dossier sur le tourisme et le développement durable

Majorca
(surface unit)
Tourism and the Environment
Table 1 : Breakdown of the ecological footprint
Majorca
(%)
Majorca (% without
transport by plane)
Cyprus Cyprus
(surface unit) (%)
Cyprus (% without
transport by plane)
Transport by plane to
the destination
2237 56 / 3735 46 /
Waste 1014 25 57 3017 37 68
Food 368 9 21 451 6 10
Hotel energy
consumption
134 3 8 363 4 8
Excursions 117 3 7 509 6 11
Immobilizations 95 2 5 54 1 1
Airport transfers 28 1 2 23 0 1
Water 15 0 1 16 0 0
Car rental 4 0 0 6 0 0
Artificialising of soil 1 0 0 0 0 0
Total (surface unit & %) 4013 100 100 8174 100 100
9000
8000
7000
6000
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
Source: WWF-UK, 2001
Majorca (surface unit) Cyprus (surface unit)
Artificiatising of soil
Car rental
Water
Airport transfers
Immobilizations
Excursions
Hotel's energy
consumption
Food
Waste
Transport by plane to
the destination
1. Tourism and the demand for an environment of quality
Concern about the environmental quality of the destinations that was not very apparent in the
earlier stages of tourist development is now growing rapidly because of pressure from
consumers who are attentive to cleanliness, to the quality of bathing water and to health risks.
The potential role of consumers in the better environmental management of tourist
accommodation and resorts should not, however, be overestimated.
With the income from tourism, the latter could become a force for the protection and
enhancement of landscapes, natural areas and the environment at large. National parks have
become real tourist brands with limited spin-off perhaps, but the impact in terms of image and
quality of the destination is favourable.
It is important to fully understand what “quality of the environment”, as requested by tourists,
means if it is to become a lever for efficient protection of the environment. Two factors are
particularly important:
57