Sustainable Tourism In Fragile Territories
The final aim of SHIFT is to propose an IQM (Integrated Quality Management) model to experiment strategies fostering sustainable development in fragile Mediterranean coastal and island areas. The sustainability of tourism is an ethical requirement and factor of competitiveness in the Mediterranean to preserve its vulnerable economic, natural, cultural and social heritage. Not only do environmental abuses impoverish the island and coastal heritage, but as today’s tourists are increasingly demanding, the quality, diversity and specific environmental and cultural attributes of tourism supply constitute a key factor of its competitiveness. The strategy will support new local employment and economic growth redistributing existing tourism pressure over an extended season and toward different market segments drawn from local cultural and natural diversity. Opting for a sustainable approach entails institutional leadership, co-ordination with the private sector, social involvement and skilled technical backing: All stakeholders have a shared responsibility to make tourism sustainable: they will work together for a “total quality” approach, embracing ethical, strategic and commercial criteria, that will hold the key to the competitive quality of destinations,. A new type of integrated planning and management based on broad institutional, economic and social agreement will be a prerequisite for the preparation of guidelines for sustainable development.