repubblica.it
Sustainable Seaside Tourism in Italy: Sardinia Leads 2025 Rankings
Legambiente and Touring Club Italiano's "Il mare più bello 2025" guide ranks Domus de Maria, Sardinia as the best seaside location in Italy, highlighting 20 sustainable coastal and 10 lakeside locations, emphasizing the growing importance of sustainable tourism practices and the need for overtourism management strategies.
- How do the strategies employed by the Cinque Terre and Tuscan Archipelago National Parks to manage overtourism differ, and what are their relative successes?
- The ranking, based on environmental sustainability, responsible tourism, and biodiversity protection, reveals regional disparities. While Sardinia and Puglia led with multiple five-sail locations, traditional beach destinations like Sicily and Emilia-Romagna had none. This highlights the growing importance of sustainable practices in tourism.
- What are the key findings of Legambiente and Touring Club Italiano's "Il mare più bello 2025" guide, and what are the immediate implications for Italian coastal tourism?
- In 2024, the Capo Spartivento marine protected area was created in Domus de Maria, Sardinia, which topped Legambiente and Touring Club Italiano's ranking of 20 sustainable seaside locations in their "Il mare più bello 2025" guide. This guide also highlighted ten sustainable lakeside locations. Sardinia had six of the top-rated seaside locations.
- What are the long-term implications of the growing focus on sustainable tourism in Italy, and what further steps are needed to balance tourism with environmental protection?
- The increasing popularity of sustainable tourism, as evidenced by the guide and initiatives like the "Friends of Sea Turtles" program, suggests a shift towards responsible travel. The success of reservation systems in Sardinia indicates a potential solution to overtourism, while the challenges faced by Cinque Terre and the Tuscan Archipelago highlight the need for proactive management strategies.
Cognitive Concepts
Framing Bias
The positive framing of the "five sails" award winners heavily influences the narrative. The headline implicitly suggests that only the awarded locations offer "the most beautiful sea." The article prioritizes the successes of the initiatives and strategies employed by awarded locations, showcasing them as examples of sustainable tourism. While this is informative, it lacks a balanced representation of the challenges and struggles of other areas. The selection of quotes from park directors reinforces the positive aspects of the initiatives.
Language Bias
The language used is largely neutral, describing the awarded locations and initiatives positively. However, phrases like "the most beautiful sea" in the implied headline and the repeated emphasis on the "five sails" award create a somewhat subjective and promotional tone. Terms like "dolce turismo" (sweet tourism) are positive and evocative, but could be replaced with a more neutral term such as 'low-impact tourism'.
Bias by Omission
The article focuses heavily on the "five sails" awards and the initiatives to combat overtourism in specific regions (e.g., Cinque Terre, Tuscan Archipelago). However, it omits discussion of other coastal areas in Italy that may not have received awards but still contribute to the overall tourism landscape. This omission might create a skewed perception of Italy's coastal health and tourism practices, potentially underrepresenting areas with less stringent environmental protections or sustainable tourism strategies. The article also doesn't discuss the economic impact of overtourism or the challenges faced by local communities due to its presence. While space constraints likely contribute to these omissions, addressing these missing elements would provide a more balanced and comprehensive picture.
False Dichotomy
The article presents a dichotomy between awarded locations and those not receiving recognition, which is somewhat misleading. The absence of an award doesn't automatically mean a poor environmental record or lack of sustainable practices. The narrative focuses on the success stories, potentially overlooking other regions' efforts toward sustainable tourism.
Sustainable Development Goals
The article highlights the increasing number of marine protected areas and initiatives focused on protecting marine biodiversity, such as the Capo Spartivento marine protected area in Sardinia and the numerous municipalities participating in the "Friends of Sea Turtles" program. These actions directly contribute to the conservation of marine ecosystems and species, aligning with SDG 14 (Life Below Water) targets related to protecting marine environments and sustainably managing marine and coastal resources.