Participatory planning of ecotourism in Protected Areas: the "S&T Med" project

A tiny strip of land stretching towards the sea, the Sinis Peninsula lies in the Gulf of Oristano, Island of Sardinia, Italy. It is a unique area of stunning beauty and of rich biological, historical and cultural features. In... [ view full abstract ]

A tiny strip of land stretching towards the sea, the Sinis Peninsula lies in the Gulf of Oristano, Island of Sardinia, Italy. It is a unique area of stunning beauty and of rich biological, historical and cultural features. In order to put in value this land, rich in terms of biodiversity and cultural heritage, the Sinis MPA developed a strategic plan aiming to enhance the sustainability of the local tourism value chain following a participatory approach within the Forum settled in the framework of ECST – European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas.

Among the various steps, some important results have been achieved through the “S&T Med Project” a strategic project co-financed by the European Union through the ENPI CBC Mediterranean Sea Basin Programme 2007-2013 leaded by MIBACT, the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Tourism.

In collaboration with the scientific partners of the project and the other two pilot areas of Mahdia (Tunisia) and Aqaba (Jordan), Sinis MPAS has been working towards achieving the following results:
• The adoption and implementation of a public/private Destination Management Organization (DMO) tailored to the area and reflecting both the specific sub-regional priorities and the area's institutional structure.
• Setting-up a trans-national Observatory on Sustainable Tourism that combines environmental as well as tourism data to promote and protect natural resources of the involved costal ecosystems.

A key feature of the process is to support local economic growth and business development primarily through the refurbishment of buildings of economic significance for the area that could represent tourism attractions; the set-up of business alliances that could improve economies of scale and quality and range of services for tourism.

The capacity building of the local entrepreneurs and scientists have been raised tanks the following steps:
1. Basic training course for young entrepreneurs;
2. Intermediate training course for young entrepreneurs conducted by the local scientific partner;
3. Advanced training course for young entrepreneurs;
4. Training course for local public officers conducted by local scientific partners;
5. Specialized scientific course for local biologists conducted by the Stazione Zoologica “Anton Dohrn”.