MEDITERRANEAN ACTION PLAN

Rapport de l’Atelier sur le tourisme et le développement durable en Méditerranée
Antaly (Turquie), 17, 18 & 19 septembre 1998
have criteria, indicators and priorities (to a large extend) quite different from those
needed in order to promote sustainable development.
The increase of sustainability of a destination by enlarging through technology and
trade, its carrying capacity is argued by many that it is only an effective
« translocation » of pressures to other areas from where products raw materials,
food and energy are imported. At the same time local production support systems
are abandoned under the euphoria of the « golden » tourism period which, if
environment parameters are not concerned, might be particularly short! Then it
becomes extremely difficult, if not impossible, for those mechanisms to be restored
and put back in operation, when tourism is not so profitable any longer.
This leads to a vicious circle, where tourism becomes a vulnerable monoculture
dominating not only the economy but also the socio-cultural and even political
character of the region, its people and their lives.
Another aspect worth mentioning is the very contradicting largely superficial
demands and « standards » set for sustainability by most hotels or tourist agencies
and even customers, sometimes knowingly sometimes out of ignorance! I make this
remark without forgetting, of course, truly innovative and successful initiatives for
properly environmentally managed tourism by what t consider still a tiny minority
portion of tourism industry.
For example a « good » hotel may be a colossal structure itself but requires the area
around it to be « unspoiled » aesthetically. This, in turn, might be interpreted by
its manager in use of tons of pesticides, insecticides and water to keep green grass
during August in the thirsty Mediterranean, while devastating, simultaneously,
biodiversity. Sometimes the same hotel advertises in its menu that pesticides are
not used for the production of the food served! At the same time there is a framed
recommendation for reusing the towels (which, of course, are replaced despite the
fact that you have followed closely the instructions) and it is considered as
unthinkable not to have on, continuously, an air conditioning, which gives an
average temperature of 15 degrees ° C in the room (if you don’t leave the window
open)! Moreover you are almost forced to use elevators in order to visit the
Intensive gymnastics or sauna facilities!
These observations at local or regional level make many citizens and
environmental NGOs to adopt hostile attitudes against tourism industry.
Sometimes their reactional positions might be uncritically negative and their
suggestions unrealistic. To a certain extent this is understandable.
It is also recognised by most NGOs today that ecotourism or agrotourism cannot
offer an alternative to the mass tourism, which altogether should become
progressively, but quickly, « greener » .
To obtain this transformation in attitudes and patterns of tourism public
awareness, information, environmental education and active participation of the
public and other stakeholders is of paramount importance and to facilitate that is
the task of another working group of the MCSD, (the one on Information, Public
Awareness, Environmental Education and Participation) as you all know!
In this point I have to make one remark on the scheme of the Model for Tourist
structures contained in the background document and one « announcement » .
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Plan Bleu