PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
In 1993, a working group designated by the Federation of Natural and National Parks in Europe conducted a study on tourism in protected areas. This work was financed by the European Commission (DG XXIII). It resulted in the report "Loving them to death ?" This report contains proposals and suggests guidelines for developing sustainable tourism. It recommended a chart be be developed jointly by tourism professionals and managers protected areas.The aim of the European charter was to provide a lasting and effective framework to translate the recommendations of the report into practical measures to make sustainable tourism a reality throughout protected landscapes across Europe. The European charter is elaborated by a working group with professionals of tourism and managers of protected areas, and is, at the same time, experimented through ten pilot projects in seven different countries of the European Union (France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, the UK, Austria and Germany). It is the first time that such a concrete project involving so many protected areas was developed. That is the reason why this project enables to build a strategy for sustainable tourism in Europe.