Anton GOSAR
University of Primorska
KOPER-CAPODISTRIA
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
DEVELOPMENT IN THE UPPER
ADRIATIC: THE CASE OF ISTRIA
–
REALITY AND FICTION?
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM – REALITY AND/OR FICTION? Anton GOSAR
ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION
INDUCED BY TOURISM: 1991 – 2002 IN
THE MEDITERRANEAN
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AIR POLLUTION
UP TO 60% DUE TO INCREASED BOOKINGS OF ALL INCLUSIVE AIR TRAVELS.
NEW DEVELOPMENTS: BUDGET AIR CARRIERS (Ryan Air).
WATER USE
UP TO 440 LITERS/DAY/PERSON DUE TO INCREASED NEED OF THE NEW
TOURIST INDUSTRY OFFERINGS (GOLF, SNOW-MAKING, FIRE-FIGHTING, ...) –
SLOVENIA: 5%.
WATER POLLUTION
UP TO 180 LITERS/DAY/PERSON DUE TO INCREASED VISITS (+ 7% YEARLY)
AND “NEW TOURISM”: HOTELS, ROAD MAINTANENCE, MARINAS, ...
SOIL POLLUTION
12.000 KM2 OF PRISTINE LANDSCAPE POLLUTED DUE TO PESTICIDES ...
INCREASED URBAN AREA:
550.000 KM2 RURAL ENVIRONMENTS CHANGED TO URBAN DUE TO SECOND
HOME AND OTHER TO TOURISM RELATED CONSTRUCTIONS.
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM – REALITY AND/OR FICTION? Anton GOSAR
• The »environmental awareness« is praised
by tourist entrepreneurs and tourists alike and
has become a promotional tool within the
industry.
• Ecological certificates, diplomas, seals already
praise some enterprises for its environmental
consciousness. “Blue Flag” waves on close to
2300 European beaches and in almost 500
marinas:
The Upper Adriatic:
ITALY – 8 Bandere Blue;
SLOVENIA – 9;
CROATIA – 146.
• Local Brand Names (examples):
Pro Eco (Poreč-Parenzo, CRO)
Jesolo per l’ambiente (Lido di Jesolo, IT)
Heritage Site (Portorož-Portorose, SLO)
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM – REALITY AND/OR FICTION? Anton GOSAR
TOURISM IN THE UPPER ADRIATIC REGION
• The Upper-Adriatic region
occupies an area of northern
Italy (the provinces of Veneto
and Friuli Veneti-Giulia), the
Istrian coast of Slovenia
(Primorska) and the provinces
of Istria and PrimorskoGoranska (Kvarner) in Croatia.
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM – REALITY AND/OR FICTION? Anton GOSAR
TOURISM IN THE UPPER ADRIATIC REGION
• Tourism visits to the Northern Adriatic go back into the 19. century and
has been described by writers, poets and scientist like Lord Byron,
Robert Koch, Thomas Mann and Heinrich Maria Rilke.
• Slovenia is visited yearly by 1.9
million, the provinces of Veneto
and Friuli Venetia-Giulia
combined have 11.5 million,
Istria and Kvarner combined have
3.9 million tourists - making in
Slovenia 6.7 million, in the Italian
part 50.7 million and in the
Croatian part 21.2 million bednights a year.
Together: 78.6 bed-nights
(2005), like Costa Brava,
Spain.
TOURISM IN THE UPPER ADRIATIC
Year
2005:
(in 000)
Coast
(SI)
Friuli
V-G.
(I)
Veneto (I)
Istria
(HR)
2005
Guests
(000)
SI
Coast
I
Friuli
I
Veneto
HR
Istria
Austria
137
231
361
135
Italy
230
302
1.087
189
Guests
465
703
3.104
1.576
Foreign
% of
Guests
52%
57%
65%
89%
BedNights
1.896
5.424
23.584
10.628
Germany
199
122
721
314
Foreign
% of
Bed-N
47%
50%
61%
88%
Slovenia
Croatia
223
17
7
6
4
5
202
173
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM – REALITY AND/OR FICTION? Anton GOSAR
• The devolution of Yugoslavia has slowed down the process of the growth
of tourism in part of the Alpen-Adria region (ISTRIA) in the 1990’. The
change from the “socialist” to market economy and the new nation-state
borders influenced the scene in times of transition from communism to
democracy and market economy.
• At present, the region of Istria
is in tourist industry’s (Melia;
Kempinski, ADAC) and banking
(Hypo Bank) investment interest.
In Slovenia nation-state’s newly
rich invest into Istrian coastal
tourism (DZS, Sava, Istra-benz,
Krka, …)
•The relative proximity to the
European continental core
(Germany – 180 miles) and its
population axis (500 million) is
competitive in regard to other
similar destinations in Italy,
France and Spain.
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM – REALITY AND/OR FICTION? Anton GOSAR
MARKET ECONOMY AND SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT
• The field-work in the Alpen – Adria
region was performed by students of
Turistica (The College of Tourism and
Hospitality) in June 2004.
.......................................................
• A questionnaire was distributed
among two hundred guest of hotels
in Portorož-Portorose, Poreč-Parenzo,
Medulin/Pula-Pola, Umag-Umago,
Opatija.
• Interviews with two dozen hotel
managers have been carried out.
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM – REALITY AND/OR FICTION? Anton GOSAR
ECOLOGICAL STANDPOINT OF TOURISTS.
A. PERSONAL STANDPOINT
1. Sewage/garbage disposal
“I am sure it goes into a modern sewage system”
12,5%
“I don’t know where it goes, I become worried sometimes”
54,8%
“I don’t care about ecology, the least about sewage”
15,3%
2. Ecological approach
“Support the idea of sustainable development in tourist
resorts”
39,9%
“Support the idea, but I don’t know if I like it always”
21,3%
“I am active in the ecological movement”
“On vacation, I don’t care about ecology or the idea of
sustainable development”
8,0%
19,1%
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM – REALITY AND/OR FICTION? Anton GOSAR
RESULTS
• Hotel managers are interested to invest into sustainable
development – if appropriate measures bring short-term or midterm economic benefits. Istria (Poreč; Portorož): reduced
energy cost (2004 – 2000) – 30%;
• Hotel managers dislike the attitude of resort governments as
the state, provincial or local administration try to implement
ecological measures on costs of operating tourist enterprises.
• Tourists are in favor of the idea of sustainable development as
long as measures implemented do not effect:
1. their pockets – their finances;
2. their privacy and behavioral tradition;
3. expected services at the resort.
• In resort and municipalities discussion has flamed up if natural
heritage is, and should remain, a “no cost good”. The
implementation of fees by local communities (environmnetal tax)
has steered up discussion.
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM – REALITY AND/OR FICTION? Anton GOSAR
PRELIMINARY CONCLUSION
• In theory is the personal standpoint of the tourist to the
issue of environmental protection positive. Day-to-day reality
is different. The topics on pollution seem to be topics of the
daily home-town routine and of the working day; on
Weekends, Holidays we don’t want to deal with serious
issues, such as ENVIRONMENT.
• In Europe, the idealistic euphoria of the late 1980’s and
early 1990’s, as environmental issues have been tackled, has
slowed down, but not died.
• Tourists are not ready to solve the problem, nor being part
of it. They are not discussing, nor want to discuss the issue
in their favorite leisurely environment. If matters are getting
worse, they react by choosing another resort.
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM – REALITY AND/OR FICTION? Anton GOSAR
PROTECTED SITES AND TOURISM IN ISTRIA
• Coastal tourism makes 1/3 of Slovenia’s (Tourists: 2.2M; Bed-
Nights: 7.5M);
• One-fifth (21%) of the Slovenian coast is under protection.
• Municipalities consider protected areas as a hindrance to
development.
• Citizens of townships consider the area as a garden of their own
and not as a park.
• Except in one case, protected areas are not included in profitmaking plans of tourist enterprizes.
• Tourists are often unaware of the existence of a protected area
and make seldom visits. If, they don’t know how to behave.
• Tourist industry's supply (guiding to/through protected sites) is
non-existent.
• Cooperation on cross-border environmental protection and crossborder tourism products is predominantly of the “new age” (Phare,
Interreg).
• The Barcelona Guidelines and the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative could
make a difference.
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM – REALITY AND/OR FICTION? Anton GOSAR
OBJECTIVE: PROTECTED SITES TO ENRICH TOURISM
PROJECTS IN PROGRESS:
• tradition and innovation in economy of the region
(project "All About Salt");
• protected areas as buffer-zones, eco-corridors and habitats
(project "Let's Preserve the Turtle");
• protected heritage routes as recreational paths
(“Parenzana”);
• coastal educational path
(“The Moon-Bay and its Treasures”).
Promoting knowledge to enable tourism industry to promote itself as a
unique destination (follow up: increasing the price-range of their
services and improving living).
Protected areas could be offered as a product addressing different
segments of potential visitors. Such a program would improve the
quality of services.
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM – REALITY AND/OR FICTION? Anton GOSAR
AIM: EDUCATION ON ENVIRONMENT = TOURISM
IMPROVEMENT
The significance of the protected areas should enrich the overall
supply segment of tourism.
The protected areas of the coast must become major tourist
attractions.
As a value adding product, protected areas should improve the
income of the tourist industry, the local community and the state.
Incorporating quality education on protected areas and on the
Mediterranean in the tourism industry's segment of activities.
Activating teachers and scientists, public officers and developers,
tourist managers and residents to strengthen the tourism
industry’s position by the improvement of knowledge on the
sustainable management/devlopment and the environment .