/library/oar/handle/123456789/30632 2026-06-16T16:38:38Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/31051 Title: The walled town of Alcudia as a focus for an alternative tourism in Mallorca Authors: Bruce, David; Serra Cantallops, Antonio Abstract: The town of Alcudia in Mallorca was selected as one of four walled towns for a European Commission funded study of sustainable tourism (European Commission, 1992). Each town (Chepstow in South Wales, Conwy in North Wales and Naarden in Holland) had a broadly similar population - between 8000 and 16,000 - and overlapping similarities in terms of tourism, geography or history. As walled towns, they were all examples of the preindustrial culture of Europe and contained important elements of that preindustrial heritage (Bruce, 1994). The walled towns of Alcudia and Conwy were both close to mass family seaside resort areas. All four towns have been more or less thoroughly by-passed by modern roads. Each has been studied in conjunction with the local municipal government by a neighbouring university: in the case of Alcudia, the University of the Balearics. Since a crisis point in the mid-1980s, the Balearics generally (Ruiz, 1990) and the Municipal Government of Alcudia have begun to seek a more varied and improved marketing image for the island. The idea of the walled town as a focus for an 'alternative' tourism was therefore attractive (Alcudia, 1992) if it could be done sustainably. It fitted well into one of the limited roles seen for alternative tourism: 'to complement mass tourism by increasing attractions and authenticity' (Butler, 1992). The definition for 'sustainability' was taken to be that of the World Commission on Environment and Development (1987) as meeting 'the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs'. In terms of tourism, it was more closely defined as 'green' within the potentially conflicting senses of conserving irreplaceable cultural and physical resources, not adding further to global warming and noxious side-effects, and being community based and supported (Jackson and Bruce, 1992). A fuller discussion of the working definition was reported to the Leisure Studies Association Annual International Conference in July 1993 (Bruce and Jackson, 1993). This understanding was directly compatible with the basic shared concern of the Walled Towns Friendship Circle to develop tourism sustainably without damaging the physical, historical or social fabric of their towns (Bacon, 1991). Associated success criteria evolved to ensure that no significant disadvantages were caused to the town, its residents, the ecology and the environment from seeking to increase income and employment from tourism. The Alctidia study was part of the testing process for the general approach, which generated a handbook of good practice for sustainable tourism in walled (and by extension other historic) towns for Directorate General 23 Qf the European Commission (Bruce et al., 1993). 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/31049 Title: Economic strategies for sustainable tourism in islands : the case of Tenerife Authors: McNutt, Patrick A.; Oreja-Rodriguez, Juan Ramon Abstract: The objective of this chapter is to analyse the issue of 'sustainable development' in an insular tourist-orientated economy, Tenerife. Sustainable tourism development requires the many economic agents involved in tourist-related activities to take cognizance of the insular environment. Our analysis complements the literature on sustainability by introducing some of the elements of both club theory and strategic management in order to appraise the private and the public response to sustainable tourism. Tenerife in the Canary Islands will be used as a reference case study and observations drawn from the recommendations at the 1986 Interoceanic Workshop in Puerto Rico will factor into the conclusions reached in this chapter. The problem, we contend, is simply too many tourists. The solution is tourist capping. We begin with the premiss that public and private strategies for sustainable tourism in islands must achieve a balance between environmental conservation and economic gain. There is an economic trade-off and a consequent opportunity cost in the use of the real resources on the island. Therefore the supply side could be represented by a convex production possibility set (McNutt, 1992) which emphasizes the economic trade-off across economic agents on the island. In other words, an upper limit on the number of visitors to the island must be imposed if the environment is to be maintained. Such a trade-off will inevitably incite rent-seeking behaviour as individual agents seek to protect their particular share of the tourist revenues. In our cursory analysis of the tourism sector in Tenerife we examine the opportunities and threats as well as the strengths and weaknesses of Tenerife's hospitality industry. The concluding section proffers competitive strategies which might serve to develop business strategies in the light of the changing holiday demand patterns which are having an important effect on the current economic situation on the island of Tenerife. According to the Chairman of the Committee on Tourism of the Spanish Employers Association (CEOE), the 1992 summer season on the island was 'an exceptional one'; however, it should not be forgotten that any 'tourism bonanza' in terms of the number of visitors is merely temporary and hence measures are needed if Tenerife's future as a tourist resort is to be assured. Manuel Hermosa, Vice President of the Canarian Government and a former Mayor of Santa Cruz, stated on the occasion of the opening of the International Tourism Fair (Atlantur) that in order for the archipelago's tourism industry to improve the sector must undergo a 'process of reconversion'; furthermore, the economic agents involved must cooperate and a Law of Tourism must be drawn up. We concur with this sentiment. 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/31048 Title: Tourism development and the need for community action in Mykonos, Greece Authors: Stott, Margaret A. Abstract: Tourism continues to thrive as a growth industry in many parts of the world, bringing economic and social progress as well as environmental and sociocultural pressures to developing areas (Goodall and Ashworth, 1988: preface). In recent decades the industry has increasingly drawn attention as a subject for academic study. Since the late 1960s, in particular, significant research findings have begun to emerge (Pearce, 1993: 1). While interest in the phenomenon of tourism has developed in many disciplines (Przeclawski, 1993: 12), the problems explored can be generally grouped into two categories. Some focus on the tourist (or' guest', cf. Smith, 1977) and the tourism product experienced by that tourist (for example, Goodall and Ashworth, 1988). Others focus on the destination and the 'hosts', their relationship with the tourism product provided in their community or region, and the nature and effects of their experience with tourists and the industry (for example, de Kadt, 1979). Growing awareness of potential positive and negative influences deriving from tourism suggests a continuing need for research in these areas. 'As tourism continues to expand, questions concerning associated economic, environmental and social effects will become more pressing' (Mathieson and Wall, 1982: 2). Study of the effects of tourism on the natural environment have been consistent with heightened international concern about the future of the earth and its resources (cf. Mathieson and Wall, 1982: 4 and 93-132). Coincidental with this interest in the effects of tourism on the natural environment has grown concern about the relationship and effects of tourism on the economic, social, cultural and psychological environments of host communities. 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/31047 Title: Ecotourism in the Caribbean : a sustainable option for Belize and Dominica? Authors: Cater, Erlet Abstract: The Central American state of Belize and the Caribbean island of Dominica have both been actively promoting themselves as ecotourism destinations over recent years. Belize is marketed with the use of slogans such as 'Naturally Yours' and 'The Adventure Coast', and Dominica claims to be the 'Nature Island of the Caribbean'. While Belize (Figure 7.1) is considerably larger than Dominica (Figure 7.2), with a population of 188,000 and a land area of 23,000 km2 as opposed to a population of 72,000 (1991) and a land area of 751 km2, there are many similarities between the two small nation states, inviting inevitable comparisons and parallels to be drawn. Both are lower middle-income nations in World Bank terms: Belize had a per capita GNP of US$2010 and Dominica of US$2440 in 1991. Typical of the economies of most less-developed nations, agricultural products constitute a sizeable proportion of their exports, rendering them vulnerable to fluctuations in world trade and meaning they have to import the bulk of their requirements for manufactured goods. As both have balance of payments deficits, it is not surprising that they have seen tourism earnings as a valuable means of augmenting their foreign-exchange earnings. The Belize government made tourism the second priority in its growth strategy in 1984. Dominica, faced with a prospect of the removal of preferential access to the UK market for bananas, is anxious to diversify her economy, and in 1986 declared an official tourism policy based on its natural attractions. Both countries, therefore, also share the common characteristic of coming relatively late on to the international tourism scene. The major difference between the two nations, which will probably dictate future tourism development more than any other factor, is that of access to the North American market. Belize is readily accessible both overland and by air, direct flights only taking two hours from Miami, New Orleans and Houston. Conversely, there are no direct flights to Dominica from either North America or Europe: transits have to be made elsewhere in the Caribbean and schedules sometimes necessitate night stop overs on either Antigua or Barbados, the main connecting points to Dominica. 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z