Sustainability and post-Covid-19 tourism strategies in natural protected areas: A European perspective
Margarita CAPDEPÓN, University of Alicante, Spain
Over the last few years, the urgency of moving towards more sustainable models of tourism development and meeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals has been emphasized. Even more since the Covid-19 outbreak that, beyond all the undeniable negative impacts on tourism, also represents an opportunity to transform the sector to be more resilient, inclusive and sustainable.
The pandemic is producing important changes in traveler behaviors too. According to the current trends, it seems that tourism demand is more interested in outdoor activities, in contact to nature and away from crowded sites, for instance in rural areas. In addition, ongoing international limitations and restrictions are provoking the increase of domestic and proximity tourism, short breaks, regional holidays and staycations as common forms of travel.
Within this context, special attention should be paid to the natural environment and, particularly, to natural protected areas (NPAs) as rising tourism destinations. Hence, the main purpose of this work is to analyse the role played by these areas in the recent tourism transition processes and in the post-Covid-19 sector recovery. With the aim of giving a broad approach, the analysis is focused on the European perspective and based on secondary data and several institutional and governmental sources of information.
The objectives of the research are to confirm the expected higher tourism activity in the European NPAs since the beginning of the pandemic. Also, to identify and summarise some of the most remarkable measures and strategies implemented by both national governments and the EU to boost nature-based tourism and park tourism. Finally, the work discusses the likely impacts caused by the number of visitors increase in this kind of areas, as well as the pertinent response not only from public instruments of conservation of nature, but also from all stakeholders.
Mots clés : nature-based tourism|natural protected areas|post-Covid-19,|tourism strategies|Europe
A103308MC