Thesis title: “The development of community-based ecotourism - lumes

37tourism, and hence, they should not be viewed as such. They rather constitute a toolthat, if used appropriately and combined with other mechanisms such as regulations,education and proper land-use planning, may benefit the natural environment, the hostcommunities as well as the tourism businesses. Nevertheless, this means that the valueof ecolabelled products and services in contradistinction to the non-labelled onesshould be made clear both within the tourism industry and among consumers. In thecase of Greece, in particular, further studies that investigate and highlight thedifferences between certified and non-certified tourism products and services are animperative. Without them, both the meaning and the success of certification schemesand ecolabels would be very limited. Another field that requires extensive study inGreece is the one concerning public attitudes for tourism certification and demand.This type of research can help reveal important information useful for outlining theprofile of the Greek consumer and for clarifying public opinions towards tourismecolabels. This knowledge is necessary in order to investigate actual tourism trendsand identify the potential response of the Greek consumers to certification schemesand other issues related to sustainable tourism planning and management.Further research is also needed in developing indicators concerning tourismsustainability in national parks and other protected areas in Greece. So far, theexisting research on issues such as carrying capacity of national parks and protectedareas in Greece is insufficient. However, it is impossible even to discuss tourismsustainability if the boundaries of what is or is not sustainable are not accuratelydetermined and set in practice. The difficulty, in this case, lies in the fact that there isnot one single answer of what is sustainable tourism that could be true for all areasand ecosystems, therefore, special research should be conducted in order to come upwith indicators of sustainability for every area separately. This kind of study shouldbe as comprehensive as possible and not only examine the physical and ecologicalparameters of the ecosystem’s carrying capacity, but take into consideration its socioeconomicand cultural aspects as well.Finally, the results and conclusions derived from the case study presented inchapter 6 indicate that there are, indeed, efficient and sustainable ways of preservingthe natural environment and cultural heritage of sensitive areas such as Zagori, whileat the same time, stimulating their economic development and social well-being. Thechallenge lies in convincing all the stakeholders to work together in this direction.