GSTC Good Practice Evaluation South Sardinia - August 10, 2013 By: Dr. Louise Twining- Ward Sustainable Travel International
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
GSTC Good Practice Evaluation South Sardinia August 10, 2013 By: Dr. Louise Twining-‐Ward Sustainable Travel International
GSTC
EA
Report:
South
Sardinia
“Lost between Europe and Africa and belonging to nowhere. Belonging to nowhere never having
belonged to anywhere. To Spain and to the Arabs and the Phoenicians most. But as if it had never
really had a fate. No fate. Left outside of time and history.”
D.H Lawrence
Introduction
The
island
of
Sardinia
(Sardegna)
is
located
250km
west
of
the
Italian
mainland
and
200km
North
of
Tunisia.
It
is
the
second
largest
island
in
the
Mediterranean.
The
island
is
mountainous
and
dry.
It
is
characterized
by
a
rocky
coastline
separated
by
sandy
and
rocky
beaches.
Wide,
alluvial
valleys
in
the
South
support
a
wide
range
of
agricultural
activities.
The
population
is
predominately
Sardinian
(Sarda)
with
a
low
density
at
68
per
km2.
Following
centuries
of
coastal
invasion
the
towns
are
inland
and
a
network
of
fortified
towers
protect
the
coastline.
The
administrative
heart
of
the
island
is
Cagliari.
The
City
of
Cagliari
is
built
on
seven
hills.
It
has
been
inhabited
for
at
least
6000
years
and
has
archaeological
remains
from
the
Nuragic
Age
(1700-‐300
BC),
Phoenician
(800-‐200
BC),
Roman
(238
BC-‐450
BC),
and
buildings
of
the
Middle
Ages
(1000
-‐
1300
BC).
The
island
is
divided
into
administrative
provinces
and
municipalities
administered
by
the
regional
government.
Five
of
the
municipalities
that
comprise
the
province
of
South
Sardinia
were
included
in
the
GSTC
Early
Adopter
program:
Cagliari,
Domus
de
Maria,
Muravera,
Pula,
and
Villasimius.
Cagliari
is
the
main
city
and
seat
of
the
regional
and
provincial
government.
In
February
2013,
these
five
municipalities
collaborated
to
form
a
new
DMO,
Visit
South
Sardinia.
The
GSTC
Evaluation
is
the
first
major
collaborative
initiative
of
the
DMO,
made
possible
by
the
coordination
of
Professor
Patrizia
Modica
at
the
Department of Economics and
Business Studies of the University
of
Cagliari.
South
Sardinia
is
the
first
GSTC
Early
Adopter
in
the
Mediterranean,
and
the
first
to
involve
a
collaboration
between
five
linked
but
distinct
destinations.
South
Sardinia
has
a
diverse
range
of
products
to
offer
tourists,
including
white
sandy
beaches,
crystal
clear
water,
hospitable
people,
great
local
seafood
and
produce,
cultural
and
historic
sites
and
events,
parks
and
protected
areas.
Despite
the
diversity
of
products,
however,
tourism
to
South
Sardinia
is
affected
by
high
seasonality.
The
tourist
season
starts
at
the
end
of
April
and
runs
until
the
end
of
October.
Hotels
mostly
close
during
the
winter
and
only
employ
a
core
staff.
Tourism
has
also
suffered
from
the
economic
crisis
affecting
Italy
and
other
markets.
Total
arrivals
to
the
province
are
just
over
half
a
million.
An
eleven
percent
reduction
was
experienced
in
2012,
due
to
economic
difficulties
in
the
Italian
mainland
and
the
high
cost
of
transportation,
however,
the
DMO
found
some
positive
signs
that
tourist
flows
are
picking
up
in
the
first
half
of
2013.
Traditional
focus
has
been
on
sun
and
sea
tourism.
Significant
second
home
development
along
the
coast
in
the
1990s
has
now
been
halted
with
new
regulations
and
coastal
protection.
GSTC
Destination
Criteria
Early
Adopter
Program:
South
Sardinia
Page
2
Sea-‐level rise and coastal erosion is a significant environmental concern. Water has been an issue in the past but advanced water recycling systems have largely alleviated this. The destination prides itself on its large community of pink flamingos that inhabit the lagoons, feeding on shellfish. Although a strong social and family support systems means poverty is low, unemployment is a considerable social concern blamed on the closure of extractive industries and the high seasonality in tourism. There is a low-‐level of entrepreneurship and a heavy burden of administration. Supported by grants from the European Community and regional government, significant investments have been made in sustainability infrastructure including water recycling, waste reduction and recycling, solar power, cultural heritage protection and preservation, and increased accessibility for the disabled. The destination has a strong legal framework in place and laws and regulations are consistently implemented. Methodology, Activities, and Results Sustainable Travel International (“Assessor”) conducted an on-‐site evaluation of the GSTC Destination Criteria Early Adopter Program in South Sardinia from July 27th to August 6th. The evaluation was contracted by the five mayors of South Sardinia and coordinated by Prof. Modica of the University of Cagliari. The GSTC-‐D EA process was supported by the University of Cagliari as a capacity building and knowledge transfer process. The work was collaborative and involved the coordination of five municipal governments assisted through the University. The Destination Liaison, Professor Patrizia Modica was present at all meetings and site-‐visits and demonstrated considerable understanding of the issues and engagement with the process. Over a period of ten business days, the consultant met with key stakeholders involved in tourism, environmental conservation, heritage protection, physical planning, and the provision of utilities. Annex 3 contains the stakeholder map. Four focus group meetings were all held with 10-‐14 participants. In addition, two community meetings were held to discuss key issues related to the development of tourism. Individual meetings were held with the regional government, labor department, and waste management facility. Site visits were held in each of the five municipalities and included a guided tour of Cagliari, the port, and a naturalist-‐accompanied visit to Molentargius Park. Visits included tourist information points such as the ancient tower, Bithia excavations in Domus de Maria, the ancient city of Nora and town of Pula. Visits also included the marine protected area of and museum of crafts in Muravera and beaches of Villasimius and Muravera. An overview of the itinerary for the on-‐site evaluation of South Sardinia is outlined below. The primary purpose of stakeholder meetings was validation of the range and clarity of the GSTC-‐D, identification of any issues not covered by the indicators, and solicitation of constructive feedback for improvement in accordance with ISEAL procedures. The municipalities of South Sardinia were forthcoming with suggestions for revisions and improvements to the indicators. These are noted below. GSTC Destination Criteria Early Adopter Program: South Sardinia Page 3
Itinerary
Days
Activity:
am
Activity:
pm
Sat
27
Travel
and
arrival
on
site
Tour
of
Pula
and
Nora
site
Sun
28
Preparation
and
review
of
documentation
Preparation
and
review
of
documentation
Mon
29
Review
of
documentation
with
Destination
liaison
Tour
of
Park
Molentargius
Park
Tues
30
Review
of
documentation
with
Destination
liaison
General
stakeholder
meeting,
Focus
group
A
management
Meeting
with
regional
government
and
department
Focus
group
B
on
economics
at
the
University
of
Cagliari,
Waste
Wed
31
of
labor
management
meeting
Focus
group
C
on
culture
and
community
in
Pula
Meeting
stakeholders
at
Domus
de
Maria
and
Pula,
Site
visit
Thurs
1
Lagoon
park
Domus
de
Maria
Fri
2
Focus
group
D
on
the
environment
at
Villasimius
Meeting
stakeholders
of
Muravera.
Museum
tour
Muravera.
Sat
3
Site
visits
to
Muravera
Site
visits
in
Villasimius
Sun
4
Reporting
Preparation
for
final
presentation
Mon
5
Closing
workshop
Debrief
and
next
steps
meeting
Tues
6
Travel
Travel
The
secondary
purpose
of
the
interviews
was
to
determine
the
destination’s
readiness
to
demonstrate
adherence
to
the
GSTC-‐D
based
on
a
four-‐tiered
color-‐coded
system.
Specifically,
destination
readiness
was
reported
as
follows:
0
(Red)=no
documentation
or
evidence
of
implementation;
1
(Pink)=documentation
exists
(e.g.,
laws,
regulations,
policies,
plans,
strategies);
2
(Yellow)=documentation
exists
and
evidence
to
demonstrate/verify
implementation
exists
(e.g.,
management
systems,
monitoring
systems,
etc.),
3(Green)=evidence
of
documentation
and
implementation
exists
and
destination
is
demonstrating
improvements.
Evaluation
Coverage
GSTC-‐D
Criteria
and
Indicators
Destination
Feedback
and
Readiness
Total
Criteria
40
Total
Indicators
81
Total
Criteria
/
Indicators
scored
81
Total
Not
Reviewed
0
Suggested
Changes
from
Destination
by
Section
A
=4
B=
11
C
=
12
D
=
9
Review
of
Results
The
results
from
South
Sardinia
are
outstanding.
The
destination
is
well
aligned
and
even
exceeding
the
GSTC-‐
Destination
guidelines
in
many
areas.
The
following
statement,
developed
in
collaboration
with
the
Destination
Liaison,
sums
up
the
analysis
of
destination
readiness:
“South
Sardinia
has
a
strong
belief
in
its
own
cultural
identity,
a
proud
connection
to
the
land
and
is
successfully
implementing
advanced
sustainability
management
practices.
It
has
a
strong
base
of
laws
and
regulations
relating
to
planning
and
sustainability
and
these
are
consistently
implemented.
Monitoring
and
public
participation
is
less
well
developed.
Tourism
private
sector
practices,
communications
and
linkages
GSTC
Destination
Criteria
Early
Adopter
Program:
South
Sardinia
Page
4
are
less
reflective
of
sustainability
innovation.
There
is
more
to
do
in
the
coordination
of
marketing,
monitoring,
and
transportation.
Public-‐private
partnerships
demonstrated
in
the
formation
of
the
new
DMO
Visit
South
Sardinia
will
serve
to
assist
South
Sardinia
to
implement
the
recommendations
of
GSTC
and
progress
further
in
the
sustainability
journey.”
Table
of
Results
A
B
C
D
Total
#
GSTC
sections
Destination
Social
and
Cultural
heritage
Environment
indicators
management
economic
benefits
Total
Indicators
Scored
Green
23
9
6
17
55
Total
Indicators
Scored
Yellow
4
4
4
3
15
Total
Indicators
Scored
Pink
0
1
0
1
2
Total
Indicators
Scored
Red
5
3
0
1
9
Total
indicators
Score
N/A
0
0
0
0
0
Total
Indicators
32
17
10
22
81
Graphic
of
Results
Results
by
Section
Scored
Green,
Yellow,
Pink,
and
Red
Total
Results
Scored
in
Green,
Yellow,
Pink,
and
Red
Full
results
are
provided
in
Annex
4.
South
Sardinia
is
a
high-‐scoring
GSTC-‐Early
Adopter:
68%
of
the
indicators
scored
in
the
green
area
and
only
9
in
the
red.
Strongest
results
were
in
section
C,
Cultural
Heritage.
Most
areas
for
improvement
were
in
Section
A:
Tourism
Management
and
Section
B:
Economic
Benefits.
The
high
results
are
also
in
part
due
to
substantial
preparation
on
the
part
of
the
Destination
Liaison
in
coordination
with
the
five
municipalities.
Each
municipality
had
collected
documents
and
evidence
of
best
practice
in
advance
of
the
evaluation
visit.
A
team
from
the
University
of
Cagliari
assisted
this
process.
GSTC
Destination
Criteria
Early
Adopter
Program:
South
Sardinia
Page
5
Feedback
on
GSTC-‐D
All
the
indicators
were
found
to
be
applicable
to
South
Sardinia.
The
high
score
corresponds
to
a
high
level
of
implementation
of
advanced
sustainability
management
practices
in
the
destination.
There
was
some
discussion
about
whether
the
indicators
were
challenging
enough
for
a
developed
country
which
has
all
the
usual
planning
and
regulatory
framework
in
place.
Comments
were
made
that
indicators
about
planning,
discrimination,
sexual
exploitation,
expropriation
of
land
etc.,
are
not
so
useful
for
a
European
Destination.
Thirty-‐six
new
indicators
were
recommended,
a
demonstration
of
South
Sardinia’s
in-‐depth
engagement
with
the
process.
The
data
collection
team
at
the
University
of
Cagliari
submitted
specific
recommendations
for
improvements
to
the
indicators.
They
commented
“Please
know
that
our
suggestions
stem
from
problems
and
critical
issues
that
we
found
during
our
research
data,
preliminary
to
your
evaluation
on
the
field.
They
are
therefore
only
indicative
in
order
to
improve
for
the
future
the
Criteria
and
Indicators
Panel
and
make
it
more
understandable
and
functional
for
other
people
who
will
be
doing
our
own
work.”
Other
observations
from
the
data
collection
team
at
the
University
of
Cagliari
include:
o There
are
some
indicators
that
overlap
and
should
be
improved,
e.g.
B3,
B5.
o There
are
some
that
combine
two
points
of
evaluation
together
that
should
be
avoided
e.g.
A12,
(3).
o There
are
some
that
are
too
general
and
others
too
specific
e.g.A6,
D12.
o Some
issues
of
significant
importance
are
absent,
e.g.
seasonality,
investment,
tourist
flow
monitoring,
education
and
training,
cruise
tourism
impacts,
and
transport
to
the
destination.
Specific
changes
to
the
criteria
and
indicators
based
on
the
destination-‐specific
circumstances
and
experience
of
destination
stakeholders,
and
detailed
evaluation
findings
are
outlined
in
Annex
3.
Key
stakeholders
commented
on
their
high
level
of
satisfaction
with
the
GSTC
Destination
Criteria
Early
Adopter
Program
and
their
pride
South
Sardinia’s
participation
in
this
process.
Areas
of
Good
Practice
Given
that
fifty-‐five
indicators
scored
top
marks
in
the
evaluation,
there
are
clearly
many
areas
of
good
practice.
Particular
mention
is
made
of
the
following
outstanding
examples
of
sustainability:
Management
o Plans
and
regulations
are
all
easily
accessible
via
government
websites.
o Sustainability
monitoring
is
advanced
in
many
areas:
Sardinia
Statistics
(demographic),
ARPAS
(environment),
water/waste/,
marine
areas,
SIRA,
SITR
(Geographic
information),
e,g,
Natur
2000
sites.
o In
every
tourist
centre
there
is
a
Tourist
Guards
Office,
ensuring
urgent
and
low-‐cost
medical
treatment
for
visitors
and
residents.
o Fish
catches
and
sales
are
highly
regulated.
The
Capitanaria
di
Porto
inspects
fish
catches
and
regularly
inspect
places
where
fish
are
sold
and
eaten.
o Taxi
licensing
is
highly
regulated.
There
are
fixed
rates
for
some
routes.
Fidelity
cards
ensure
regular
customers
get
fixed
rates,
young
people
going
to
discos
get
special
prices
to
increase
safety
and
reduce
drunk
teenage
driving.
GSTC
Destination
Criteria
Early
Adopter
Program:
South
Sardinia
Page
6
Economic
&
Community
o Zero
km
program
promotes
the
use
of
local
products
in
restaurants
and
school
canteens.
o Each
year
in
May,
the
municipalities
participate
in
a
“week
of
culture”
and
“Open
free
monuments”
weekend.
During
this
period,
free
access
is
permitted
to
all
public
attractions.
o City
of
Cagliari
has
five
neighborhood
committees,
which
are
involved
on
tourism
related
issues.
Muravera
demonstrated
attendance
at
public
meetings
on
tourism
and
other
matters.
o The
headquarters
of
the
Centre
for
Environmental
Awareness
on
Laguna
di
Nora
island
opened
a
restaurant
with
bio-‐sustainable
food
that
enhances
awareness
of
lower
value
fish
Cultural
Heritage
o The
De.CO
program
allows
for
the
recognition,
promotion
and
protection
of
local
crafts
and
food
products.
o Museo
dei
Candelai
in
Muravera
protects
and
revives
ancient
crafts
such
as
weaving,
candle
making,
break
making,
basket
making
and
silk
production.
o There
is
video
monitoring
of
tourist
behaviour
at
key
sites
such
as
Nora
and
in
Cagliari.
Environment
o The
Hydrological
Assessment
(PAI)
includes
conservation,
protection
and
enhancement
of
the
soil,
the
prevention
of
landslides
and
identifies
degrees
of
risk
on
the
basis
of
physical
and
environmental
characteristics
of
the
region.
o In
Muravera,
all
street
lights
were
retrofitted
with
energy
saving
light
bulbs.
In
Pula
they
also
have
energy
saving
lights,
as
well
as
lights
to
reduce
pollution.
o Domus
de
Marie
has
a
complete
water
recycling
system
for
the
entire
community.
This
is
also
in
place
in
Pula,
Muravera
and
Villasimius.
o Successful
recycling
program
which
has
lead
to
up
to
70%
reduction
in
undifferentiated
waste
in
Pula
and
the
frequent
collection
of
biodegradable
waste.
o ARPAS
monitors
drinking
and
bathing
water
quality
in
multiple
sites
around
Sardinia.
Areas
Needing
Improvement
Management
o There
are
no
full
time
staff
at
the
DMO
yet.
Municipalities
have
staff
that
are
dedicated
to
tourism
functions,
but
not
specific
to
sustainable
tourism
activities.
o There
are
several
independent
studies
of
visitor
satisfaction
but
there
is
no
collective
analysis
and
little
publication
of
results.
Satisfaction
surveys
are
distributed
at
several
attraction
sites,
e.g.
Airport,
Nora,
Molentargius.
University
of
Cagliari
conducted
one
cruise
passenger
satisfaction
survey
in
2007.
No
exits
surveys
are
regularly
conducted.
o The
EU
Ecolabel
is
available
but
not
an
industry-‐supported
system.
The
DMO
acknowledges
the
need
for
an
environmental
certification
program
and
network
of
participating
companies.
Economic
&
Community
o Some
independent
tourist
expenditure
surveys
have
been
completed
but
these
have
had
small
samples
and
are
not
publicly
available
or
up
to
date.
o No
satellite
accounting
or
tracking
of
direct
and
indirect
economic
contributions
of
tourism.
o There
is
no
regular
monitoring
or
reporting
on
resident
aspirations
with
tourism.
GSTC
Destination
Criteria
Early
Adopter
Program:
South
Sardinia
Page
7
o There
is
no
program
for
tourists
to
make
donations
to
community,
conservation
or
public
monuments
or
attraction
sites.
Environment
o There
is
no
program
for
measuring
GHG
in
tourism
enterprises.
o Despite
the
apparent
high
water
quality
there
is
a
public
mistrust
of
tap
water.
The
majority
of
water
drunk
is
from
plastic
or
glass
bottles.
There
is
a
campaign
to
increase
the
use
of
tap
water
over
bottled
water
but
it
has
yet
to
be
implemented.
Recommendations
The
mayors
of
South
Sardinia
requested
that
the
Assessor
provide
feedback
on
its
best
practices
and
suggestions
for
improvement.
The
following
recommendations
for
improvement
were
vetted
with
the
Destination
Liaison
prior
to
the
final
meeting
with
the
mayors
and
other
stakeholders.
The
recommendations
were
positioned
as
suggestions
for
a
destination
that
is
already
ahead
of
the
curve.
Rather
than
focusing
on
the
four
areas
of
the
GSTC
evaluation,
the
recommendations
were
organized
around
five
key
points:
marketing,
organization/coordination,
monitoring,
cultural
heritage,
and
the
environment.
1. Marketing
a. Develop
a
coordinated
marketing
strategy
for
South
Sardinia
focused
on
the
sustainability
of
South
Sardinia.
i. Create
a
strong
brand
and
communication
strategy
focused
on
the
sustainability
of
South
Sardinia.
ii. Develop
multiple
“proof
points”
for
the
sustainability
strategy
to
position
South
Sardinia
as
a
sustainable
destination
at
WTM,
SDLN,
ISO,
EMAS,
Man
&
Biosphere,
UNESCO,
etc.
b. Map
and
improve
the
distribution
points
for
artisanal
local
products.
2. Organization/Coordination
a. Recruit
staff
for
the
DMO
with
a
preference
for
individuals
with
private
sector/tourism
marketing
experience.
b. Develop
a
two-‐year
plan
of
action
and
budget
for
DMO
activities.
i. Coordinate
transportation
and
marketing
efforts
to
address
access
and
seasonality.
ii. Plan
for
the
future
growth
of
cruise
tourism
to
maximise
economic
benefits
and
minimize
environmental
impacts.
c. Create
a
Sustainable
Sardinia
Tourism
Label
managed
by
the
DMO.
i. Develop
or
adopt
and
incentivize
participation
in
an
integrated
or
GSTC-‐complaint
sustainable
tourism
certification
program.
ii. Develop
a
listing
of
EMAS,
ISO
and
EU
Eco
Labelled-‐properties
and
include
in
DMO
website
giving
priority
to
certified
properties.
GSTC
Destination
Criteria
Early
Adopter
Program:
South
Sardinia
Page
8
3. Monitoring
a. Participate
in
the
European
Tourism
Indicator
System
pilot
and
publish
the
results
on
the
DMO
website.
i. Develop
and
implement
a
survey
for
visitor
satisfaction,
resident
aspirations
and
tourism
expenditure
and
publish
the
results
on
the
DMO
website.
ii. Create
a
system
for
mapping
the
impact
of
tourist
spending
on
municipal
economy.
iii. Raise
awareness
of
the
importance
of
tourism
through
communication
of
aggregated
economic
statistics.
4. Cultural
Heritage
a. Develop
and
implement
a
consistent
signage
program
in
at
least
two
languages
for
points
of
tourist
interest.
b. Develop
a
common
code
for
all
site
and
areas
including
behavior
in
the
beach,
and
other
protected
areas.
c. Create
a
system
of
donations
(traveller
philanthropy)
that
can
allow
tourists
to
contribute
to
cultural
heritage
and
environmental
sites
of
special
interest.
5. Environment
a. Develop
a
coordinated
program
in
South
Sardinia
to
decrease
the
use
of
bottled
water
based
on
facts,
impacts
and
quality
of
the
tap
water.
b. Establish
a
carbon
offset
program
to
help
tourists
offset
the
impact
of
their
stay
and
contribute
to
environmental
protection.
Annexes:
1.
Scoping
Report
2.
Stakeholder
Mapping
3.
GSTC-‐D
Criteria
and
Indicators
Suggested
Changes
4.
GSTC-‐D
Criteria
and
Indicators
Evaluation
Matrix
including
comments
GSTC
Destination
Criteria
Early
Adopter
Program:
South
Sardinia
Page
9
You can also read
