14% swimming pool through a copper and silver intensive local building materials. During through a six-step programme, from low-flow ionisation system. construction, waste disposal, landfill choices, shower heads to reusing treated waste water in erosion, and ground water depletion are the cooling towers. Support measures important issues. Energy Co-operation and participation of staff is vital. To retain heat in the winter and reduce heat Many hotels have set up a "green" committee gain in the summer, the National Audubon Most hotels have found that through good to co-ordinate environmental effort and Society headquarters in New York upgraded energy-housekeeping measures alone, energy ensure that staff are well briefed on objectives the insulation system using non-toxic CFC-free consumption and related costs can be reduced and results. Monitoring and reporting has to identify its own environmental priori- - Case studies on good environmental prac- ties and develop its own action programme. tice in hotels (jointly published with IHEI and Regular monitoring should be put into place The environment is tourism's most important IH&RA), 1997. from the very onset. Scandic Hotels have resource, an unhealthy environment means developed a 14-point index for environmental bad business. To ensure its own prosperity, it A guide on reducing, avoiding, replacing or performance monitoring within each prop- is urgent that tourism industry wakes up to its eliminating the use of ozone-depleting sub- erty. Inter-Continental Hotels and Resorts environmental responsibilities and takes stances in hotels is under preparation and published an environmental review in 1996. immediate action. The results will certainly be should also be published in 1997. • All Scandic hotels have now to include envi- worthwhile. ronmental costs and benefits in financial O. Perera To help in this process, UNEP IE has pro- Consultant reports. United Nations Environment Programme, Industry and duced several guides on eco-efficiency in Environment (UNEP IE) tourism, in particular: Tour Mirabeau 39-43 quai André Citroën Cleaner production in tourism F-75739 Paris Cedex 15 From theory to practice - Environmental codes of conduct for tourism, 1995: There is no single formula or blueprint for - Environmental action pack for hotels environmental action. Each facility, depend- (jointly published with IHEI and IH&RA). ing its size, location, and market conditions, 1995;'

The European Prize Reinforcing the tourism/environment relationship

Michel Vanden Abeele national and European level. Some candidates A total of 57 candidate destinations were put stated that the Prize was of great importance forward by the national juries to be judged he first European Prize for Tourism and to their destination, even if they were not at the European level. Among four finalist the Environment was launched by the selected, as it was an impetus to collect destinations, the European Jury selected on TEuropean Commission in 1995. The aim important information for demonstration, 22 November i 995 the medieval town of was to raise awareness of the importance of which would not have been done otherwise, Kinsale in Ireland as Winner of European taking the environment into account in and that participating in the competition gen- Prize for Tourism and the Environment tourism development. The competition was erated new ideas and tourism products. For 1995. The jury also awarded eight special open to tourist destinations that could show the participating states the competition was an jury prizes to destinations with outstanding accomplishments in terms of sustainable opportunity to make an inventory of existing practice in specific fields of activity. tourism policies and practices in the 17 partic- best practices nationally and for some it gave ipating countries of the European Economic impulse to consider the organisation of a Given the success of the initiative the Euro- Area. national prize. pean Commission intends to organise a second Prize in 1998, building on the experiences Significant efforts were made all over Europe Throughout the application and selection pro- made during the first competition. • to ensure that the Prize was a success. A total cedures, sustainable tourism development was subject to significant attention also in the of 269 candidates applied and national selec- M. Vanden Abeele tions took place in the 17 participating coun- media. Many exemplary tourism policies and Director General lor Enterprise Policy, tries. Discussions were plentiful during the best practices contributing at the same time to Distributive Trades. Tourism and Cooperatives a destination's economy and employment, European Commission application and selection procedures in DG XXIII numerous committees consisting of tourism while protecting the natural and cultural envi- Rue de la Loi 200 and environment experts at the local, regional. ronment. were presented. B-1049 Brussels

X European Prize for Tourism and the o Environment 1995 - Winners 5

Winner: The Town of Kinsale, Ireland (see opposite)

Other finalists: Pare National de Cévennes, France The Weissensee region, Austria Peak District National Park, United Kingdom

Special Jury Prizes: Touristisches Zielgebiet Colbitz-Letzlinger Heide, Germany: Active involvement of the population in the planning of tourism projects Oseos Eo, Spain: Effective involvement and collaboration between public and private sectors Paijanne Lake District, Finland: Management of natural resources British Waterways, United Kingdom: Management of natural resources Historic Centre of Corfu and Vido Island, Greece: Renovation of the architectural heritage Veluwe Mobility Plan, Netherlands: Visitor and traffic management Azores. Portugal: Management of natural resources Ponte de Lima, Portugal: Renovation of the architectural heritage U m ive '^eundlU^ Bundeswettbewerb In Deutschland 1996

if emd e'lu^rke hrsoi^

• Logo of the German competition to reward tourist resorts which respect ihe environment

"One of France's most beautiful villages" Aiming for quality tourism Environmental awards

Herbert Hamele regional or inter-regional level, ranging from For this investment to be worthwhile, the the Kleinwalsertal's "Silver Thistle" to the label or award must not be just a marketing What sort of tourism do we European Grand Prix or from the German ploy, but must have a lasting effect. The pro- want? Tourist Board's "Tourism and environment" ject must therefore be carefully thought out award to British Airways' "Tourism for with a pragmatic strategy enabling the short- ( ( rent! Visitors figures up again by tomorrow" award'. term and long-term objectives to be in 1996. a 3% increase in achieved. ^^^ turnover!" But how long did These awards and labels should represent a these tourists stay? What did they actually "soft" approach to regulating the market. bring to the regions they visited? What did Authoritarian action, whether at national or Eco-labels and eco-audits they leave behind? It has been a long time European level, should be avoided as long as since tourist success has been measured there is a spontaneous reduction in damage to solely in terms of how much tourists spend or the environment as a result of self-regulatory Eco-labels are a guarantee that a given prod- how many hotel or guest-house beds were practices on the market. Service providers uct or service satisfies a specific level of qual- occupied. Of prime concern today are the take environmental protection measures and ity. It is perfectly feasible for tourist establish- signs that the available resources are used to invest resources in the hope of being awarded ments such as hotels, golf clubs, ski resorts or the full with minimum impact on the envi- a prize. In return they count on an improved marinas to be awarded an eco-label. ronment. image and positive economic spin-offs, while the public can find out about the ecological In order to confirm the quality of their prac- practices and commitment to the environ- The way ahead is the one outlined by the Sec- tices, firms should soon have access to the ment of establishments or resorts - factors retary General of the German Environment European eco-audit scheme. This is also which should be high on their list of choice Foundation in his welcome address to the applicable to tour operators as shown by the criteria. Ecotrans forum on "'Sustainable tourism: the Studiosus Reisen Miinchen company. key to success", held last March during the Berlin international tourism fair: "We want to Prizes and competitions are well suited to see future holiday-makers choosing means of Significant and lasting effects tourist resorts which make an active commit- transport which are economic in terms of ment to the environment, such as Weissensee energy consumption and hotels which pro- It is essential that tourism service providers in Carinthia, Calviá in Majorca and Heidel- duce little waste. We would like to see them engage wholeheartedly in these environmen- berg in Germany. Such awards refer not to consuming local products, choosing destina- tal award schemes. In order to encourage the actual state of the environment but to the tions nearer to home and staying longer. We them to take part, there has to be large-scale success of innovative protective measures expect tour operators to take greater account outreach to the public in order to publicise the taken. The competition launched in Germany of the concept of sustainability in the products awards or tourist products which qualify for in 1996 to recompense environment-friendly they offer." eco-labels. tourist resorts has been a major testing ground at European level. It is unrealistic to The criteria for awarding these labels have to think that an eco-label can give an accurate Environmental awards be laid down so that they offer just reward for picture of the air and sea-water quality, of the the genuine efforts taken in the most impor- diversity and quality of wildlife, waste man- Can the various environmental protection tant fields of action. They should not be agement, drinking water and energy con- awards conferred upon tourist resorts and merely an environmental "gloss". If environ- sumption and sewage disposal in resorts. The regions, "eco-seals" or "eco-labels" awarded mental awards are accompanied by appropri- expectations of visitors, the situation and the to hotels and restaurants and "eco-audits" car- ate measures, in particular guidelines, check- level of resistance of the environment, and ried out among tour operators play a decisive lists and advice (eg on how hotels could be the resort's possibilities for action are too part in bringing about such a change? In re-organised) for candidates, they can have disparate for a common denominator to be theory they can, provided the conditions are considerable effect, leading to numerous easily found. Moreover, consumption and right and enough people are involved. initiatives to reduce water and energy con- pollution measurements mean different sumption, waste production and various traf- things depending on whether they refer to In the tourism sector, there are at present over fic-related problems, and to preserve biodi- mountain regions, coastal areas, towns or the 30 environmental awards conferred at local, versity and the beauty of the landscape. country. Public reaction Whatever the formula chosen - label guaran- A European Charter teeing the quality of the environment or economic use of resources, an award attesting to a particular commitment to the environment or the official eco-audit procedure - the most for parks important thing, apart from the intrinsic quality of the services thus acknowledged, is to reach the public. Here, the results obtained Sandrme Vautier - an undertaking by tour operators and trans- have been somewhat disappointing. The vast port companies; majority of holiday-makers are virtually or the first time ever, nature parks and - principles for communication. unaware of the existence of the environmental the tourist industry have joined forces awards in the tourism sector. And it is unlikely Fthanks to an agreement committing It is accompanied by an assessment pro- that any tangible results will be obtained them to develop a form of tourism which gramme for areas and companies. A Euro- while the major tour operators, tourist clubs, respects nature and people. They will work pean communications strategy will tourism information and reservation net- together to foster economic and social devel- amplify the effect of the signatories' works, the press and TV fail to publicise more opment in their respective areas while at the undertakings. actively the thousand or so hotels and restau- same time preserving the environment and rants which were given such awards in 1996. the quality of life in nature parks. The French Federation of Regional Nature Eco-labels could serve to lay down minimum Parks which is running this programme sees environmental standards below which it The European Charter for Sustainable this Charter as an opportunity to re-establish would be inaccurate to speak of "quality Tourism in Protected Areas was drafted by a the purpose of travelling, namely to take the tourism" and which, in conjunction with steering committee composed of an equal time to discover places and people, to con- social, cultural and economic criteria, would number of representatives from the tourist tribute to the social and economic balance of make it easier to identify European areas sector, managers of parks and groups and areas and also to preserve the environment which practise "sustainable tourist develop- individuals working in the fields of tourism for current and future generations. ment". and the environment. It draws directly upon the experiments carried out in ten parks in The Charter is one of the European Com- Europe taking part in a pilot study. These mission's "Life" Projects (DG XI). It is H. Hamele parks (in Italy, France, Spain, Belgium, backed by the Federation of Nature and Ecotrans e.V. Britain and Austria) have initiated a joint National Parks in Europe. • Berliner Promenade 7 D-66111 Saarbrücken project with representatives of the tourist industry in their respective regions so that S. Vautier Assistant with responsibility for tourism they will be ready to sign the Charter at the French Federation of Regional Nature Parks end of 1997. 4 rue de Stockholm F-75008 Paris This Charter comprises principles for sus- 1 The hook of seals ami ecolabels in tourism tainable tourism and has four aspects: (http://www.wttc.org/ECoNETT) - an undertaking by protected areas; - an undertaking by the tourist industry;

The development of tourism which respects nature is the aim of the European Charter for parks Ï ' ~ -sé ' ...... -•Švy

/n&v/V^ How to train tourism professionals

Martha Wcigéus Motives clients. So instead of such limiting regulations for everybody, we want to diminish the prob- he Swedish Association for Promotion of Our main motive to take the initiative and lead lems by preventing them. Outdoor Life is a non-governmental the project was to protect the Swedish right of Torganisation, with about 160 000 mem- public access to private land. This right is the bers in 500 local organisations and main condition not only for almost all of our A tough start 18 000 guides trained in outdoor leisure activ- own activities, but also for a wide range of ities. We took the initiative to lead a project leisure activities carried out by most Swedes So far, in April 1997, after the first tentative called "Right of public access and tourism". in their everyday life, for example the Sunday autumn - the only possible season for this kind The project's aim is to train tourist operators walk in the woods, berry-picking and mush- of course - we have involved a total of in order to diminish and prevent damage and room-gathering. This kind of activity is an 25 trained teachers. We have arranged half a wear on nature and private land caused by important part of the Swedish way of life and dozen courses in southern Sweden with a cou- nature tourism. important for Swedish people's wellbeing. ple of hundred participants, but only a few both physically and mentally. There are many were tourist operators. Our teachers had Our partners are the Swedish Environmental scientific reports showing this. planned another half a dozen courses, but they Protection Agency, WorldWide Fund for had be cancelled because of lack of partici- Nature-WWF-Sweden, the Swedish Tourist Though nature tourism is still of limited pro- pants. In other words, we have had a hard Authority, the regional tourist agency of portions in Sweden, it is a fast growing mar- start. There may be many reasons. We think Schonen - the southernmost province of Swe- ket. An investigation initiated by the Swedish that we can do better marketing, but it is also den - the Swedish Farmers' Association and Tourist Authority last summer indicated that difficult to reach the tourist operators. The two organisations for Swedish forest owners. the greatest attraction in Sweden for tourists is business is strongly divided into small firms All co-operating partners have contributed to nature. 52% stated the Swedish nature was an with one or few employees. They are wide- the funding of the project. important reason to visit Sweden, and 25% spread, the operators work hard and they do that nature was the main reason. not make much money. This means that they have very little time to spend on training or Three steps Tourist operators use private land for activi- development. After all, we require them to ties according to the right of public access, but spend a whole day with us. - The first step was to produce a training pro- there has been increasing abuse and transgres- gramme consisting of a video and a booklet. sion. This creates disrepute for the right of public access, creates conflicts and leads to Long-term perspective - The second step was to train a team of requests for regulations and limitations from 20 teachers during five days and we plan to landowners, environmentalists and authori- 1 think that we should have patience and educate a second group of the same number. ties. should see this project in a longer perspective Most of the teachers are non-commercial than we did at the beginning. However, our working guides in the Swedish Outdoor Life But such limitations would hit everybody, not experience so far is that those operators who Association. Some of them are also tourist only the abusers but also well-behaved out- did take part in a course were quite satisfied operators. door-loving people, tourist operators and their with the day, and almost all of them wish for

- The third step is organisation of one-day courses for tourist operators in the southern part of Sweden. These courses have two goals: The public's right of access to nature: a training theme for tourism professionals in Sweden . to teach the tourist operators about the Swedish right of public access to private land, its limitations and regulations; . (the most important) to increase their awareness of the extraordinary value of the Swedish right of public access to private land. With this we want to motivate them to teach their customers, i.e. the tourists, to obey the rules in relation to the right of public access and to take measures to prevent damage and disturbance to nature and on private land. We also invite local representatives for landowners and the local tourist authority to the courses for discussions on local problems and possibilities and for the promotion of a local co- operation network. The expected result of the course is a draft plan for every participating tourist operator, on how to solve their problems and develop their enterprise with full regard to the right of public access.

This third step started on a small scale last autumn and we count on training about 2 000 tourist operators. We plan to continue this training during the coming years. more courses. They want to know more about the right of public access and to share other experiences. They also appreciate getting to know people involved in the region and in the tourist business.

Several courses are planned for this autumn. We are improving our marketing, should reach more tourist operators and so we might see fewer problems during the summer 1998 tourist season. •

M. Wägeus Swedish Association for Promotion of Outdoor Life Strömsbergsvegen 71 S-553 08 Jönköping

Are you familiar with the cultural routes of Europe?

Michel Thomas-Penette Ten years after the routes were first established, it is striking to note that this ambi- n 1987 the Council of Europe, on the rec- tious project has achieved most success in ommendation of its Parliamentary Assem- rural areas ("Architecture without frontiers" Ibly and following the discussions of the routes), nature parks and relatively moun- Garden in St Petersburg Second European Conference of Ministers tainous areas ("the Silk Routes" in the responsible for the Architectural Heritage, Cevennes), industrial areas undergoing eco- proposed that the Santiago de Compostela nomic conversion (the textile route) and Pilgrim Way should become the first Euro- even in urban areas in which an ecological pean cultural route. In giving this project a approach to urban development is necessary symbolic element, the Council of Europe (parks and gardens route). It is now clear hoped that cultural routes would help to fos- that cultural routes are a coherent enterprise ter European citizenship and that, in particu- which inseparably combines cultural her- lar, they would make it possible to protect itage, natural heritage and the human and enhance the European heritage so as to ecosystem. Thus, in the years to come one of improve people's surroundings and promote the priorities in establishing cultural routes cultural, economic and social development. adapted to sustainable development must be to link cultural tourism and eco-tourism. Thus cultural routes grew up on the basis of This priority should be pursued in the next a dozen or so action themes which give the stage of the project which involves a part- citizens of Greater Europe new opportunities nership with the Grand Duchy of Luxem- for fulfilment in their leisure time by giving bourg from 1997 onwards through the foun- priority to cultural tourism and sustainable dation of a European Institute of Cultural development. This goal was reaffirmed by Routes. • the Conference of Ministers responsible for the Cultural Heritage, held in Helsinki on M. Thomas-Penette 30 and 31 May 1996 on the subject "Heritage Programme Adviser in society": "Cultural tourism policies and Cultural Routes Council of Europe strategies must be carried further, seeking a balanced and sustainable use of the heritage which preserves its useful potential for future generations. It is important to work out specific models for the development of cultural tourism which do not duplicate the usual pat- terns of mass tourism". Leisure activities and environment: a winning combination An awareness-raising campaign in the Walloon Region

Patrick Jouret |g iR practical advice will be prepared on the basis | of contacts with professionals (operators of he Walloon Region (Belgium) has a range H tourist and leisure facilities, tourist federa- of outstanding natural assets which are tions and offices, managers of sports facilities, Tattracting ever-increasing numbers of etc.) outdoor leisure enthusiasts in search of unspoilt landscapes and exciting new experi- The aim here is to get across the message that the recent growth in the area of outdoor holidays and the increasing demand from the pub- Scientific studies and field observation show lic, and particularly Scandinavian visitors, that leisure activities have a major impact on should ultimately lead to new products and natural habitats, even though this is not bring changes in existing ones. Therefore, always obvious in the short term. behind this growing environmental awareness, which is now an established fact, there is The Walloon authorities have therefore also an economic side to the problem since the decided to take a number of steps aimed at tourist industry represents 4% of Belgium's regulating these activities: a decree on forest GDP. traffic now regulates the movement of all users of the region's publicly and privately The handbook will also provide practical owned forests, whether in motor vehicles, on advice on topics such as the environmentally- bicycles, on horseback or on foot, who are aware consumer, waste management, energy only allowed to use certain roads and paths. consumption, etc. These have been arranged in categories Vresse-sur-Semois, Belgium according to a grading system and provided An ant as emblem with appropriate signposting. Draft regulations on the social use of rivers and streams The emblem chosen for the campaign - a have been drawn up along similar lines. happy, smiling ant - provides a very good First stage illustration of how the model visitor should Scientific studies have also shown that the behave: leaving no traces of his presence The first stage took place in summer 1996 and impact of an activity can vary greatly depend- behind him. This is the precondition for sus- involved distributing a trilingual leaflet (in ing on the behaviour of the people involved. tainable development of leisure activities, a French, Dutch and German) as a first step However, people in general tend to be wary of process which should combine the following towards building an awareness of the issues any interference by the public authorities in elements: among holiday-makers. This leaflet offered their leisure activities, an area which they the following advice as to the best way of vis- regard as the last bastion of individual free- - respect for and enhancement of the natural iting the region: "We should behave like dom. It is for this reason that, alongside the environments which provide the setting for guests. Wallonia is there for us and for others. legislative changes, Wallonia's Environment these activities; Let's share it!" Minister, Guy Lutgen, has decided to launch - efforts to influence the behaviour of visitors an awareness-raising campaign on the theme: through regulation and education: Second stage "Leisure activities and the environment: a - a trend in leisure provision towards activi- winning combination!". ties which incorporate environmental protec- The second stage involves producing some tion. • 40 fact sheets explaining, for each sporting, cultural or recreational activity, what form of P. Jouret Aim of the campaign behaviour is in closest harmony with nature, Atelier 50 SA the heritage, the local population and other Espace. Environnement, Communication Initially the aim is to combat two extreme users. Dreve du Due 50/6 viewpoints: the "environmental fundamental- B-1170 Brussels ists", who regard anyone entering the Walloon These "codes of good environmental prac- Region as a potential invader who is going to tice" are designed to promote a progressive destroy everything in his or her path, and change in thinking with the support of the those who reject all restrictions and regula- most environmentally-aware groups and tions, whose position is reflected in the slogan organisations. For instance, potholers, who "my spare time is my freedom". perform their activities in a highly vulnerable environment, are already heavily committed Both approaches impede not only the devel- to putting into practice the recommendations opment of a responsible attitude towards the they issue to the members of their groups. environment, but also the growth of facilities offering more environment-friendly The fact sheets will be distributed in holiday activities. resorts throughout the 1997 tourist season by sports federations and the Ministry of Physi- cal Education and Sport. How it will be organised Third stage The awareness-raising campaign has been divided into three stages. The main events The third stage of the campaign will be aimed will occur over a period of 14 months from at professionals. A handbook describing pre- July 1997 to September 1998. vious experience in this field and offering Spanish RENFF. railways have benefited from several FIB loans

Financing sustainable tourism

Axel Horhager financed via financial intermediaries, in the Pre-investment studies context of so-called global loans, in which a ven the most ardent supporters of sus- credit line is allocated to a local financial Another means which serves to underpin the tainable tourism are constrained by the institution that selects projects according to Bank's strategy of promoting sustainable fact that the direction in which the pre-speeified criteria. These activities cover E tourism development is the series of regional tourism sector as a whole will develop is both the European Union and countries else- environmental studies, which generally determined by the investment at the margin, where. such as the Mediterranean region, address issues of tourism development where that is to say by the development of the next eastern Europe, or the many overseas coun- relevant. An important initiative in this regard generation of tourism projects. A key ele- tries with which the European Union has is the Mediterranean Technical Assistance ment in this process is the mobilisation of co-operation agreements. the financial means required to create an Programme (METAP). which the European asset. The manner in which asset creation is Investment Bank launched together with the In selecting and appraising projects, the Bank World Bank in 1990. and which with the performed can be of fundamental impor- considers several key criteria. Legislation in tance in determining whether tourism devel- assistance of the other partners such as the the region and country in which the project is European Union and the United Nations opment is truly beneficial in a longer term located must be satisfied, as must European perspective. Development Programme is currently enter- Union legislation in the member states. The ing a successful third phase bringing it to the assessment, however, goes beyond the formal year 2000. A specific METAP study spon- Financial institutions, particularly if their mis- aspects, since its purpose is to establish sored by the EIB examined the ecological sion is to represent the public interest, have a whether a project is indeed viable in a practi- dimensions of tourism development in special responsibility in the investment cal sense. The financial and business plan Tunisia. In northern Morocco, a study on process. They are key facilitators in the imple- must be realistic, technical aspects in particu- industrial and domestic water resource pollu- mentation of development schemes, and lar relating to the investment, its cost and tion was motivated by the need to safeguard guardians of the broader public interest with a implementation schedule must be satisfactory, the tourism potential of the region. more or less explicit mandate to promote only and the economic feasibility of the project those ventures which are ecologically sustain- must be confirmed on the basis of sound able in the longer term. In principle, therefore, analyses of demand and profitability, includ- such institutions will have to have the means ing the consideration of externalities where Project appraisal of analysing the various aspects of the pro- possible. There must be analysis and judge- posed investment decisions, and be capable of ment on environmental issues, frequently Important conclusions from the Bank's work selecting those that satisfy criteria reflecting necessitating specific impact studies. Projects are that: its objectives. Even if the criteria are similar may have as prime objective tourism sector to those found at the level of the individual development in general, for which the envi- promoters or public administrations, the ronmental impacts must be assessed, or have - careful analysis and diagnosis are key ingre- unique contribution that financial institutions a specific, direct environmental objective, dients of project appraisal, to allow the identi- can make in the process is a result of their rel- such as waste water treatment or air pollution fication and implementation of sustainable ative independence in exercising their judge- abatement for existing tourism facilities. projects; ment. - there is an interdependence between the various aspects of project analysis which is espe- A critical aspect of the economic assessment cially relevant for the stringent objectives of is the analysis of the market and demand for sustainable tourism projects, and this delicate Financing criteria of the EIB the services offered by a project. All too often, balance needs to be maintained throughout promoters neglect the demand aspects or do the project cycle; The financing of tourism projects by the not offer realistic forecasts. Investments - environmental best practices, including leg- European Investment Bank (EIB). the long- which are premature or over-dimensioned can islative assessment, public participation pro- term financial institution of the European be among the most undesirable features not cedures and impact analysis should be built Union, may illustrate this point. The Bank, least from an environmental point of view, into projects from the outset as a process; set up as part of the European Communities causing great harm to future prospects of the - a strategy of favouring sustainable tourism to further regional development and Euro- tourism sector, as well as constituting a drain needs to be formulated and nurtured, so that pean integration, has been successful for on public resources. The involvement of the long-term results can be achieved - a process almost 40 years in directing substantial flows Bank, although of course no substitute for the that the Bank is still engaged in. • of capital into the tourism sector, amounting roles of the promoter and the regulators, is to loans of some 6.3 billion ECU. thereby maintained to the extent possible throughout A. Horhager acquiring significant expertise in the identifi- the project cycle by regular project monitor- Deputy Economic Advisor cation. appraisal and evaluation of such pro- ing during disbursement of funds and the life European Investment Bank jects. Additionally, smaller schemes are of a loan. 100 boulevard Konrad Adenauer L-2950 Luxembourg

Natu ropa 84- 1997 Practical European Union support Protecting the assets upon which tourism thrives

Michel Vanden Abeele and the environment; this can provide valuable guidance to the tourism industry, to the public ew industries depend as much on the nat- sector and to other interests. With this aim the ural and man-made resources as the Commission decided in 1995 to provide a Ftourism industry, and the profitability of financial contribution to support the develop- tourism is dependent on protecting, in the best ment of a major pan-European network during possible way, environmental and cultural three years, an initiative that gave birth to the assets. The European Commission recognises ECoNETT project (European Community the need for sustainability within tourism and Network for Environmental Travel and supports, through a number of practical pro- Tourism, World Travel and Tourism Council). jects and initiatives, throughout the Union. The ECoNETT tourism and environment data- It is evident to all of us that uncontrolled base is now accessible via Internet tourism development at destinations all over (http://www.wttc.org) and other distribution Europe can seriously damage the natural and mechanisms. The Commission invites all con- man-made environment that presently attracts cerned to play their role in the dissemination visitors. At the same time, though, it is recog- of good practices, publications, and other rele- nised that tourism has a formidable potential to vant information in the field of tourism and the raise funds which can be used, and indeed are environment. ECoNETT provides an invalu- often used to protect, preserve and enhance able instrument for realising this aim. priceless assets. These non-contradictory sides of the same issue underscore the importance of M. Vanden Abeele Director General for Enterprise Policy. Distribulive Trades, recognising the following three key objec- Tourism and Cooperatives tives: to maintain a profitable tourism industry, DG XXIII to satisfy the needs of tourists, and to preserve European Commission Rue de la Loi 200 our shared natural and cultural resources. B-1049 Brussels SÈÊm

Strategic and integrated planning, together with the selective use of certain techniques to address particular problems, can make an important contribution to the sustainable and balanced development of tourism. The Commission therefore supports projects which are designed to test innovative techniques in this field.

Having "success" in tourism was in the past often regarded as directly corresponding to Gestratur: intermodal tourist The bottom line of the project is to improve the recorded increases in the number of visitors to quality of life for local inhabitants, to raise the transport quality and thus the competitiveness of the offer destinations, sites and monuments, thus, a fix- by managing the visitor flow better. Moreover, an ation on volume was evident. Today, "success" overall goal is to protect the vulnerable Alpine has come to mean sustainability, in economic he project aims at improving the flow of environment in line with the concept of sustain- terms and in terms of managing the environ- tourists, and more precisely, the arrival and ability. The intensity of tourism in regions with a ment to the benefit of visitors and residents Tdeparture of passengers and aeroplanes at specific topography has sparked a need for new alike as well as preserving assets for the use of tourist airports. One hopes to improve the prof- and innovative solutions, and a need to incorpo- future generations of European citizens. Now. itability and the productivity of the companies rate innovative practices into local and regional in the light of strong increases in the number of involved in the project. Success through these tourism planning. visitors, it becomes necessary to develop and actions will come to mean raising the quality of the offer, the airport and the destination. Actions Prior to the start of the project, local and regional apply planning and management solutions that spring out of the establishment of mechanisms authorities had committed themselves to "low address the problems of over-development, that facilitate collaboration between various car" and "car free" tourism concepts. The finesse congestion and pollution. With the objective of stake holders, namely airports, tour operators of the project is its ability to come up with simple, identifying and developing best practices and and airlines. The output of the project is hoped yet powerful actions and innovative thinking that encouraging the spread of information about to be techniques and strategies that better stag- can benefit Europe as a whole. such practices, the Commission selected eight ger landing and take-off hours. The experience demonstration projects for the period 1995-97. is being tested at Palma de Mallorca Airport, All aim at developing innovative techniques in one of the best examples of tourist airports in Europe. the field of visitor management and/or assisting Voluntary financial schemes in the development of tourism related traffic management policies (see box). In this project, one is seeking to demonstrate the Traffic problems in Alpine regions potential of voluntary financial schemes within The dissemination of best practices and the the European tourist industry, that is, generating multiplier effects of such actions are impor- This project pertains to visitor management in financial contributions from visitors towards con- tant in terms of giving the necessary added regions of the Alps in Austria, Germany and Italy, servation efforts at destinations, and the funding regions in which nature and small towns are of actions within visitor management. It is fore- value to these actions. strained by a great influx of tourists and motor seen that the project will develop funding mecha- vehicles. nisms that encourage tourists to contribute to and The Commission is aware that one of the best assist in environmental conservation. The pilot techniques for contributing to the implementa- Partners include local mayors, tourist board repre- areas are situated in England, Sweden, Spain. tion of sustainable tourism development sentatives, regional officials and consulting firms. Greece and the Alps. throughout Europe is through the dissemination of quality information related to tourism Steps towards sustainable tourism in Greece

Donald Matthews turtle near Rethymnon. They have stimulated and tourists to gardens and orchards, the care other groups to take similar steps towards sus- of wounded animals, and the drawing up of an ustainable tourism is a complex pro- tainability. environmental code. Ierapetra, Crete, has gramme almost as difficult to think created a pond and its inhabitants, including Sthrough in its details as it is to put into schoolchildren and girl-guides, have planted effect. To be successful, the three sectors The Blue Flag Programme the area with trees and shrubs. Panagia, Tha- (governmental, private and the citizen in his sos, has involved tourists and locals in nature community) must set new standards and pro- Important and interesting work has been discussions and trips, harbour officials have mote new and better co-ordinated plans. undertaken by the Hellenic Society for the given lectures to children on sea pollution, Greece has made a start in these areas which, Protection of Nature, the co-ordinator of the and volunteer groups have been set up to while only a beginning, points to how tourist Greek Blue Flag Programme. This pro- monitor garbage control. In this way the Blue activities might better be developed in the gramme requires small communities to organ- Flag Programme has encouraged environmen- future. ise and equip their beaches with signposts, tal awareness in more than 350 communities first aid facilities, life-guards, showers and in Greece. In Greece 90% of tourist activity is focused on WCs, to collect all garbage, and to maintain the coast and a great deal of this is on the standards of seawater purity in front of their These steps may be small in themselves, but islands. The rapid development of recent beaches. It also requires from each beach cumulatively they constitute the fundamental years has put great pressure on natural sys- community five educational environmental groundwork for the sustainable tourism we tems, and authorities are now trying to create activities annually. Just what these are is left need. • tools for effective coastal management. up to each community to decide by itself Larger communities now have to install according to its own needs and potential. The D. Matthews sewage disposal systems; big hotels must now idea is that the various groups in a town Hellenic Society for Ihe Protection of Nature be built further back from the beach; munici- (authorities, schools, environmental organisa- 24 Nikis Slreel GR-105 57 Athens palities, like the towns of Rhodes and Corfu tions, etc.) meet, and by their common com- this year, are setting up recycling programmes munal activity, stimulate greater environmen- for aluminium, paper and glass (a difficult tal awareness, co-operation and vigilance. project for distant and isolated islands). Build- Thus communities have undertaken garbage ing sites are challenged, as at Malia, Crete, collection, nature walks, tree planting, educa- where one hotel being built on a wetland site tional seminars, creation and protection of has been stopped. Small steps, but they are wetlands, path making, nature exhibitions and indicative of a new attitude. research.

On Rhodes, the management of one Blue Flag Some interesting initiatives beach is urging government and forestry officials to declare an area close to it as protected. In the area of nature conservation, some It has also promoted environmental education islands have established important checks. Oil with primary schoolchildren, recycling of Rhodes, for example, the valley near the vil- paper, a "Green Day" with visits of children lage of Theologos has been organised as a nature reserve where thousands of tourists can come and see the butterflies (Jersey tiger moths) without disturbing these insects' aesti- vation. On Zakynthos interesting initiatives Information kiosk on turtles in Rethymnon are in the works to protect the loggerhead sea turtle. A marine park is likely to be established soon; speed boats have been forbidden in the Lagana Bay, stopping all turtle-collision deaths these last two years; the WWF has "FA IttRTLr Protedio tj bought a large section of the beach (Sekania); Society of GREECE S tavernas at another point of the beach (Daphni) have been closed, and turtle breed- ing numbers at this spot have increased. The attitude of local people towards the turtle is more positive today. In the national park of Samaria, Crete, now one of the best organised in the country, nature co-exists with many thousands of visiting tourists. These conservation advances come only after the hard work of many people and environmental groups, but they do promise the compatibility of tourism development with some protection of nature.

In the private sphere, other initiatives are promising. The chain Grecotel, with many hotels in Crete, has promoted recycling, water and energy conservation, eco-audits and conservation measures to protect the loggerhead A Kynance Cove in Cornwall has been managed by the National Trust since 1936

< Every year 180 000 people visit Chartwell, Kent The National Trust and sustainable tourism

Martin Drury champêtres are organised. Other places, magnificent place with high cliffs and, below because they are small or because their atmos- them, a sandy beach among rock outcrops. It he National Trust's purposes are encapsu- phere or their historic contents are fragile, are has been owned by the Trust since 1936 and is lated in the words conservation and left to be discovered by more adventurous vis- visited by 250 000 people a year. Twelve Taccess. The essence of its task is to strike itors. On these places the Trust aims to lay the years ago this popularity had caused gradual a sustainable balance between the two at each lightest hand and, if there is a restaurant or erosion of the cliff-top and progressive place in its care. When in doubt, however, it shop at all, they will be small and unobtrusive. destruction of vegetation, exposing bare soil adheres to the maxim enunciated long ago by and rock. Above the cove, and not owned by John Bailey (chairman 1923-31): "Preserva- How these principles are applied is illustrated the Trust, were a car park and an ugly and tion may always permit of access, while with- below, at two National Trust properties. intrusive group of buildings providing shop, out preservation access becomes for ever cafe and lavatories. Visitors were funnelled impossible". That principle is as valid today past these buildings on their way to the beach, as it ever was: in the last resort, conservation Chartwell causing intense wear to the footpath and the must always take precedence over access. For land on either side of it. the Trust it reflects its statutory responsibility Chartwell (Kent) was the home of Sir Winston to ensure that its properties survive for the Churchill and is visited by 180 000 people a The solution to all this was incorporated into inspiration and enjoyment of future genera- year. It comprises a country house of medium the management plan, one of the long-term tions, but it also reflects something more elu- size with many small rooms set in a large gar- aims of which was to acquire the car-park and sive and of profound significance for the den surrounded by 50 acres of park. Churchill buildings and thus control of the site. The cultural heritage of all nations: our responsi- was an accomplished painter and his studio in opportunity to do this arose in 1986 when car- bility as guardians of the spirit of each place. a separate building in the garden is also open. park and buildings were purchased. The car- It is essential that the many small things that At some distance from the house is a group of park was then moved back from the cliff edge together make one place different from modern buildings providing a restaurant and and a hedged bank created around it. The ugly another are not sacrificed to the short-term large gift shop. buildings were demolished and new footpaths needs of today. created. As a result, erosion has been halted, A careful assessment was made of the number visitors now have a choice of routes down to of people the house could comfortably take at the beach, capacity has increased and the nat- Management plans one time. To prevent overcrowding and the ural beauty of Kynance Cove has been risk of both damage and a disagreeable expe- restored. A management plan must be drawn up for rience, groups of 60 visitors are admitted at These are two of many examples of proper- each property, which opens with an assess- 15-minute intervals. Admission is by ticket ment of the distinctive historic and aesthetic purchased on arrival, which gives the time of ties at which the National Trust has success- qualities of the place. It draws on research entry to the house. There is no advance book- fully applied the principles of sustainable into the expectations and reactions of visitors, ing and the number of tickets sold is varied tourism. explores the property's potential for educa- according to circumstances on the day. There tional and social activity and goes on to pre- is usually only a short delay before visitors are scribe what may be done to meet - better still, admitted, but on busy days visitors can spend M. Drury exceed - visitors' expectations in ways that their time enjoying the garden, studio, Director-General grounds, shop or restaurant, comfortable in The National Trust enhance, and certainly do not compromise, 36 Queen Anne's Gate the spirit of the place. Finally and in the light the knowledge that they will be admitted at a GB-London SW I H 9AS of this exercise, the plan assesses, year by specific time. This system has been successful year, the resources that will be available to in reducing queuing, controlling wear and tear carry out what needs to be done. and enhancing visitors' enjoyment.

As a result of this process is that some properties are promoted to attract large numbers of Kynance Cove visitors. At these a restaurant, gift shop, per- haps an exhibition will be provided and spe- Kynance Cove (Cornwall) is a famous beauty cial events such as open-air concerts and fetes spot on the Lizard Peninsula. It is a wild and On the National Trust

he National Trust was founded in 1895 to villages, mills, lighthouses and buildings of indus- Scotland. This means that land acquired for preser- acquire and hold places of historic interest and trial significance. vation cannot be sold, mortgaged or compulsorily Tnatural beauty for the benefit of the nation for purchased except by the express wish of Parlia- ever. Today, the Trust owns 560 000 acres of the The National Trust is an independent, non-government. In 1995 the Trust's properties were visited finest countryside in England, Wales and Northern mental organisation, established by Act of Parlia- by a total of over 11 million people. It is thus both Ireland. 560 miles of unspoiled coastline, 207 his- ment and principally supported by the annual sub- the leading conservation body in Britain and the toric houses with their collections of works of art, scriptions of 2.4 million members. Under this Act owner and manager of many of the places that 159 gardens and some 25 000 historic buildings of it has the unique power to declare property inalien- attract visitors from all over the world. other types, including farmsteads, cottages, entire able, a privilege shared with the National Trust for

Rural tourism in Taramundi

Eduardo Lustra Perez. dation, restaurants serving local dishes, and amenities of various kinds. To minimise their aramundi is a small local authority impact on the environment and preserve (Concejo) of 82 knf located in western architectural harmony, these facilities were TAsturias in northern Spain. 25 km from housed in existing historic buildings which the coast and with an altitude varying were renovated using traditional local materi- between 400 and 600 m. It has a population als. An old presbytery was renovated and con- of 975 inhabitants living in 56 villages. The verted into a 4-star hotel with 18 rooms; other primary sector dominates, employing some rural dwellings were converted into small 52% of the working population, followed by Hats to accommodate families, and two the tertiary (29.5%) and secondary (17.8%) houses were leased to the development com- sectors. pany for a period of 15 years on the understanding that they would be restored. This In 1983, the municipality decided to act in made it possible to attract tourists who were response to the sharp decline in the local pop- interested in the protection of the natural and ulation (from 35.8 inhabitants/km1 in 1900 to cultural heritage. 12.6 inhabitants/km- in 1993) and accordingly contacted the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) and the regional government. These initial contacts resulted in the A successful experiment signing of an agreement between the Princi- The aim was to establish a pattern of rural pality of Asturias and the CSIC. which led in tourism based on local economic development, The Taramundi pilot project was such a success turn to the drawing up of a "Plan for the con- the enhancement of a neglected architectural that it created a local and regional impetus servation and development of tourism and rural heritage, training opportunities for which stimulated other similar development resources in the Concejo of Taramundi". The local people and improved public services. projects. With financial assistance from the plan involved establishing Taramundi as a Leader-I Programme, 25 projects were centre for rural tourism, the first experiment launched to provide accommodation in the with this type of tourism in Spain. A network of activities surrounding villages, including four hotels, several flats, a number of guest farms and a Alongside the project, other activities were campsite with 300 spaces. A favourable context launched by the authorities: an integrated development plan was implemented in the The Taramundi project is now regarded as a district (Comarca) of Oscos-Eo. the road net- The Consejo had a number of assets on which model. It has won several prizes. Taramundi work was improved and schemes to install it could capitalise to ensure the success of the came eighth in the "Village I love" competi- electricity and sewerage systems in the vil- scheme, including: tion organised by Euroter and sponsored by lages were devised. the Council of Europe; its hotel was judged the best rural hotel in Spain and the Comarca - a relatively unspoilt agricultural environ- Through an awareness-raising campaign received the only award made to a Spanish ment typical of western Asturias; aimed at the local population, contacts were project under the 1995 European Prize for - undulating countryside ideal for walking, established with local associations in order to Tourism and Environment Scheme. cycling and horse-riding; forests and rivers get the inhabitants and small businesses of the suitable for hunting and fishing; Concejo involved. The regional government, - interesting vernacular architecture; Our Concejo is now featured in the most pres- the municipality and a number of local resi- tigious tourist guides, which highlight not - a large number of very attractive small vil- dents joined forces to set up a public limited only the quality of its facilities but also their lages; company, "Integrated Development of Tara- successful integration into the local cultural - distinctive local traditions, folklore and cui- mundi S.A.", which was put in charge of man- and natural environment. • sine; aging this first centre for rural tourism. - an extremely varied cultural heritage: chapels, mazos (mills), old forges, farm- E. Lastra Pérez Mayor of Taramundi houses. horreos and cabazos (characteristic A major renovation effort Chairman of Oscos-Eo District Council grain lofts); local crafts including ironwork Plaza del Poyo s/n E-33775 Taramundi (Asturias) (knives and penknives), woodwork and fab- The cornerstone of the project was to be a rics. range of tourist facilities including accommo- The Abruzzi National Park Ecodevelopment and ecotourism

Franco Tassi - the need to deal with both public bodies etc) to those living in and near the protected (ministries, regions, provinces, mountain area; ocated in the centre of Italy in the heart of communities, municipalities, universities and - creation of direct sources of income for the the Apennines, two hours by car from other research institutions, police and forest Park to finance part of its cost or at least cer- LRome or Naples, the Abruzzi National services) and private individual interests (the tain activities (visitor centres, for example); Park was founded in 1922 to protect the mar- local people, visitors, shepherds, farmers, - setting up of a number of related activities sican brown bear and the Abruzzi chamois. hunters, fishermen, providers of services for through "satellite" bodies to draw attention to Today it protects a rich and varied fauna and tourists, politicians, administrators, associa- and explain certain projects (eg the "Italy flora. Nearly 7 000 species have been identi- tions and trade unions), often in conflict with Wolf Group" operation), enhance the Park's fied under the "biodiversity project", includ- the Park or among themselves and all wishing image and encourage quality ecotourism (this ing I 970 plants representing about a third of to have a say in its management; is what the Park's Centre in Rome does). the Italian flora. Species present include red - funding that was insufficient, unreliable and deer, roe-deer, the Apennine wolf and the more often than not delayed. This strategy, which has served as model for lynx, as well as the golden eagle, peregrine the new parks recently created in Italy, has falcon and white-backed woodpecker (Lilford proved effective but not enough. To overcome sub-species), all living in dynamic equilib- A new strategy present difficulties we are finding it necessary rium in a spectacular 444 km2 region of moun- to open up the international dimension, tains and forests surrounded by a protective In a situation like this it was obvious that the encourage the participation of different peripheral zone of some 800 km2. only way of achieving the Park's real aims groups, pay more attention to partnerships, was to bring about radical change by seeking and instigate debate and discussion 011 the The Abruzzi National Park has also been co-operation with a wide array of partners and advantages of and constraints imposed by the engaged in the establishment of ARVE promoting the progressive involvement of Park and on the role of local municipalities. (Abruzzi Regione Verde d'Europa). a network municipalities in a new reality - a Park that of new nature parks in central Italy and more was active, up-to-date and sensitive to other One highly suitable formula is to make the generally of setting up a proper "system" of interests. The basic elements of this new strat- most of exceptional circumstances, such as protected areas throughout the country. In co- egy rested on a series of positive factors, the fact that 1997 is the 75th anniversary of operation with the Italian National Parks including: the founding of the Abruzzi National Park. Committee, it has conducted an energetic awareness-raising campaign while at the same - a new zoning system aimed at reconciling time promoting the 1980 "10% challenge", the requirements of conservation with those Advantages for everybody aimed at giving protection to at least one-tenth of development (or "ecodevelopment". as it of Italian territory by the year 2000, and was soon called) and partly based on eco- Having attained its main purpose of protect- launching in 1990 with the WWF a major tourism; ing the fauna and the landscape, the Park has, operation to make of Italy "a land of green for the first time in Italy, clearly demonstrated parks" surrounded by a "sea of blue parks". to all outsiders not only the cultural, scientific and ecological benefits, but also the social, economic and political benefits generated by Situation in 1969 up-to-date methods of nature conservation.

Since its creation, the Park has had a che- Its main ambition is now to share its experi- quered history. In 1969 a new board of direc- ence and use it to meet with success the "10% tors introduced new policies and in particular challenge" and to protect the most beautiful revolutionised the traditional ways of think- areas still intact in Italy for Europe and the ing. The revitalisation of the Park was third millennium. • achieved in spite of difficult initial conditions: F. Tassi Director of the Abruzzi National Park - little support from the government and the Co-ordinator of the Italian National Parks Committee three regions concerned: Parks Centre - an even less co-operative, indeed at times Viale Tito Livio 12 1-00136 Rome frankly hostile, attitude on the part of certain inhabitants, either because of interests in conflict with the Park's (eg in the case of property owners, builders, hunters, fishermen, poach- The Abruzzi National Park was created in 1922 to protect ers, woodcutters, shepherds or goatherds, etc) the tnarsican brown bear and the Abruzzi chamois or above all, because they were poorly informed about the problems of nature conservation; - an unfavourable landownership situation: the Park owned only 1% of its territory - a growing number of visitors increasingly (ie 400 ha.), the rest being owned either by interested in nature, who are familiar with the private landowners (farmland in the valley environment and have a minimal impact on it; bottoms) or by municipalities (forests and - the idea that nature, flora, fauna, forest and upland pastures); mountain, have not only material and biologi- - an extremely complicated body of law (tens cal value but also spiritual value necessary for of thousands of laws existed in Italy) that was the equilibrium, regeneration and inspiration applied sporadically (an estimated 80% of of modern man; environmental measures were not fully imple- - the clear evidence that the Park is of eco- mented in Italy); nomic benefit (as a source of income, jobs. A Green Label on the island of Hiiumaa

Toomas and Reel Kokovkin tourism uses a specific resource: variability of niche, local tourist enterprises found that co- nature, i.e. diversity of species, ecosystems operation with nature protection institutions he island of Hiiumaa in the West- and landscapes. was a vital precondition. This understanding Estonian archipelago belongs to a large led to the idea of establishing the Green Label Tbiosphere reserve. As tourist facilities are As any industry, in the course of profit pro- which would be used to identify the environ- insufficient and natural areas predominate in duction. the tourism industry is very probably ment-friendly managing tourist firms. It was the landscapes of the island, one may state exhausting its resources. Nature tourism decided that accommodation or restaurants that almost anybody visiting the island is a brings in elements of disturbance, "culturisa- willing to obtain the label must accept the fol- kind of nature tourist. tion", loss of diversity, environmental degra- lowing six criteria: dation. Finally, nature tourism is not necessar- Biosphere reserves are a special type of pro- ily a sustainable one. - waste management focusing 011 separation tected area, where one of the primary objec- of paper, organic matter and hazardous waste; tives is to reconcile nature protection with the - reduction of plastic packaging through sustainable development of the area. With this Positive co-operation increased consumption of local products, background, it seems obvious that nature- because food in small and plastic packages is based tourism is one of the appropriate solu- A considerable attempt to approach sustain- usually imported; tions for the economies of communities in the able solutions in the tourism of the island was - saving water by reducing water use in WCs biosphere reserves. made in 1995-97 through the creation the and showers, checking for leaks, informing "Green Label of Hiiumaa". The Hiiumaa guests and training employees; Councils for Tourism and Environmental Pro- - saving electricity; Resources to be protected tection. the Biosphere Reserve office, the - identification of chemicals, such as washing Hiiumaa Tourism Association and firms par- detergents containing phosphates, aerosols But tourism is an industry as any other. Each ticipated in this process. Several seminars containing freon, etc., preferring those more industry is using resources to sustain its own took place where the Eco-islands project was environment-friendly; functioning. For instance, forestry uses tim- introduced, Hiiumaa potentials for environ- - consumption of local products to improve ber, fisheries use fish stocks, agriculture ment-friendly tourism and Green Label crite- the Hiiumaa image and help local farmers exploits soil fertility etc. The question is: what ria were discussed. market their production, local food being an is the resource for tourism? The answer is not attraction for visitors and island farmers and obvious, but one possible answer is "attrac- During these meetings it was brought up that fishermen hoping for a market on the island. tiveness". the economic situation for tourist firms has been extremely unfavourable during the past "Attractiveness" means difference, new infor- two to three years. This is because of growing Encouraging results mation. diversity, variability. Hence, nature- competition with large mainland and interna- based tourism is oriented towards the attrac- tional companies and the unstable price levels To evaluate the influence of the Green Label tiveness of natural areas. It means that nature in Estonia. While searching for their own on the Hiiumaa island, a poll was carried out among tourists during the summer of 1996. The results were surprising and encouraging: 50% of visitors to Hiiumaa were aware of the Green Label. Out of these, 70%, while looking for accommodation, had made their choice according to the Green Label. •

T. Kokovkin West-Estonian Archipelago Biosphere Reserve EE-3200 Karelia

R. Kokovkin Hiiumaa County Government EE-3200 Kardla Sustainable tourism and employment

Chul-Min Mo tourism development has provided increased employment opportunities for women, conse- nemployment continues to be a domi- quently resulting in increasing the power and nant policy issue within the social and improving the role of women. Ueconomic framework of OECD member countries. Tourism is a powerhouse in terms However, a certain number of jobs in tourism of employment, ranking among the major are relatively low-skilled, often part-time and sources of jobs and an important source of job seasonal. The decrease in the number of creation. The sectors dependent on tourism nationals of member countries especially in have grown faster in employment than the unskilled jobs and the recruitment of foreign economy as a whole. The OECD's 1996 pub- or part-time labour may result in segmenta- Key policy initiatives lication OECD tourism statistics calculates tion of the labour market. Although tourism is The OECD Tourism Committee agrees that that employment attributable to tourism not seen as a panacea that can right all ills, what is now required is a greater recognition expenditure is about 5% for Austria, 4.3% for there are signs that its implications for the by governments of the importance of sustain- Canada and 2.6% for Spain. This is based on wider economies of member countries might able tourism development as a generator of the Tourism Economic Accounts which be more far-reaching than had previously employment. This should be supported by OECD has been developing with a view to been realised. The Tourism Committee is appropriate government policies and mea- providing a comprehensive analysis of the therefore continuing its analysis of the sures in such areas as education and training, economic impacts of tourism. Other research tourism labour market. This reflection infrastructure and transport planning and conducted in 1994 showed that tourism is includes searching for new ways of generat- labour market problems. already a major source of employment, ing sustainable tourism development and accounting for between 5 and 10% of the total employment initiatives and gaining a better Certain key issues will continue to be workforce in most OECD countries. knowledge of employment characteristics in addressed, including: the tourism industry. - improving statistical data collection and Looking at current growth forecasts for the analysis, harmonised across OECD member industry well into the 21st century, its future Job creation potential countries, to facilitate governments' under- employment potential is likely to be even standing of the linkages between sustainable greater. However, there is a common recogni- Given its significance to member economies, tourism development and employment and tion that tourism's contribution to employment the issue of sustainable tourism development assist them in their policy decision-making; has been underestimated in member countries. and employment will continue to be a major - continuing liberalisation and the reduction of focus of the Committee's work programme barriers which help to reduce rigidities within Sustainable job creation and activities. An on-going project on the labour markets (ie facilitate movement of characteristics, prospects and economic possi- workers especially for the unskilled and sea- According to the results of the recent OECD bilities of small and medium-sized enterprises sonal jobs which are rejected by nationals); tourism conference in Mexico in 1996, policy- (SMEs) will shed a special light on employ- - continuing study into what constitutes makers in OECD member countries have paid ment and education and training for employ- labour productivity and how to improve it special attention to sustainable tourism devel- ees in SMEs. SMEs are the dominant force in through technology and other means; opment in an effort to harmonise the conserva- the tourism business and the smallest busi- - strong emphasis on human resource devel- tion of environmental resources with economic nesses (ie less than 10 salaried employees) in opment through education and training pro- growth objectives. The sustainable approach is the accommodation and catering sector grammes which improve skills and the quality not anti-growth and it helps preserve - even in account for approximately 60% of total of services; the long run - the tourist assets on which current employment in the tourism sector. This year's - partnership between employers and employ- economic benefits, including job creation, OECD conference, "Towards strategic and ees to improve working conditions in tourism, accrued from tourism development are depen- innovative partnerships in the field of help define occupational standards and ensure dent. Sustainable tourism development puts tourism: opportunities and challenges", will that the education system delivers skills that more emphasis on increasing employment highlight the roles the public and private sec- meet those standards: and opportunities for local people at tourist destina- tors play in job creation in tourism. This is an - recognition that the industry provides, with tions. Generating such opportunities for local area where partnerships have often been used its part-time, seasonal and casual jobs, much people makes a considerable contribution to to counter rising unemployment and to revi- needed work experience for new entrants to enhancing the economic benefits for local com- talise local economies in many member coun- the labour force, for young people, students, munities because the wages and salaries can tries. In addition, the Committee will examine women and immigrants. remain in the local economy. It is also note- changes in the employment structure brought These key policies should increasingly be devel- worthy that pluriactivity can be a valuable by- about by information technology, which oped in partnerships with the private sector of product, especially in rural areas, and can be creates a demand for more skilled, but fewer, seen in an employment structure where a person the tourism industry. At a time when employ- employees in the tourism industry. has more than one type of job, for example, a ment is of prime concern to governments and farmer providing accommodation. This can also The Tourism Committee is conducting has been firmly placed at the top of their agen- help guard against recession in any one sector. research on employment statistics with the das, it clearly makes sense for OECD members aim of establishing a reliable statistical frame- to look more closely at the job creation potential of sustainable tourism development with a view Employed labour in the tourism industry work and methodological guidelines. This to helping maximise the industry's contribution comes particularly from among women, the work helps to identify the present situation young, the unskilled and visible minority and characteristics of those employed in the to reducing unemployment. • groups, highlighting the fact that tourism gen- tourism industry and the impact of charges in C.-M. Mo erates jobs for those at the very core of tourism expenditure on employment levels. It Tourism Policy Section OECD's unemployment. A study conducted should provide further insight into the under- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development standing of tourism's contribution to employ- (OECD) by the OECD Tourism Committee on tourism 2 rue Andre Pascal strategies and rural development shows that ment. F-75775 Paris Cedex 16 new gap in the market. The fact that greater Towards new solutions importance is attached to the countryside than to comfort does not prevent it from being lucrative. Peter Keller term but that the same applies even to less invasive outdoor activities, such as jogging or In contrast to global "industrial tourism", this ncreasingly frequent travel, shorter tourist rambling. kind of tourism which sets great store by trips and new forms of outdoor sports are nature and the countryside encourages intrin- Iall signs of changes which lay us open to Intervention by the authorities to prevent the sic growth and generates income and jobs new ecological risks. Service providers in slow destruction of the countryside can only locally. Provided that high-quality tourist countries with a tourist industry are under be effective if tourism is once again organised products can be produced and targeted at gaps ever greater pressure from international com- on a human scale: at the end of the day, what in the market, such growth can help to petition. which could lead to still further envi- we need to aim for is tourism at the pace of strengthen cultural identity. ronmental degradation. There is therefore a those who are on foot. pressing need to find new ways of achieving A sound understanding of market forces also sustainable tourist development, solutions Environmental protection adapted to specific makes it possible to use the market to achieve which are not handed down from on high but types of natural environment should: ecological ends (see Illustration No. 2). By are based rather on the agreement and active allowing the influx of visitors to be spread participation of the public and the business - entail preventative measures: zones should more evenly over time and space, marketing community. be demarcated for particular purposes, infra- strategies, for example, help to reduce pres- structure should be developed, and environ- sure 011 the environment. Today it is impossi- mental education should be provided: ble to protect the countryside and the environment without knowing and understanding the Planning tourism on a human - include steps to control the influx of tourists: rules governing the market economy. • scale facilities for informing and educating visitors, technical means of channelling visitors and taxes and prohibitions. P. Keller As globalisation gains ground, the interna- Department of Tourism tional community is not concerned only with Federal Office of Industry, Arts. Crafts and Labour specific ecological problems, such as (he Bundesgasse 8 greenhouse effect, which hang like the sword Imitating the natural CH-3003 Bern of Damocles over our future. Particularly in ecological cycle more closely Europe, the challenge is also to preserve the uniqueness and biodiversity of threatened her- Consumers are becoming increasingly aware itage landscapes. The mistakes made in the of ecological problems and are prompting the industrialised countries of western Europe business community to produce tourist ameni- following development which was often too ties and services which more effectively fast and too extensive should not be repeated respect the environment and the countryside, by the new tourist destinations of eastern ie which are less polluting (see Illustration Europe. No. I ). Complying with the needs and expec- Economic system tations of customers is a tried and tested strat- One idea is gaining ground: the notion that egy for economic survival. Managers of Product Costs environmental protection begins with people tourist agencies now possess the skills to imi- making their own assessment of environmen- tate the natural ecological cycle more closely tal issues. The extent to which people become and to produce without polluting when they aware of these issues and what they do about set up or modernise amenities for tourists and raw materials them depends upon their knowledge of the tourist resorts. pollution environment and of ecology. Not many people know, for instance, that popular sports such as In European countries with tourist industries, wastage waste canoeing or mountain biking are not the only there are numerous examples of companies l_ ones likely to damage biotopes in the long which avoid wastage of resources and which recycle waste, particularly in respect of :( producing more cleanly) (recycling) accommodation. Nevertheless, it must be said that fierce competition between service Ecological system providers, combined with the absence of gov- Illustration No. 1 ernment restrictions, does not make it easier to internalise ecological costs and pass them on to tourists.

Supply Demand Making tourist destinations more ecological is Enhancing nature even more difficult. Such a strategy calls for Optimising and the countryside new forms of partnership between all compa- products nies involved in tourism at local and regional level. State intervention is generally needed to Identity High-quality products encourage this kind of cooperation. Intrinsic growth Targeted marketing

Using the market to achieve Balancing supply ecological goals and demand

The rarer heritage landscapes become, the higher their economic value. Nowadays, an Promotion of out-of-season holidays unspoilt environment is regarded as having Staggering holidays economic growth potential. Ecotourism is a form of tourism which takes advantage of this Illustration No. 2 At the Council of Europe Intergovernmental activities on tourism and environment

Françoise Bauer and Jean-Pierre Ribaut Two specific ticularly in central and eastern Europe, where recommendations there is considerable potential for tourist n addition to the activities of the Parliamen- development. Unfortunately, the scope for Council of Europe funding is extremely lim- tary Assembly and the intergovernmental Recommendation No. R (95) 10 on a sustain- ited. This is why we are attempting to associ- technical assistance co-operation with coun- able tourist development policy in protected I ate certain states and foundations with spe- tries of central and eastern Europe, the Coun- areas. This text stresses the importance of cific pilot projects aimed at enhancing the her- cil of Europe has developed an in-depth integrating protected areas into an overall itage with a view to environment-friendly methodical study of the tourism-environment tourist development strategy, and invites those tourism. Switzerland, France, Liechtenstein tandem, particularly with regard to: responsible to provide appropriate responses and the Northern Vosges Regional Natural to the increasing public interest in such areas. Park have all implemented original projects - the impact of tourism on the environment; It also strongly advocates developing dia- which could be used as models. - the requisite principles to ensure both the logue and genuine co-operation among all preservation of the natural heritage and an those concerned, in the interests of all, espe- The following projects were launched economically and socially acceptable and cially future generations. It invites tourism equitable type of tourist development. professionals to accept the constraints of a recently: sustainable pattern of tourist development and - A pilot project is currently emerging for With this in mind, Council of Europe spe- to make a direct contribution to the conserva- tourist development of the karstic areas of the cialists were mandated to "determine the tion of protected areas. principles and conditions to which tourism Apuseni mountains in Romania. The subter- ranean complexes are attracting increasing projects shall conform so that support of Recommendation No. R (97) 9 on a policy for numbers of visitors, and this necessitates the European or international financial institu- the development of sustainable environment- implementation of strict development regulations could be justified in terms of respecting friendly tourism in coastal areas. Coastal tions and meticulous supervision. environment". areas are particularly fragile ecosystems with enormous biodiversity which are being sub- - A project is proceeding in the Carpathians, The experts were also invited to "define the jected to increasing pressure and speculation. especially in a number of exceptional natural actions to be undertaken by the Council of Consequently, the traditional approach is sites which have applied for the European Europe in order to reconcile the long-term sometimes called into question. This is why Diploma. Very little has ever been done with interests of tourism and environment protec- the experts recommend implementing a com- most of these sites, and so there is a great deal tion and nature conservation and prepare a plex series of measures including, obviously, of scope for some very interesting "experi- draft Recommendation to this effect". The controlling development, monitoring and mentation", especially since no negative group's work resulted in the elaboration of combating pollution, diversifying tourist ser- developments have been inherited from the several recommendations. vices, using economic and financial instru- past. Three protected areas in Ukraine, Poland ments and incentives, education, training and and Slovakia which are part of the trilateral research, and lastly co-operating at all levels reserve of the Eastern Carpathian biosphere One general recommendation (local, regional and national). are currently involved in this ambitious project. Recommendation No. R (94) 7 of the Commit- A seminar on tourism and the environ- tee of Ministers on a general policy for sus- ment was held in Strasbourg from 21 to - A third project concerns the development of tainable and environment-friendly tourism 23 November 1996, aimed at developing a a coastal area in north-western Latvia development. After outlining the principles of new code of ethics in tourism based on the var- (Vidzeme region). A zoning plan will also be sustainable tourism development, the Com- ious operators' environmental responsibilities. mittee of Ministers invites national, regional proposed in order to determine the zones and local authorities to comply with them, which must be excluded from any tourist pointing out that they should be implemented Practical applications development plans. at three levels. They stress the importance of impact assessments in order to guarantee The Council of Europe is making practical use Gone are the days when nature could be sys- appropriate environmental protection. of the conclusions of all these activities, par- tematically put on the back burner. We welcome the fact that the ecological dimension is increasingly being taken into account in development projects, but this should not c blind us to the importance of nature reserves | and other appropriately protected areas. Mod- £ ern man has such a craving for development " that we sometimes have to say no.

As is often the case, the important things are balance, complementarity and harmony. Sus- tainable tourist development is no exception to this rule. •

F. Bauer and J.-P. Ribaut Environment Conservation and Management Division Council of Europe National Agencies of the Centre Naturopa

ALBANIA GREECE ROMANIA Environmental Protection and Preservation Committee Mr Donald MATTHEWS Mine Lucia CEUCA Ministry of Health and Environmental Protection Hellenic Society for Nature Protection Direction Relations internationales, publiques et presse Rruga "Bajram Cum' 24 Nikis Street Ministère des Eaux. Forêts et de la Protection de l'Environnement AL-TIRANA GR-105 57 ATHENS Bd Libertatii 12, SecteurS Fax 355-42 652 29 Fax 30-1 32 25 285 RO-70542 BUCURESTI e-mail: [email protected] e-mail: [email protected] Fax 40-1 410 63 94 ANDORRA HUNGARY M. Casimir ARAJOL FARRAS RUSSIAN FEDERATION Mrs Louise LAKOS Ministeri de Relacions Exteriors Dr Nina DOBRYNINA Department of European Integration and International Relations c/Prat de la Creu 92-94 International Co-operation Department Ministry for Environment and Regional Policy AND-ANDORRA LA VELLA State Committee of Environmental Protection P0 Box 351 Fax 376-86 95 59 B. 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