"Enhancing the identities, history and culture of a region. Involving the local community. Managing visitor flows. Developing a hospitality policy and training tour operators". These are the pillars on which to develop sustainable and conscious tourism as a factor of peace and resilience in the Mediterranean countries, according to Piera Buonincontri, first researcher at the Institute of Mediterranean Studies of the National Research Council (CNR-ISMed).
The Institute recently published "Tourism and Peacebuilding in the Mediterranean Region: Navigating conflict, fostering reconciliation, and promoting development", the fifth volume of "Tourism Studies on the Mediterranean Region" (McGraw-Hill) edited by Buonincontri, Luisa Errichiello, ISMed research director and Roberto Micera, professor of Economics at the University of Basilicata.
The series, which was launched in 2020, includes studies and research based on a different theme each year: the recovery of post-pandemic tourism, the impact of 4.0 technologies, the role of food and wine, and governance for sustainability. The latest volume was presented at the TTG trade fair in Rimini in a meeting with the explicit title: "Tourism as a driver of peace in the Mediterranean: the role of the sector in the New Era".
Buonincontri, in what sense can tourism be an "engine of peace"?
"From the contributions gathered in the research, it emerges how tourism can become strategic in reducing potential conflicts. Of course, tourism is subject to uncontrollable factors such as conflicts, crises or disasters that sometimes interact with each other. It should therefore not be misunderstood as a means of managing war situations, but should be understood as an instrument of diplomacy and soft power. It can help manage relations between countries that have been in conflict in previous years, that are culturally different but geographically close, characterised by different levels of tourism development, to generate a virtuous cycle of exchange and knowledge".
For example?
"There are various ways to encourage greater openness. For example, through the cultural enhancement of the memory of the conflicts themselves, as happened in the municipality of Vinca, in Italy; with the strategic management of tourism as a tool of diplomacy in Greece's foreign policy; the organisation of mega events such as the Youth Forum held in Egypt; educational tourism, linked to university mobility in Erasmus. And much more besides."
What is the peculiarity of the Mediterranean, in this discourse?
"There is a strong link between tourism and the Mediterranean, a geographical area characterised by the presence of many countries that are very close but also very different from each other, in cultural and religious terms that can generate conflict. Poor countries and rich countries, characterised by totally different stages of development. The countries of the European Mediterranean, for example, have a culture, a level of innovation and openness that is very different from those of the southern shore".
Why are we talking about a "New Era"?
"We are in a phase characterised by a strong development of technologies but also by the presence of conflict. In Italy, two needs emerge. First, to strengthen the policy of hospitality between the host community and the tourist, by making the visitor aware of the reality that hosts them. Secondly, there is a need for more training for operators in the sector to highlight and promote the role of tourism businesses as entities that interact positively in sharing aspects of identity with tourists".
Is the problem of overtourism in the background?
"Of course, and it brings us back to the theme of sustainability. The contributions collected in the volume observe the link between the sustainable development goals related to peace indicated in the UN 2030 Agenda with those related to environmental and social sustainability. Greater care for the territory and the community fosters a peaceful climate".
The protests of residents against tourists that took place in Venice and Barcelona, just to stay in the Mediterranean, are a case in point...
"This happened because there was no shared planning by the citizens, but a tourist invasion. Culture and identity have often been trampled on. Think of the 'Made in China' masks of the Venice Carnival, sold as souvenirs: in that case, a false identity of the territory is told. It is therefore necessary to let the host community have its say and for the tour operator to be more aware of its role. It is then necessary to establish the boundaries that tourism must not cross".
What are the essential prerequisites, at the governance level?
"The use of participatory models, the active involvement of a community interested in the development of tourism, open to those who visit a place. The identity, culture and history of the communities must be respected and valued, as they are distinctive factors of sustainability and competitive advantage for the economic system of tourism in a region. We must avoid creating resorts that are indifferent to the location in which they are built, and also prevent tourism from playing a negative role, which is, becoming a tool for closing off tourists from certain countries".
What can be done at the state and local level?
"At the local level, we are thinking in terms of destination management. Small towns are unable to attract positive, sustainable and developmental tourism on their own, but this can be done in broader terms, embracing neighbouring towns that have similar tourist attractions, through a manager and promoter of the area. Then there are the new sustainable ideas, such as 'roots' tourism, which leads families to rediscover their places of origin. In this case, tourism does not consume resources but brings value and at the same time recognises the identity of a territory. At the national level, there is talk of better tourism management that can manage the phenomena of overtourism (tourist taxes, limits on non-hotel accommodation), moderate flows by limiting the physical presence of tourists and the capacity of the accommodation".
Photo by Alkis Ischnopoulos on Unsplash