Prudent development - a shared responsibility
15 Tourism
Denmark's long-term objective is to create a tourism sector that is in balance with natural resources and is accepted by the local population. Denmark should offer tourists authentic natural and cul-tural experiences while generating employment and income in local communities. Delivering in-formation about nature and culture is one way of achieving this primary objective. We must secure and improve the recreational opportunities available to tourists and local inhabitants and give dis-abled people easy access to holiday and leisuretime activities. To achieve these objectives, we must better integrate the functions and needs of local areas and tourism while constantly balancing com-mercial and environmental interests.
Generating sales of DKK 44bn in 1999, tourism is now Denmark's fourth largest industry. During the first years of the 1990s, Denmark saw tourism soar from 25 million registered bed nights in 1988 to 43 million in 1992. Since 1993, however, the level of tourism has remained fairly constant at around 44 million bed nights.
The economic upswing of recent years has spurred a global increase in travel, also for tourist purposes. International tourism decreases the chances of achieving global sustainable development because it increases the volume of air travel and adversely affects nature in tourist destination areas. During the past ten years, the Danish tourist industry has increasingly focused on offering natural and environmentally-oriented attractions and experiences. A number of schemes - such as the Green Key - have been introduced, awarding ecolabels to overnight accommodation facilities. We need to heighten awareness of such establishments.
Another scheme, Destination 21, has also been introduced for tourist destinations pursuing sustainable development. Developed in cooperation with seven pilot destinations, this scheme offers a manual with set criteria and indicators. Destination 21 is based on eight main criteria. Its objectives are to secure local organisation, ensure common strategies and cooperation, build up competence in sustainable tourism, protect and provide access to the natural and cultural values of tourist destinations, enhance and advertise local culture and identity, reduce resource consumption and pollution and create jobs, and stimulate the economy in local communities.
At the same time, the Blue Flag campaign has drawn public attention to clean and safe facilities at beaches and in marinas. Nature rehabilitation and afforestation have increased recreational opportunities, and excursions that combine education with outdoor activities are now becoming popular with tourists. Regional and local authorities are increasingly focusing on planning tourist and leisure-time facilities. Danish coastal zone legislation has introduced stricter requirements for new tourist facilities in coastal zones. In its proposal to counties for the 2001 Regional Plan, the Government is reassessing a number of old areas reserved for holiday and leisure-time facilities. Despite these initiatives, the task of transforming tourism while taking into account environmental, social and economic aspects presents a major challenge.
Objectives and activities 2001-2006
We should boost the marketing of green tourism to stimulate green industrial development in the tourist industry. We must also strengthen the interplay between physical planning by counties and regional and national strategies on tourism, for example through cooperation between the Danish Tourist Board and the Danish Ministry of Environment and Energy.
Destination 21 on the island of Møn As one of Denmark's first sustainable, green holiday destinations, Møn has entered the Destination 21 qualification phase. Since 1996, the Møn Tourist Association has targeted its efforts at developing sustainable tourism by linking a number of specific "green" and sustainable tourist projects. These cover a wide field, including:
Furthermore, Møn has many "active", yet environmentally adapted, holiday
options and "green attractions" such as visiting a windmill or local
craftsmanship such as wickerwork as well as a sustainable beach policy that provides
standby staff for monitoring and cleaning beaches. |
Local communities and interest groups must become more involved in the planning and
development of tourism to help enhance development and services in local communities and
communicate information about nature and culture. The environmental standard of existing
tourist areas and tourist facilities must be improved, and new facilities with high
environmental standards should be established.
We must safeguard and improve recreational opportunities for tourists and local inhabitants, for example by improving access between natural areas and housing as well as holiday areas and by providing facilities that disabled people can easily access. Research results on the social and environmental consequences of tourism as well as experience from Destination 21 and other projects should be documented, and relevant information should be published.
Finally, we must find new ways of transporting tourists to holiday resorts, so that longdistance transportation can take place through a combination of mass transportation and environmentally acceptable individual transportation within holiday areas.
A number of tourist areas have a high and a low season. We should examine areas where the existing facilities can support an extension of the holiday season. One initiative would be to focus on nature and culture. Active experiences would include hunting, angling, yachting and coastal fisheries and deep-sea fishing.
At EU level, Denmark is working to promote integrated coastal-zone management that will introduce the sustainable administration and development of coastal areas.
The great variety of activities available in society today are noticeably affecting the countryside and urban areas. This has distinct consequences for landscapes and the very different experiences they offer, as well as for cultural environments, which are often tourist attractions.