While some Alpine regions are reporting ever-new annual records for the number of overnight stays, some areas of the Alps are seeing high emigration. Overtourism contrasts with an exodus from the land, with nature in some places simply reduced to the role of a backdrop to be exploited. Formulas for sustainable and environmentally-friendly tourism exist, but often only at regional level, frequently driven by committed individuals. The need is for people throughout the Alps who can join up, strengthen and propagate such sustainably planned approaches. At the beginning of November 2018, therefore, CIPRA organised an expert workshop in Innsbruck supported by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU). Tourism is sustainable where there are people who combine these various levels and make policy that incorporates a sustainable approach. “These people will probably have different profiles depending upon whether we are talking about the French or the Austrian Alps”, explains Christian Baumgartner, workshop facilitator and Vice-President of CIPRA International. The workshop, which featured participants from all the Alpine countries, resulted on the one hand in a call for action and, on the other, a specific job profile, to be available from early 2019. More voices from the workshop can be heard on the CIPRA podcast available at www.cipra.org/de/fachworkshop-tourismus (de, fr, it, sl).

Sources and further information:

https://soundcloud.com/user-376609939/wer-macht-den-job-nachhaltiger-tourismus-in-den-alpen (de)

https://soundcloud.com/user-376609939/interview-con-paolo-grigolli-trentino-school-of-management-su-turismo-sostenibile (it)