1. Definition
Name
|
PENETRATION
OF TOURIST ECO-LABELS
|
Brief
definition
|
Number
of tourist eco-labels certificated in the area as
a percentage of the total.
|
Unit of measure
|
%
|
2.
Position within the logical framework DPSIR
Type
of Indicator
|
Response
|
3.
Target and political pertinence
Objective
|
The
indicator shows whether the approach to tourism is
ecologically sensitive.
|
Importance
with respect to desertification
|
The
use of eco-labels has some potential as an indicator
for tourism and the environment and may help to reduce
the land degradation impacts of the tourism industry.
Eco-labels can play a direct role in linking socio-economic
concerns with environmental protection. For example
encouraging the use of more regional products benefits
the local economy and reduces the need for transport
for imported commodities. Eco-labels can also help
to raise awareness of environmental protection among
the regional and local population as well as highlighting
the importance of tourism for the environment in general.
|
International
Conventions and agreements
|
The
aim of the Blue Flag Programme, based on the EEC Bathing
Water Directive of 1976, is to concentrate tourism
at specific areas that both meet certain water quality
standards and provide facilities such as services
and information, rather than at rural beaches without
such facilities. It does not aim to judge the cleanliness
of beaches in general.
The
UNEP Mediterranean Action Plan has set up an expert
group on tourist eco-labels within the framework of
the Mediterranean Commission on Sustainable Development.
http://www.unepmap.org/.
|
Secondary objectives
of the indicator
|
Another use of the eco-label
indicator would be to provide information to institutions
on efforts required in the future to extend and improve
this quality.
|
4.
Methodological description and basic definitions
Definitions
and basic concepts
|
The
Current Eco-labels for Accommodation in Europe. "Current"
means enterprises holding awards that are still allowed
to use the logo. "Eco-label" means that:
a.
environmental aspects are dominant; using a set of
environmental criteria covering different aspects
(waste, energy, etc.);
b.
there is a clear target group (accommodation: hotels,
guest houses, camping sites, holiday apartments, inns,
restaurants, marine and beaches, tour operators, national
parks, tourism destinations etc.) located in a given
area (region xy): every applicant fulfilling the criteria
gets the right to use the logo.
|
Benchmarks
Indication of the values/ranges of value
|
I°
range: < Local Mean -St. Dev.
II° range: >Local Mean - St. Dev. < Local Mean
III° range: > Local Mean < Local Mean + St.
Dev.
IV° range: > Local Mean + St. Dev
|
Methods
of measurement
|
The
indicator considers the numbers of Eco-labels for
accommodation and the number of Blue Flags for beaches,
divided by the total accommodation and lengths of
beaches.
The
target groups for eco-labels include hotels, hostels,
camping sites, private rooms, restaurants, biological
self-catering cottages, motorway service stations,
and holiday parks.
|
Limits
of the indicator
|
The
indicator does not take into account the effects of
adopting eco-labels or the parts of the tourism industry
that are environmental friendly but for some reason
do not hold official labels.
|
Linkages with other
indicators
|
The indicator is linked
with tourism indicators such as Tourism intensity, tourism contribution
to GDP.
|
5.
Evaluation of data needs and availability
Data
required to calculate the indicator
|
Numbers
of eco-labels, numbers of Blue Flags.
|
Data
sources
|
Ecotrans:
Annual data, numbers of eco-labels
Blue Flag: Annual data, numbers of Blue Flags
All eco-labels on: WWW.ECOTIP.ORG
http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/ecolabel/
|
Availability of data
from national and international sources
|
The data are available
at regional and national level from officially national
and European sources.
|
6.
Institutions that have participated in developing the indicator
Main
institutions responsible
|
The
lead agency for this indicator is the European Environment
Agency
|
Other contributing organizations
|
Universities of Basilicata,
Lisbon, Murcia, Athens.
|
7.
Additional information
Bibliography
|
WWW.ECO-TIP.ORG
|
Other
references
|
http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/ecolabel/
|
Contacts Name and address
|
University of Basilicata
Prof Giovanni Quaranta
email: quaranta@unibas.it
|
|