Chapter The European Charter for Sustainable Tourism (ECST) as a model of best practices and participatory governance. The case study of the Asinara National Park

Abstract

The European Charter for Sustainable Tourism (ECST) represents a voluntary management tool for protected areas that promotes the implementation of sustainable tourism for both the environment and local communities, as well as for all the stakeholders (e.g., firms, tourists); its principles emerge as an essential guide for designing policies respecting the environment and actively involving the local community. The present work focuses on the Asinara National Park (Porto Torres, Sardinia-Italy) as a case study of the ongoing application of the ECST (i.e., renewal phase of Phase I and initiation of Phase II). The aims were: (1) to identify the strengths and weaknesses related to confirming Phase I; (2) to isolate the motivations leading a firm to obtain the ECST certificate. Through a methodology involving official documentation analysis and the Park’s entrepreneurial landscape, results suggested a systemic vision of stakeholder engagement in creating a model for best practices to qualify the socio-economic network. Promoting participatory and inclusive governance could ensure a balance between sustainable tourism and environmental conservation on the Asinara island.