MEETING ON EUROPEAN CHARTER FOR SUSTAINABLE TOURISM FOR THE COTSWOLDS

AONB

 Cotswolds Conference Centre, Broadway

18th February 2010

Introducing the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas

Rosie Simpson, Europarc Consulting

1. Evolution

2. Aims & Essentials

3. The Principles

4. Summary & where next?

The story of the Charter ...

Issues with non-sustainable tourism in protected areas

• Visitor pressures

• Pressure on resources & pollution

• Reactive management

• Disturbance to species, special qualities & local people

• Benefits of tourism not realised/unevenly spread

• Visitors don’t understand the special qualities of the areas

• 1991: EUROPARC Working Group on Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas

• 1993: ‘Loving them to death – Sustainable Tourism in Europe's Nature & National Parks” (Revised 2001)

• 1995: Development of Charter methodology

• 2001: First seven pilot protected areas signed the Charter

• 2007: Start of European CharterNet project

• 2009: Pilot of DIY Toolkit and Mentoring Scheme

Evolution of the Charter…Loving them to Death?

ISBN: 3-9806882-8-3

What is the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas?

• Practical management tool

• Recognition of protected areas

• Voluntary agreement

• A process & methods for managing sustainable tourism

Aims of the European Charter

• Increase awareness of, & support for, Europe’s protected areas

• Improve sustainable development & management of tourism there….

• taking account of needs of environment, local people, businesses & visitors

UK: Brecon Beacon, Cairngorms & Exmoor NPs, Mourne Mountains & Forest of Bowland AONBs,

Some Charter Protected areas

France: Cevennes NP, Luberon Parc Naturel Régional

Spain: Zona Volcanica de Garrotxa Nature Park

• Vision and commitment to Charter principles

• Strategic & partnership approach

• Well-functioning Stakeholder Forum

• Separate Sustainable Tourism Strategy

• 5 year Action Plan with implementation resources

The Five essential Charter requirements

Commitment to 10 Charter principles

6. Tourism products relate to discovery & understanding

6. Capacity building on sustainability

7. Tourism supports local quality of life

8. More tourism benefits to the local economy

9. Monitor visitors and reduce negative impacts

Charter Principle 4

To provide visitors with a high quality experience in all aspects of their visit

• Visitor surveys• Meeting special needs of disadvantaged

visitors• Check and improve quality of facilities and

services

Charter Principle 6

Encourage specific tourism products which enable discovery & understanding of the area:

•New product development, activities events & packages related to the area’s character

•Interpretation of the area’s special qualities

16

Parc natural régional Luberon: results of positive cooperation with tourism businesses

• New image of sustainable tourism

• New lines of alternative tourism in villages

• Tourism in keeping with the park’s Charter & the European Charter

• Tourism for local people as well as visitors

Charter Principle 7

To increase knowledge of the protected area and sustainability issues amongst all

involved in tourism

• Education & awareness programmes • Training for staff of protected areas, tourism

enterprises & other organisations

www.european-charter.org

• Charter website – regular news updates

• Biannual newsletter

• Network meetings

• Stands at tourism trade fairs

European Charter Areas: News and Networking

The European Charter - Summary

• A Practical management tool

• Working in Partnership

• An approach for managing sustainable tourism

• A process & commitment to continued improvement

EUROPARCand the European

Charter for Sustainable

Tourism:

The prospect of sustainable

tourismacross Europe

So the story of the EUROPARC Charter continues ………

For more information: www.european-charter.org

rosie.simpson@btinternet.com

With thanks to the EUROPARC Tourism Charter Team & to Wilf Fenten, Richard Partington & Jacques Décuignières for providing some of the pictures & slides

2. Diagnosis of characteristics, key issues, strengths, weaknesses , opportunities, threats2. Diagnosis of characteristics, key issues, strengths, weaknesses , opportunities, threats

3. Current visitor types/numbers & potential markets3. Current visitor types/numbers & potential markets

4. Strategic objectives arising from the diagnosis 4. Strategic objectives arising from the diagnosis

5. Action plan to meet these objectives & who will act monitoring & evaluation5. Action plan to meet these objectives & who will act monitoring & evaluation

6. Staff & financial resources allocated6. Staff & financial resources allocated

Sustainable Tourism Strategy: Outline Structure

7. Proposals for monitoring & evaluation7. Proposals for monitoring & evaluation

Benefits for the protected area of well-managed sustainable tourism...

• Economic, social and environmental

• Strengthened relations with local tourism stakeholders

• Higher profile regionally, nationally and across Europe

• New ideas and improvements through internal and external assessment

• Exchange of expertise and experience within the Charter network

• Public relations opportunities with visitors and media

• Greater credibility amongst potential funding partner organisations

Benefits for tourism businesses...

• Close co-operation with the protected area

• Provision of high-quality information about the protected area

• Co- operation with other economic sectors in the area

• Engagement with protected area staff and other local stakeholders

• Participation in a European wide network

• Opening of new markets