Box 25H Examples of legislation and policy tools being used to manage the impacts of tourism and recreation in Europe

Controls on landuse: in Cyprus, landuse controls have been introduced with zoning for protected areas, controlled development areas and transferable development rights which may be used in other uncontrolled zones. In Denmark a new 3 km coastal planning zone makes strong restrictions on tourist development on open coastlines. EC legislation on environmental impact assessment has influenced large-scale tourist projects in Europe.

Planning controls on new building: in Ria Formosa National Park (Portugal), planning permission for tourist facilities in the park is now dependent on operators adopting one of several national-park-approved designs.

Controls on bed capacity or infrastructure: in Malta, down-market bed capacity has been gradually eliminated and accommodation has been developed in collaboration with tour operators in 4- or 5-star hotels. In 1993, Majorca removed 25 000 bed spaces to ease tourism pressure. In Austria, voluntary restrictions on further building have been introduced by local communities in Kleinwalsertal (ERM and StfT, 1992).

Controls on the illegal building of second houses: in Sweden and Denmark, strict controls have been in place for several decades on the building of weekend homes. In Norway, a more restrictive approach to building second homes is now being adopted (Bernes, 1993).

Environmental standards for drinking water, bathing water, wastewater and air emissions are incorporated in EC Directives. Such standards were first enforced in Majorca in 1984, before Spain entered the European Community; guidelines have also been developed for open space and densities of new developments. Similar regulations have been introduced in Cyprus.

Establishment of protected areas and mixed areas around sensitive areas such as wetlands and dunes: for instance, the 'Green Lungs' example in Central and Eastern Europe described in Chapter 9.

Traffic management schemes and restrictions on the use of private cars. At the Glossglockner Hochalpenstrasse in Austria, stringent road pricing measures and conversion of car parks have been introduced to discourage car users. The target is to shift from 90 per cent of the 1.3 million visitors arriving by car to 70 per cent by coach and bus by 2000. Many towns and cities throughout Europe have introduced pedestrianised zones in the centres.

Limits to tourist numbers: function ratios, relating resident to guest populations, have been introduced in popular areas (eg, in Denmark, cooperation between planning authorities and the tourist industry takes place with the aim of controlling the development of tourism).

Economic instruments: where such measures have been applied in Europe, this has normally been for reasons other than environmental ones (ie, to raise revenue). However, some measures can indirectly help relieve environmental pressure (eg, the 10 per cent land levy on new developments in Cyprus can help reduce unfavourable developments).

Environmental awareness building: for tourists, host communities and tour operators. Numerous good-practice guides have been developed by hotel chains theme parks and automobile clubs. 'Blue Flags' awarded to beaches meeting certain standards (eg, EC regulations, provision of certain facilities and good beach area management) promoted by the Foundation for Environmental Education in Europe has affected tourist choice of beaches.

Training of those involved in the management of reception areas. For instance, partnerships have been developed between Central and Eastern European and Western European national parks such as Sumava in Bohemia and Bayerischer Wald in Germany and between Ojcow in Poland and the Peak District in the UK. A manual has been written of how to encourage ecological practices in hotels (ZAO, 1993). In addition, initiatives such as the 'Walled Towns Friendship Circle', an alliance of 109 towns in 15 countries, have produced A Handbook of Good Practice for Sustainable Tourism in Walled Towns (Bristol Business School, 1994).

Monitoring actions: it is vital to monitor the effects of tourism and of policy actions to refine and improve strategies (eg, the use of indicators to monitor effectiveness of tourism policies).