The 13th Edition of the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism Network meeting
European Charter for Sustainable Tourism (ECST) network members along with other interested individuals and organisations took part in a 3-day exchange in the West of Ireland. ENOS was represented by Mike McClure who is also the development manager for Landscapes Northern Ireland.
The event focused on visitor management in Protected Areas and provided participants with the opportunity to enjoy site visits to the Connemara and Wild Nephin National Parks.
Delegates were reminded at the outset of the five principles of the ECST:
- Giving priority to protection
- Contributing to sustainable development
- Engaging all stakeholders
- Planning sustainable tourism effectively
- Pursuing continuous improvement
Keynote speakers from within Ireland and Spain set the tone but there were also 3 “open mic” sessions whereby delegates and participants had the opportunity to share information on projects and examples of good practice from all across Europe.
During the two main days of the event there were (very long) visits to the Connemar and Wild Nephin national parks. These were great opportunities for walking and talking in nature and sharing lots of ideas and thoughts on the topics of:
- Infrastructure
- Overtourism and under-tourism
- Youth engagement
- Dark Sky Tourism
- Trail management
- Visitor experience challenges.
One of the key messages was that visitors need to be well informed before they arrive at a protected area and so websites and social media channels are important in preparing people for their visit. Furthermore, by working together with the “Tourism and activity provider Community” a coherent message can be developed and shared that benefits nature and people.
The final day of the event was a World Café type session that focused on finding creative solutions to visitor flow.
Discussions ranged on topics such as limiting numbers, dealing with cars and parking, dealing with seasonality, collaboration, paying for access, communications, the call for more green spaces (especially close to urban areas) and greater understanding of the visitor.
More information is available on the EUROPARC website at https://www.europarc.org/sustainable-tourism/meetings/ecst-network-meeting-2024/