Sustainable Tourism Development in the Ionian Islands. The Case of Corfu Island

Abstract

This manuscript analyzed a priori the major trends and key figures of tourism in Greece, Ionian Islands region, and Corfu Island over the last decade, and attempts to explore the emergence of sustainable tourism development for Corfu Island, based on special interest tourism and alternative tourism products that should be considered as the key axis of local tourism development, providing a pattern of tourism development aimed to the balance among local community, economy and the environment of the area. Principal parameters of sustainable tourism, factors underlying the importance of Special Interest Tourism (SIT), and Alternative Tourism products and sustainability indicators, such as Tourism Carrying Capacity (TCC) for Ionian Islands region, have also been discussed in this survey. The methodology used is the critical review of the existing literature and the bibliographic references described more of an illustration of the topic. Results, discussion, and implications conclude this summary reporting the parameters for sustainable tourism development in Corfu Island, as the implementation of sustainable development programmes can systemically be developed and delivered at the local level by local authorities, government, private and public sector executives and with the participation of local community, in order to reproduce the “locality” as a key factor for local tourism development. The success of sustainable programmes for tourism development can lead to the protection of the environment and historical- cultural characteristics of each region and determine the long-run benefits of the sustainability agenda, providing products and activities that were thought to be more appropriate than conventional mass tourism.