Tourism Policy in Eastern Europe
... It is my belief that the municipality of Piran decided to exploit the local culture, heritage and environment in order to economically boost the area through tourism, as: “Tourism is seen as a potential saviour, providing jobs and extra income for locals. ... Within the municipality of Piran, tourism is now the main industry and has overtaken the aforementioned primary industries. ... The field trip has definitely helped to develop my understanding of principles of tourism policy, especially the principle of sustainability. This essay will go on to look at the town in more detail and discuss how it has contributed to my learning of the principles of tourism policy, drawing upon personal observations, secondary research and theoretical perspectives. ... “There is no widely accepted definition of sustainable tourism” (Swarbrooke, J. ... However it is defined by the Charter for Sustainable tourism as: “An industry which attempts to make a low impact on the environment and local culture, while helping to generate income, employment and the conservation of local ecosystems”. ... The important fact to consider here is that: “Pressures on the natural and cultural resource base upon which tourism exists, threatens the longevity and profitability of tourism within the area” (Goodwin, H. ... If this was the case, then it shows that the area could be making use of the seasonality factor of tourism in order to promote sustainable development. The Municipality have been responsible for producing a document outlining the key policies in terms of tourism within the region in which the need to become more sustainable is very evident. ... The Marine Eco-Tourism for the Atlantic Area (META) have produced a model outlining some key principles of sustainability including the co-operation and participation of locals, making the protection of the environment a priority, educating the community as to the need for sustainability and how to look after the environment as well as marketing the area in a responsible way. ... These principles are ones that I feel were relevant to Pirans Municipality when establishing their tourism policy. ... Another important issue for the area is the way that tourism is marketed. ... Eco-tourism can be defined as: “Responsible travel that conserves natural environments and sustains the well being of local people” (International eco-tourism society, 2003).