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Reference Date: 26-07-98
Experience selected in the 1998 Dubai Award for Best Practice, and catalogued as BEST.
(
Best Practices Database.)
País/Country: Spain
United Nations Region: Europe
Ecological region: coastal
Activity: city/town
Partnerships: Local Authority. Private Sector.
Themes = Environmental Management: ecological sustainability;
monitoring and control; urban greening. Infrastructure,
Communications, Transportation: energy use, conservation and
production; safe water provision; waste-management and treatment.
Main contact:
D. Ana María Palmer Caubet
Alcudia City Council (Local Authority)
c/ Mayor n.9
Alcudia
Baleares
Spain
07400
Tel: +34 971 54 80 71
Fax: +34 971 54 65 15
E-mail: alcudia@bitel.es
http://www.Alcudia.net
Partner:
D. Antoni Buades
Hotel Management Asociation of Alcudia (Private Sector)
Ctra Arta, 38-Urb "Sa Punta"
Puerto de Alcudia
Baleares
Spain
07410
Tel: +34 917 54 62 93
Fax: +34 971 54 80 43
E-mail: ahalcudia@arrakis.es
Partner Two Support Type: Administrative Support
In 1992, the Town Council proclamend "Alcudia: Ecotouristic
Municipality", showing the wishes to protect the enviroment, but
having in mind that the tourism is the principal source wealth of
this area.
One of the interventions was the cration of a "Ecotouristic
Distinctive" for the hotels establishments who were outstanding
respect for the environment.
The principal object of this iniciative is to stimulate the tourist
industry to protect the sorroundings, conceading a seal of serius
environment quality and be recognized by all the sectors of the
tourist trade.
Before, the tourist entrepreneurs, they weren't very conscious
about protecting the environment and the natural resources of the
municipality, and they didn't know the possibility to apply an
environment enquiry in the tourist establisments.
In 1994, the Alcudia hoteliers had incorporated ecologic measures,
to be able to ask the "Ecotouristic Ditinctive". The measures
where:
A very important point is the support of the principal European
tour-operators in this iniciative, included the Alcudia environment
information, in their sale catalogs.
With this practice we are obtaining very important results in the Alcudia environment conservation, like also adventage in the marketing; starting from small economics inversions.
1. Situation before the initiative
Alcudia is a coastal municipality situated on the north east of
Majorca (Balearic island - Spain), with 30 Km of coastline and many
different tipes of countryside.
It's a resort with a massive sun and sand tourist, but it is one of
the towns with the most historical patrimony in Majorca, with an
ample legacy which goes from the Roman ruins to the medieval walls.
Alcudia also has many natural protected zones like " s'Albufera"
natural park.
2. Objectives, strategies and mobilization of resources
In 1992, the Town Council proclaimed "Alcudia: Ecotouristic
Municipality", stressing the spirit to protect the environment
(natural, culture, urban ...) but taking into account that tourism
is the principal activity in the area.
Alcudia directs its efforts towards the promotion of a sustained
tourism, looking for a balance between the economic development and
the protection of the natural environment. Alcudia Council has
developed an environment plan covering the following areas of
action:
3. Process
To stimulate and involve the tourist industry in this campaign an
"ecotourist distinctive" was created, for the hoteliers
establishments, and they can be anarded, for adopting a political
respect to the environment.
With the Asociación Empresarial Hotelera de Alcudia (Alcudia
hoteliers managerial Association) collaboration, it was to impart
some courses of "Ecology Hotelier" for inform to the tourist
entrepreneurs the necessity to protect the environment and the
possibility to apply an environmental management in their
establishments.
From 1994 it was put on the "ecotourist distinctive" concessions,
for hotel establishments.
For the petitioner to get the award, they have to fulfil the 13
requirements, which form the regulations (rules): nine of them are
obligatory of execution and the other four are optional.
Obligatory requiriments
The Alcudia Town Hall has invested approximate 5.400.000 pts in the
concession to the Ecotourist Distinctive. The expenses correspond
to:
4. Results Achieved
The results that we have obteined with this Good Practice has been:
Between the most positives consequences that has been delected from
the "ecotourist distinctive" distinction these are:
Nowadays, we are waiting to introduce the new packing and wrapping
Law in the Balearic islands, this law will affect the current
system of selective refuse and possibly will be necessary to modify
some requirements of the regulations.
The impact that the declaration of Alcudia as an "Ecotourist
Municipality", has reflected also on the resident population, who
are not part of the tourist sector.
For example the selective refuse collection has a very high support
from the local people.
The Town Hall also encourages information campaigns through the
local radio station, activity and environment courses in schools,
conferences and ecology seminars.
Transferability
The results from this important initiative, has been so important
that the Balearic Government in making a programme called "Ecotur"
(Programa para la Integración del Turismo y el Medio Ambiente) (The
tourism & environment integration programme), which pretends to
impulse the environment management systems in the tourist sector,
to the level of the tourist destination and establishments which is
based on the original experience of the Alcudia ecotourist
distinctive.
Another important point is the positive valuation of the principal
European tour-operators for the "ecotouristic distinctive", who
include environmental information in their sales catalogue.
With these good practice we have achieve important results in the
conservation of the countryside and the natural resources of
Alcudia; besides having obtained advantage in marketing against
other establishments without any preoccupation for the environment;
with relatively small economic investments. Some of the said
inversions realized, have had advantage to obtain some important
economic savings. As in the case of the introduction of means of
saving water and energy, which will also make easier the
maintenance and durability, once installed. In most cases, these
savings will enable us to improve other aspects of the
environmental management which require a larger economic expense.
This practise could and can be easily transferred to other tourist
municipality adopting the requirements of the rules regulation of
the real state of the zone.
Some of Alcudia hoteliers who have obtained the award, have
transferred their political environment to other hotels of the same
company, which are situated in other tourist areas on the island.
This shows the importance of achieving the awareness of preserving
the environment.
5. The experience in numbers
Financial Profile:
1998 Total Operating Budget: 1.860.000 pts.
Partner 1: 100%
| 1998 Spanish Best Practices selected by the International Jury > http://habitat.aq.upm.es/bpes/onu98/bp464.en.html |