The archipelago of the Pelagie preserves a large number of species and habitats that make it one of the areas with the richest biodiversity in the Mediterranean. This natural and environmental heritage must be protected and safeguarded, also from the presence of tourists that are mainly concentrated in the summer.
To ensure the protection and the safeguard of our environment and our sea, the Protected Marine Area Pelagie Islands has promoted awareness and education actions addressed to local associations and entrepreneurs, focusing on sustainable tourism and offers of quality, with flows distributed throughout the year and through the coordination of the different participants in the promotion and sale of tourist services.
Under the project “Pelagie Blue Islands”, funded by the Ministry of Ecological Transition, the AMP Pelagie Islands has promoted the creation of a network made up of economic operators and entities, both public and private, operating in the field of environmental preservation and tourism, grouped within the “Permanent Forum for Sustainable Tourism in the AMP Pelagie Islands”.
Intense participatory planning activities have been carried out that have allowed the creation of specific integrated tourism products, focused on environmental, social and economic sustainability. The aim of the Forum is to create the conditions for an effective local strategy based on the ability to protect natural systems and the limitations of the impacts related to the tourist presence in the archipelago.
With the season 2002, a first series of services will be activated with the role of supporting the sustainable tourism which will also be integrated on the basis of monitoring activities and evaluations both by visitors and by the operators themselves.
The AMP Pelagie Islands will certify, with the recognition of the brand “Pelagie Blue Islands”, all the subjects, associations and local operators who have joined the Forum committing themselves to respect, in the organization and sale of local services, the purposes, methods, rules and values compatible with the needs of protection and safeguard of the environment, and respecting the objectives of the promotion of the territory and its traditions in a responsible, balanced and sustainable way.
Part of the income generated by the sale of services provided by operators and entrepreneurs who have joined the Forum, will be allocated to the AMP Pelagie Islands to support actions to protect, safeguard, develop and promote our natural and environmental heritage. There will be, in addition, initiatives aimed at raising awareness of the local community, economic and cultural operators, and tourists. The latter, participating in the activities proposed by the AMP, can contribute to the achievement of important objectives of environmental protection and the promotion of forms of sustainable and integrated development of the Pelagie archipelago.
Vision, principles and key themes for sustainable tourism in the Pelagie Islands.
Sharing contents, modalities and criteria of the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in the protected areas , the vision for the Pelagie Islands is structured as follows:
Sustainable Tourism in the Pelagie Islands provides significant quality experience, safeguards of natural and cultural values, it supports the economy and the quality of local life and it is economically viable.
These are the principles on which the Strategy for the promotion of sustainable tourism is based:
1) Giving prority to conservation.
2) Contributing to sustainable development.
3) Involving all interested entities.
4) Planning a sustainable tourism successfully.
5) Pursuing a continuous improvement.
Within the principles, 10 key themes are identified:
1) Protecting valuable landscapes, biodiversity and cultural heritage
2) Supporting conservation through tourism
3) Reducing carbon dioxide emissions, pollution and waste of resources
4) Assuring safe accessibility for all visitors, quality services and experiences specific to the protected area
5) Communicating the area to visitors efficietly
6) Ensuring social cohesion
7) Improving the wellness of the local community
8) Providing education and strengthen operators’ skills
9) Monitoring the performance and impacts of tourism
10) Communicating the actions
