“BEST – Sustainable Tourism Think Tank IV” – Esbjerg, June 30 - July 4, 2004 MASS-SKI TOURISM IN THE DOLOMITES AND SUSTAINABILITY SOME EVIDENCE FROM TWO FIELD RESEARCH PROJECTS Mariangela Franch, Umberto Martini, Pier Luigi Novi Inverardi Federica Buffa, Pietro Marzani and Maria Della Lucia

“BEST – Sustainable Tourism Think Tank IV” – Esbjerg, June 30 - July 4, 2004 The Dolomites

“BEST – Sustainable Tourism Think Tank IV” – Esbjerg, June 30 - July 4, 2004 Tourism in the DolomitesDolomites n Offering: Small-and Medium-sized Tourism Enterprises n Demand: “do-it-yourself” tourist n Activities in winter season: downhill skiing  Core of local economic activity  Enormous fixed costs  a stable demand

“BEST – Sustainable Tourism Think Tank IV” – Esbjerg, June 30 - July 4, 2004 Possible development models Mass-ski Tourism in the top destinations in the Dolomites n Advantages: large number of tourists and economic development for entire valley and surrounding area n Weaknesses: trade-off between environmental, economic and social sustainability Flagestad, Hope, 2001

“BEST – Sustainable Tourism Think Tank IV” – Esbjerg, June 30 - July 4, 2004 The Research: question and objectives n Is Mass-ski Tourism the best way to pursue sustainability growth in  the top destinations in the Dolomites?  new destinations (e.g. Carpathian) and developing ski areas? 1. What are the tourists looking for in the winter season? 2. What are the “best” practices of hotelkeepers for sustainable investments?

“BEST – Sustainable Tourism Think Tank IV” – Esbjerg, June 30 - July 4, 2004 The Research Method n Demand: 5,000 online questionnaires administered according to a stratified and systematic sampling scheme (Summer 2001 and Winter ) n Offering: 171 online questionnaires administered according to a stratified sampling scheme - hotels with located in Alpine tourist destinations (June – September 2003)

“BEST – Sustainable Tourism Think Tank IV” – Esbjerg, June 30 - July 4, 2004 The Main Results n What are the tourists looking for?  downhill skiing (68%), but only 25% came exclusively to ski  importance of quality of the environment within the destination (96,2%) n What are the “best” practices of hotelkeepers for sustainable investments?  following the provincial or regional activities for recycling (75%) and energy conservation (50%)  interest in environmental certification (11%) and possession of a quality label (14%)  they think that tourists would be in favour of sustainable destination policies (e.g. natural resources, freeride skiing, limited traffic)

“BEST – Sustainable Tourism Think Tank IV” – Esbjerg, June 30 - July 4, 2004 Indications for sustainable models n In the top destinations in the Dolomites  limiting the development of new lifts and connections  increasing the quality of existing facilities (lift, accommodation..)  improving the quality and authenticity of products/services in the destination n In new destinations and in developing ski areas  increasing the value of the community model and the local identity of the destination  creating parks and environmentally friendly areas  developing the range of winter sport activities  realising new ski runs and lifts over meters (

“BEST – Sustainable Tourism Think Tank IV” – Esbjerg, June 30 - July 4, 2004 Thank you

“BEST – Sustainable Tourism Think Tank IV” – Esbjerg, June 30 - July 4, 2004 Possible development models Flagestad, Hope, 2001