WELCOME / 2024-2025

Development of integrative tourism offers in alpine protected areas

Overtourism and the boom in outdoor activities are increasingly relegating the Alps as a mere backdrop for sporting activities. Moreover, users are often unaware of the long-term damage that these activities can cause to a unique natural environment.

To fulfil their mission of nature conservation and sustainable development in the Alps, Alpine Protected Areas must clearly define their position on tourism development, promote specific forms of sustainable tourism and act accordingly. Thanks to their dual mission, many years of experience, and an established position as tourist destinations, Alpine Protected Areas play a pioneering role in promoting this process.

Key components are the cooperation with local and regional partners, the involvement of local population and economic actors, and the co-design of effective governance structures. This allows to develop innovative, sustainable concepts that have an added value for both nature conservation and tourism in protected areas. On the other side, international exchange between protected areas themselves is key to share knowledge, to exploit synergies and to define, implement and communicate joint measures.

The aim of the project is to collect an overview of participative and innovative approaches to sustainable tourism offers in Alpine protected areas, as well as to develop new proposals that address different target groups and can achieve positive regional effects.

The project will present future perspectives up to 2040 and will serve as a basis for further initiatives. It is intended to promote cross-sectoral cooperation in the long-term and to maintain a balance between nature conservation and recreational use, also considering the limits to tourism growth.

Overall objective

WELCOME aims to create a broader, protected area-compliant, biodiversity-compatible and attractive tourism offer. The offer will be developed following an integrative approach, it needs to be attractive both seasonally and among all different visitor groups, and must involve the local population.

Project Partner:

• ALPARC – the Alpine Network of Protected Areas (FR)

Countries: France, Germany

Goals:

• Analysis of the current state, trends and needs as regard tourism in protected areas.
• Collection of innovative strategies and concrete offers of leisure, education and tourism activities in Alpine protected areas
• Proposal for the positioning of protected areas in order to exploit new trends and innovative offers that can have a clear "protected area added value"
• Development of a scenario for tourism in Alpine protected areas up to 2040 and of strategies for a long-term involvement of local actors and the population, including educational and awareness-raising measures for visitors and residents.

Activities:

• Literature review, survey, interview and SWOT analysis to collect and examine current offers and best practices.
• Creation of a portfolio of activities suitable for different target groups at the same time.
• Conception of unique offers in the sporting leisure and outdoor field, in harmony with an environmentally friendly nature experience.
• Definition of governance structures and regulatory mechanisms for tourism in Protected areas.
• Collection of best practices for visitor management measures, awareness-raising campaigns, educational offers, participatory approaches and methods for the involvement of stakeholders.
• Organisation of a final conference to present and discuss the results with relevant stakeholders.

Target Groups:

• Local population (all age groups)
• Tourists and visitors to protected areas
• Local businesses (e.g. restaurants, hotels, leisure businesses)
• Local and regional decision-makers

Project Duration: October 2024 - May 2025 

This project is co-funded by the German BMVU - Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection.

Contact: Guido Plassmann guido.plassmann@alparc.org