The role of a national park in classifying mountain tourism destinations: An exploratory study of the Italian Western Al
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http://jms.imde.ac.cn https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-018-5356-9
The role of a national park in classifying mountain tourism destinations: An exploratory study of the Italian Western Alps DUGLIO Stefano1,2* LETEY Marilisa1
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3394-4329;
e-mail: [email protected]
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2089-2192; e-mail: [email protected]
* Corresponding author 1 Department of Management, University of Torino, 218 bis, Corso Unione Sovietica, 10134, Torino, Italy 2 NatRisk – Research Centre on natural risk in mountain and hilly environments, University of Torino, Torino, Italy Citation: Duglio S, Letey M (2019) The role of a national park in classifying mountain tourism destinations: An exploratory study of the Italian Western Alps. Journal of Mountain Science 16(7). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-018-5356-9
© Science Press, Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, CAS and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2019
Abstract: Together with the main aim of preserving nature, national parks are also expected to play an important role for the local communities, driving economic activities toward the lens of sustainable development. This contribution aims to present an exploratory study on the relationship between the presence of a protected mountain area, the Gran Paradiso National Park (GPNP), in the North West of the Italian Alps, and the classification of tourism destinations, according to Weaver model of destination management. Starting from the model, the authors provide a quantitative analysis using a set of variables and indicators to comprehensively assess the differing patterns assumed by the municipalities within the borders of the GPNP and those that are not. The provisional results illustrate that the municipalities within the border of a protected area are more likely to be grouped alongside the sustainable mountain destinations. Meanwhile, research outcomes confirm that a protected area does not necessarily contrast the tourism industry but instead may boost local development by driving it within the borders of the sustainable development, switching from the area’s only preservation function to a flywheel for the local communities. Received: 20-Dec-2018 1st Revision: 21-Feb-2019 2nd Revision: 01-Apr-2019 Accepted: 18-Apr-2019
Keywords: Mountain tourism; Sustainable tourism; Destination management; National park; Alps
Introduction A common definition considers a tourism destination to be “a geographical region, political jurisdiction, or major attraction, which seeks to provide visitors with a range of satisfying to memorable visitation experiences” (Bornhorst et al. 2010). This description is inclusive of both geographical areas (for example, the Alps or the Pyrenees) and a single attraction, with the common point of being able to provide a unique or significant experience to tourists (Bornhorst et al. 2010). When considering the mountain context, several authors define a mountain tourism destination as a geographical, economic
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