European Regional Science Association
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European Regional Science Association
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The abstract for paper number 26:
Helen Vayanni, PhD student, University of the Aegean, Mytilene, Greece
Evaluation of the sustainability of the tourism sector in an insular region
The topic of sustainable development preoccupies scientists, planners, and politicians all over the world in all economic sectors. In this concept, the argument about sustainable tourism is an evergreen topic. The sustainability of the tourism activity needs to be examined and measured, especially now with the emergence of a new tourism pattern. A very important question is whether the new forms of tourism (special interest and alternative) are more sustainable than the conventional tourism (especially mass tourism), mainly as far as their environmental and economic performance are concerned.
The purpose of this article is to set a framework for the evaluation of the tourism activity, according to the principles of sustainable tourism. The framework is based on sustainability indicators of the economic sector and the environmental condition. The aim is to conclude to two integrated indicators that represent the economic and environmental performance of a tourism form in a specific region in a given period of time.
This evaluation tool will be used to compare various tourism forms, as far as their sustainability is concerned, and, moreover, regions, with different tourism profile. These comparisons are very useful is order to conclude and to generalize about the sustainability level of each tourism form. Furthermore, it will allow planners to choose which tourism form is better for their region of interest, according to its special natural and human resources.
The efficiency of this tool will be tested in an insular area. The choice of an insular region as a case study is because insular regions are in a disadvantage, as far as their development process is concerned, due to their endogenous characteristics; their small size and the limited natural resources make them extremely fragile concerning their ecological equilibrium. This phenomenon is intensified by the fact that most of the islands receive a great number of tourists, especially during the summer. This is the reason why a conscientious planning and management is needed, in order to move towards more sustainable practices, either from the local authorities or the private sector. At the same time, islands have very specific boarders and thus are used as “laboratories”, since it is easier to measure the effects and control the tourism flows of the tourism activity.
Unfortunately full paper has not been submitted.