Monitoring and Management of Visitor Flows in Recreational and Protected Areas Conference Proceedings ed by A. Arnberger, C. Brandenburg, A. Muhar 2002, pages 373-379 373 Ecotourism demand in North-East Italy Tempesta T. 1 , Visintin F. 2 , Marangon F. 3 1 Professor, Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Agro-alimentary Economics and Policy, University of Milan, Italy Email: tiziano.tempesta@unimi.it 2 PhD Student, Department of Economics, University of Udine, Italy 3 Professor, Department of Economics, University of Udine, Italy Abstract: There are three regions in North-East Italy: Friuli Venezia Giulia, Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige. These regions have highly differentiated environmental and natural features. In fact, in this small area we can find the biomes of the main European temperate zones. The environment is important because there are a large number of National and Regional Natural Parks, as well as small protected areas that many people visit every year. Since the nineties, the authors have been involved in research to examine and analyse ecotourism in North-East Italy. The main objectives were to: a) define a methodology that would quantify the recreational flow from the results of phone and in-person interviews, b) analyse ecotourism demand, socio- economic visitor features, tourist facilities and economic flow. The statistical models study the number of visits through a travel cost method, and willingness to pay by means of contingent valuation methods. The findings have allowed us to fill the considerable information gap regarding ecotourism and the recreational use of the landscape. From the survey we have collected precise data on the economic and social importance of ecotourism, such as recreational benefit and expense flow. INTRODUCTION There is a wide consensus regarding the concept of ecotourism in the sense that we all understand the message that it sends (i.e. nature, local community, economics, conservation, culture and the symbiotic relationship between tourism and nature conservation). However, agreement on a universal definition has not yet been reached. The term, coined by Hector Ceballos-Lascurain 8 in 1983, has been accepted by the World Conservation Union (IUCN): ‘Ecotourism is environmentally responsible travel and visitation to relatively undisturbed natural areas, in order to enjoy and appreciate nature (and any accompanying cultural features - both past and present) that promotes conservation, has low negative visitor impact, and provides for beneficially active socio-economic involvement of local populations’ (Ceballos- Lascurain, 1996) 9 . In this sense the features of ecotourism are more specific than the broader concept of sustainable tourism 10 (Bottrill & Pearce, 1995; Coccossis & Nijkamp, 1995; CEC, 1999, WCED, 1987). 8 Member of Commission of Environmental Cooperation, CEC. 9 The three main characteristics of ecotourism are defined as: nature based; environmentally educated; and sustainably managed (Blamey, 2000). 10 Definition coined by World Travel and Tourism Council, World Tourism Organization, Earth Council ‘Sustainable tourism meets the needs of present tourist and host regions while protecting and enhancing opportunity for the future. It is envisaged as leading to management of all resources in such a Moreover ecotourism is a recent theme. Its late arrival on the scene is not, however, related to the recent development of nature-related tourism, but to the fact that tourism and natural resource exploitation have only recently been linked to conservation. In fact, the relationship between tourism and nature has a long tradition. Since 1800 both in Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia the mountain areas were visited by mountaineers from all over Europe. Subsequently, trips to the mountains developed into mass tourism 11 . In the same way, other natural areas were transformed into resorts. In recent years, awareness of the need for conservation has increased, and places addressed to different uses (like agricultural land or border areas) have been involved in renaturalisation and wilderness conservation projects. Consequently, there is greater interest in hill and lowland areas, such as wetlands or places where wild animals have been introduced, and visitor flows have risen. At present there is no qualitative and quantitative information available regarding the size of visitor flow and recreational benefit, even if a way that economic, social and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity, and life-support systems’. 11 In the alpine region 5 million beds are offered; every year 60 million of tourists reach Alps to stay in the resort and as many to visit them daily. The tourist turnover is about 23.000 million of Euro, representing circa 5% of the whole world tourist turnover (CIPRA, 2000).