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Coastal cities, tourism and the environment
Reports
Stating the art Almost everybody who is somebody in academic tourism attended the 'Tourism: the state of the art' conference held at the Scottish Hotel School, Strathclyde University, Glasgow on the 10-14 July 1995. Frances Brown reports. The conference was held to mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Scottish Hotel School and the 25th b i r t h d a y of the Scottish T o u r i s t Board. Sensing an occasion, well over 200 delegates turned up. Overall they could not have been disappointed either with the scope and quality of the papers presented or with the social events, which included lavish dinners at Glasgow's City Chambers and the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and various 'field' trips into the Scottish hinterland. Because of the large number of papers available, the organizers were able to run a variety of parallel streams which continued throughout the conference and featured presentations on the themes of tourism and the environment, tourism and society, tourism and development, h u m a n resource management, marketing and research, the industry and - because of the anniversaries - tourism, the public sector and Scotland. Inevitably this sometimes meant t h a t two or m o r e p a r t i c u l a r l y interesting-sounding papers clashed, while at others it was hard to work up enthusiasm to listen to anything, but some to-ing and fro-ing was possible and the system did allow a wide range of topics to be aired. Efficient chairing also ensured that there was always time for questions and discussion; that this was usually lively testifies again to the quality of the material presented. One speaker who questioned certain cherished views was called a disgrace to tourism by a fellow presenter from the industry - surely a compliment: bland acceptance is no substitute for intellectual inquiry. Some of the papers I enjoyed most were John Towner's potted history of tourism, Heba Aziz's analysis of terrorist attacks on tourists in Egypt,
Graham Dann's excursions into the semiotics of train travel, Paul William's and Perry Hobson's examination of the implications of virtual reality for tourism, and Sarah Li's and Trevor Sofield's fascinating account of the violence that erupted in China when one village was allotted control of a cave tourist site to the exclusion of another. The conference was marred only by its ponderous and overlong opening ceremony at which an endless stream of the great and good held forth. As the wine at the previous evening's reception had been particularly fast flowing, this was especially hard to take. One appreciates that the spon-
sors who so generously funded the social events and, in effect, made the conference possible expect some return on their investment in the form of an opportunity to get a message across to delegates, but did they all have to do it in such a boring manner, flinging out facts with which most will have already been familiar? And why were they all men? This cry was most often heard from other men, righteously indignant about the supposed unrepresentativeness of the panel. In this respect they were wrong. While there is a high proportion of women in the tourism industry, few if any have attained chief executive status in a major organization. The panel thus reflected (an iniquitous) reality. Perhaps significantly, this question was not directly addressed in any of the conference papers. The organizers, who are to be congratulated notwithstanding the above, might think about this for the future.
Frances Brown Edenbridge, UK
Coastal cities, Tourism and the Environment The International Forum on Coastal Cities, Tourism and the Environment (IFOCC) was founded at the 1st International Seminar in Eilat (Israel), 27-30 April 1992. The 2nd International Seminar IFOCC 2 was held in Pula, Sardinia, 27-30 April 1993. IFOCC 3 was held on the Island of Skiathos, Greece, 23-26 May 1994. It was sponsored by 1ULA, The International Union of Local Authorities, KEDKA, The Central Union of Municipalities and Communities of Greece, and the Municipality of Skiathos, and co-sponsored by the World Tourism Organization (WTO), while the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its Embassy in Greece assisted. Raymond Bar-On reports. A total of 128 participated in the seminar from 15 countries: Cyprus, France, Ghana, Greece, Israel, Mauritius, Moldova, Namibia, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Uganda and the United Kingdom. It was held in the Skiathos Palace Hotel.
Tourism Management 1995 Volume 16 Number 1
Nineteen papers were presented, including valuable case studies and the keynote address on 'Sustainable Concepts and Innovations in Coastal City Tourism' was given by Prof. Anthony S. Travis (Contourplan Consultancy, UK).
81
Reports
The environment and conservation Papers presented were: 'Fighting Micro-biological Pollution in Coastal Zones', Alain Gauthier (Saunier Environnement, France); 'Improving the Environment within Coastal Zones used for Tourism', Antonis Zacharopoulos (Kruger - Compagnie Generale des Eaux, France); 'Maritime Policies and Measures for the Protection and Renovation of Buildings on the Romanian Sea Coast', Paul Munteanu and Prof. Rodica Sirbu (State Department for Construction Quality, Constanza); 'Nature Conservation and Historic Preservation in Two Coastal Towns in Ghana', Joseph Benjamin L o m o - M a i n o o (Central Region, Ghana Tourist Board, Cape Coast); 'Recycling and the Participation of Tourism Enterprises', Nikolaos Frantzis (President, Community of Zakinthos Island, Greece) and George Armenis (Environment Committee, Zakinthos); 'Sea Protection and Marine Transport', Constantine Klironomos (Mayor of Heraklion and Helmepa, Greece); 'The Cleanliness of Beaches and Coastal Zones', Pierre Legras (Depolmar, France); 'The Polish Baltic Tri-City: Environmental Challenges and Tourism Potentials', Prof. Tony Travis and Tomasz Studzieniecki (University of Gdansk); 'Tourism and the Environment in Three Coastal Regions of Greece', Dr Pazis Tsartas (Tourism Group, National Centre of Social Research, Athens); 'Tourism and the Environment: A Dangerous Combination',
82
Frank Gilard (ANEL, Association Nationale des Elus du Littoral and D e p u t y Mayor of la R o q u e t t e , France); 'Water Conservation, Desalination and Sewage Management', Spiros Arsenis (Mayor of Ithaki) and Ioannis Bekas (Mayor of Marathon, Greece).
The Secretary General of the WTO sent a message on 'The Role of Coastal Cities in Planning for Sustainable Tourism Development'. There was a cruise to see the coastal attractions, a cultural programme and a Postconference Study Tour of Athens and Delphi.
Physical planning issues
Conclusions
Papers presented were: 'A Tourist Haven for Yachts at Herod's Port Sebastos (Caesarea)', Robert Meents (Littoral Consulting Engineers, Petah Tikva); 'Physical Planning of Coastal Areas: The Case of Tourism', Dr Panajotis Komilis (KEPE Centre of Planning and Economic Research, Athens); 'The Development of Tourism in Skiathos', Sophia Markopoulou (Ministry of Physical Planning, Housing and the Environment, Athens).
The participants reaffirmed the importance of an annual forum on Developing Tourism in Coastal Cities while protecting the Environment and enhancing the Natural and Cultural Heritage. The next Seminar and Exhibition IFOCC 4 will be Eilat, 14-17 May 1995. Working groups will be set up on important topics. Constanza and Sopot (Poland) were proposed for IFOCC 5 1996, and Ghana and Uganda for future venues. The participants will set up National Committees. Publication of a Newsletter and establishing a Data Centre will be considered. Further details on IFOCC 4 may be obtained from the Convenor, Mr Avi Rabinovitch, Deputy Director General for International Relations, The Union of Local Authorities in Israel, POB 20040, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel 61200; Fax (972-3) 696-7447; Tel (9723) 691-9241.
Economic and marketing issues Papers presented were: 'Can the Problems of Seasonality be Reduced while Increasing the Benefits of Tourism?', Dr R a p h a e l R a y m o n d B a r - O n (Praedicta, Jerusalem); 'Economic Services and International Cooperation to help Local Authorities develop Tourism', Yali Harrari (with Kalman Dines: LGES, Local Government Economic Services Ltd, Tel Aviv); 'Promotion of Tourism through the Collaboration of Local Government and the Private Sector', Nikolaos Koukouravas (Mayor of Alexandroupolis) and George Tsanakakis (Mayor of Chania, Greece).
R Raymond Bar-On 94 Herzl Boulevard Jerusalem 96347 Israel
Tourism Management 1995 Volume 16 Number 1
Stating the art Almost everybody who is somebody in academic tourism attended the 'Tourism: the state of the art' conference held at the Scottish Hotel School, Strathclyde University, Glasgow on the 10-14 July 1995. Frances Brown reports. The conference was held to mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Scottish Hotel School and the 25th b i r t h d a y of the Scottish T o u r i s t Board. Sensing an occasion, well over 200 delegates turned up. Overall they could not have been disappointed either with the scope and quality of the papers presented or with the social events, which included lavish dinners at Glasgow's City Chambers and the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and various 'field' trips into the Scottish hinterland. Because of the large number of papers available, the organizers were able to run a variety of parallel streams which continued throughout the conference and featured presentations on the themes of tourism and the environment, tourism and society, tourism and development, h u m a n resource management, marketing and research, the industry and - because of the anniversaries - tourism, the public sector and Scotland. Inevitably this sometimes meant t h a t two or m o r e p a r t i c u l a r l y interesting-sounding papers clashed, while at others it was hard to work up enthusiasm to listen to anything, but some to-ing and fro-ing was possible and the system did allow a wide range of topics to be aired. Efficient chairing also ensured that there was always time for questions and discussion; that this was usually lively testifies again to the quality of the material presented. One speaker who questioned certain cherished views was called a disgrace to tourism by a fellow presenter from the industry - surely a compliment: bland acceptance is no substitute for intellectual inquiry. Some of the papers I enjoyed most were John Towner's potted history of tourism, Heba Aziz's analysis of terrorist attacks on tourists in Egypt,
Graham Dann's excursions into the semiotics of train travel, Paul William's and Perry Hobson's examination of the implications of virtual reality for tourism, and Sarah Li's and Trevor Sofield's fascinating account of the violence that erupted in China when one village was allotted control of a cave tourist site to the exclusion of another. The conference was marred only by its ponderous and overlong opening ceremony at which an endless stream of the great and good held forth. As the wine at the previous evening's reception had been particularly fast flowing, this was especially hard to take. One appreciates that the spon-
sors who so generously funded the social events and, in effect, made the conference possible expect some return on their investment in the form of an opportunity to get a message across to delegates, but did they all have to do it in such a boring manner, flinging out facts with which most will have already been familiar? And why were they all men? This cry was most often heard from other men, righteously indignant about the supposed unrepresentativeness of the panel. In this respect they were wrong. While there is a high proportion of women in the tourism industry, few if any have attained chief executive status in a major organization. The panel thus reflected (an iniquitous) reality. Perhaps significantly, this question was not directly addressed in any of the conference papers. The organizers, who are to be congratulated notwithstanding the above, might think about this for the future.
Frances Brown Edenbridge, UK
Coastal cities, Tourism and the Environment The International Forum on Coastal Cities, Tourism and the Environment (IFOCC) was founded at the 1st International Seminar in Eilat (Israel), 27-30 April 1992. The 2nd International Seminar IFOCC 2 was held in Pula, Sardinia, 27-30 April 1993. IFOCC 3 was held on the Island of Skiathos, Greece, 23-26 May 1994. It was sponsored by 1ULA, The International Union of Local Authorities, KEDKA, The Central Union of Municipalities and Communities of Greece, and the Municipality of Skiathos, and co-sponsored by the World Tourism Organization (WTO), while the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its Embassy in Greece assisted. Raymond Bar-On reports. A total of 128 participated in the seminar from 15 countries: Cyprus, France, Ghana, Greece, Israel, Mauritius, Moldova, Namibia, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Uganda and the United Kingdom. It was held in the Skiathos Palace Hotel.
Tourism Management 1995 Volume 16 Number 1
Nineteen papers were presented, including valuable case studies and the keynote address on 'Sustainable Concepts and Innovations in Coastal City Tourism' was given by Prof. Anthony S. Travis (Contourplan Consultancy, UK).
81
Reports
The environment and conservation Papers presented were: 'Fighting Micro-biological Pollution in Coastal Zones', Alain Gauthier (Saunier Environnement, France); 'Improving the Environment within Coastal Zones used for Tourism', Antonis Zacharopoulos (Kruger - Compagnie Generale des Eaux, France); 'Maritime Policies and Measures for the Protection and Renovation of Buildings on the Romanian Sea Coast', Paul Munteanu and Prof. Rodica Sirbu (State Department for Construction Quality, Constanza); 'Nature Conservation and Historic Preservation in Two Coastal Towns in Ghana', Joseph Benjamin L o m o - M a i n o o (Central Region, Ghana Tourist Board, Cape Coast); 'Recycling and the Participation of Tourism Enterprises', Nikolaos Frantzis (President, Community of Zakinthos Island, Greece) and George Armenis (Environment Committee, Zakinthos); 'Sea Protection and Marine Transport', Constantine Klironomos (Mayor of Heraklion and Helmepa, Greece); 'The Cleanliness of Beaches and Coastal Zones', Pierre Legras (Depolmar, France); 'The Polish Baltic Tri-City: Environmental Challenges and Tourism Potentials', Prof. Tony Travis and Tomasz Studzieniecki (University of Gdansk); 'Tourism and the Environment in Three Coastal Regions of Greece', Dr Pazis Tsartas (Tourism Group, National Centre of Social Research, Athens); 'Tourism and the Environment: A Dangerous Combination',
82
Frank Gilard (ANEL, Association Nationale des Elus du Littoral and D e p u t y Mayor of la R o q u e t t e , France); 'Water Conservation, Desalination and Sewage Management', Spiros Arsenis (Mayor of Ithaki) and Ioannis Bekas (Mayor of Marathon, Greece).
The Secretary General of the WTO sent a message on 'The Role of Coastal Cities in Planning for Sustainable Tourism Development'. There was a cruise to see the coastal attractions, a cultural programme and a Postconference Study Tour of Athens and Delphi.
Physical planning issues
Conclusions
Papers presented were: 'A Tourist Haven for Yachts at Herod's Port Sebastos (Caesarea)', Robert Meents (Littoral Consulting Engineers, Petah Tikva); 'Physical Planning of Coastal Areas: The Case of Tourism', Dr Panajotis Komilis (KEPE Centre of Planning and Economic Research, Athens); 'The Development of Tourism in Skiathos', Sophia Markopoulou (Ministry of Physical Planning, Housing and the Environment, Athens).
The participants reaffirmed the importance of an annual forum on Developing Tourism in Coastal Cities while protecting the Environment and enhancing the Natural and Cultural Heritage. The next Seminar and Exhibition IFOCC 4 will be Eilat, 14-17 May 1995. Working groups will be set up on important topics. Constanza and Sopot (Poland) were proposed for IFOCC 5 1996, and Ghana and Uganda for future venues. The participants will set up National Committees. Publication of a Newsletter and establishing a Data Centre will be considered. Further details on IFOCC 4 may be obtained from the Convenor, Mr Avi Rabinovitch, Deputy Director General for International Relations, The Union of Local Authorities in Israel, POB 20040, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel 61200; Fax (972-3) 696-7447; Tel (9723) 691-9241.
Economic and marketing issues Papers presented were: 'Can the Problems of Seasonality be Reduced while Increasing the Benefits of Tourism?', Dr R a p h a e l R a y m o n d B a r - O n (Praedicta, Jerusalem); 'Economic Services and International Cooperation to help Local Authorities develop Tourism', Yali Harrari (with Kalman Dines: LGES, Local Government Economic Services Ltd, Tel Aviv); 'Promotion of Tourism through the Collaboration of Local Government and the Private Sector', Nikolaos Koukouravas (Mayor of Alexandroupolis) and George Tsanakakis (Mayor of Chania, Greece).
R Raymond Bar-On 94 Herzl Boulevard Jerusalem 96347 Israel
Tourism Management 1995 Volume 16 Number 1