This paper aims to focus on tourism in an important Italian protected area: the National Park of Cilento which has some important elements that should be valorised in order to increase sustainable tourism, local income and the relationship between tourism and other economic sectors. Tourism is an activity with relevant impact on the territory of destination, due mainly to the significant increase of human presence in a short term with all the problems connected to this situation; this problem is important in protected areas more than everywhere else. (Bizzarri, Querini, 2006, Eagles, McCool, Haynes, 2002). The purpose is to estimate the real tourist presence in the summer in the Park basically using data from urban waste in order to understand how significant is the increase of human presence in the protected area in summer. Data are taken from multiple sources and merged in a database with single records per city/town is built. Study of the phenomenon also imposes a knowledge of the history of the territory. Main findings underline how this phenomenon is underestimated and the real flows are more important and have a deep impact on the territory. The supply has increased in the coast augmenting the impact of tourism concentrated in few summer months; at the same time there has been an increase in house building not for population needs, but as other, unofficial, accommodation for tourism. The paper proposes a methodology useful to evaluate the presence of tourists and the impact on the territory that can be used in other territory; this analysis can provide data that can be used by local government in order to evaluate the real impact of tourism. The paper concludes with some policy implication and suggestion in order to reduce the impact of tourism in the Park in general and to increase its positive effects on the territory.
Estimation of tourism in protected areas: a case study
FARACE, Salvatore
2014-01-01
Abstract
This paper aims to focus on tourism in an important Italian protected area: the National Park of Cilento which has some important elements that should be valorised in order to increase sustainable tourism, local income and the relationship between tourism and other economic sectors. Tourism is an activity with relevant impact on the territory of destination, due mainly to the significant increase of human presence in a short term with all the problems connected to this situation; this problem is important in protected areas more than everywhere else. (Bizzarri, Querini, 2006, Eagles, McCool, Haynes, 2002). The purpose is to estimate the real tourist presence in the summer in the Park basically using data from urban waste in order to understand how significant is the increase of human presence in the protected area in summer. Data are taken from multiple sources and merged in a database with single records per city/town is built. Study of the phenomenon also imposes a knowledge of the history of the territory. Main findings underline how this phenomenon is underestimated and the real flows are more important and have a deep impact on the territory. The supply has increased in the coast augmenting the impact of tourism concentrated in few summer months; at the same time there has been an increase in house building not for population needs, but as other, unofficial, accommodation for tourism. The paper proposes a methodology useful to evaluate the presence of tourists and the impact on the territory that can be used in other territory; this analysis can provide data that can be used by local government in order to evaluate the real impact of tourism. The paper concludes with some policy implication and suggestion in order to reduce the impact of tourism in the Park in general and to increase its positive effects on the territory.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
