Opportunities of Promoting Conservation Practices: Perspectives of Stakeholders in Italy.
Supervisors: Roger Norum (U Oulu); Elisa Saez De Murieta (BC3)
The global tourism industry comprises significant portion of GDP for numerous countries. It is vital to ensure that tourism economies are sustainable since this will not only support a long-term economic plan but also help us in the conservation of our planet’s environment. Italy, famous for its coastline and marine tourism, has one of the highest levels of tourism globally. It is also a frontrunner in advancing a sustainable tourism model. This study was carried out in order to determine whether stakeholders in the coastal tourism industry are willing to collaborate and establish a tourism model that supports ideals and practices of nature conservation. The method was largely qualitative; stakeholders were asked both targeted and open-ended questions. Results suggest that most stakeholders are willing to cooperate and collaborate to establish conservation tourism as well as sustainable tourism models. However, some further in-depth studies could help to better understand the perspective of public regarding these tourism models. In addition to motivate the for-profit business models it is also recommended to conduct a study to determine if these business models will be in some way helpful in increasing the revenue on long-term to motivate them in order to be part of this action.