Monitoring system for sustainable tourism in Swiss Alpine Regions. Tools for regions to act on their own initiative

Author Julia Johnsen
Institute for Public Services and Tourism (IDT-HSG), University St. Gallen
Other authors
Umbach-Daniel A., Schnell K.D.
Year
2003
Region
Alpine Regions
In the territorial limits of the Alpine Convention.
Country
ch (Switzerland)
Publication type
reviewed
Topics

Abstract
The paper outlines the foundation and structure of the monitoring system for sustainable tourism development.In the second section, the basic concepts are explained and the role of tourism in regional development is described by means of current trends in the Swiss mountain regions. A brief overview of more recent literature provides a somewhat more in-depth understanding of the concept of "sustainable tourism development". Finally, it is presented a concrete plan for sustainable tourism development in (Swiss) Alpine regions. Normative and strategic goals were formulated for this plan. The study combines case studies and indicators to measure sustainable development. This method is a combination of top-donw indicators established for sustainable tourism development (basis indicators) and regional-specific indicators developed from the bottom-up. The goal of the underlying research project is to develop indicators that can help those responsible in the various regions to shape regional tourism in such a way that it becomes more sustainable.The Alpine regions generally face different requirements within the context of sustainability and tourism. In the socio-economic and socio-cultural arena: for a vacation region, it is first and foremost important that tourism generates adequate and lasting added-value for the region. The economic value of regional resources such as the workforce, land and capital can be calculated based on the discounted, future net added-value of the region.But this static outlook is not adequate. Having a dynamic perspective on sustainable regional development emphasizes the ability of the region to innovate and learn and adjust to new challenges. Interaction and networking between actors (intra and interregional) encourages both learining and innovation. A central component of the paradigm of sustainable tourism is building relationships and alliances to strengthen the capacities of local communities and transform local economies in a sustainable way that is also good for the environment. This relationship-based approach requires cooperation between the key actors which are the private sector (hotels, tour operators etc.), the public sector and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and informal citizen groups. The phenomenon of cooperation is inherently difficult to measure in a manner satisfactory to the end users. To create an indicator system, therefore, requires qualitative indicators as well, particularly where the perception of the inhabitants or visitors to the region is to be determined to assess a status or a process.The actual monitoring system brings together indicators for measuring development status (basic indicators, regional-specific issues), for process analyses (organizational factors, content aspects of sustainability, methodological criteria and formal aspects) as well as for project assessment (project goals, process in the project, ethical foundation). One future research issue will be how cooperation between various interest groups can be structured in the long-term from a sustainability standpoint. The dialogue between interest groups must be able to answer the question of which developments should be considered sustainable and which should not. The biggest challenge that the indicator system will be confronted with in the future are the continuously changing social norms and values.
Journal / Publisher / Institution
43th Congress of the European Regional Science Association (ERSA)
Reference to the original publication
http://www.nfp48.ch/projekte/projectdocs/28/Monitoring_System.pdf