Tourists, Residents, and Sustainable Mobility in Islands: The Case of Ischia (Italy)

Abstract

While tourism is mostly considered a crucial driver for local development, its impact in terms of sustainability and attractiveness of local destinations must also be taken into account. This is especially true for small islands, where tourism may determine detrimental effects in the long term to the limited space and resources. The “sustainable tourism” approach considers this phenomenon and proposes possible solutions to problems such as the loss of public space, waste management, energy and water over-consumption, traffic congestion, air, water, and visual pollution. This chapter presents and discusses the results of a survey that has been carried out in Ischia, a small Mediterranean island located in the Gulf of Naples in order to explore the propensity toward sustainable mobility of both tourists and residents. In particular, the mobility patterns of the respondents have been deeply investigated both at home (domestic behavior) and on holiday (tourist behavior). The results suggest that the promotion of a higher level of cooperation among different stakeholders and local governments is of paramount importance in order to achieve sustainable tourism on islands. This may also generate important effects in terms of destination attractiveness.

Citation

Maltese, I., Zamparini, L. and Amico, C. (2021), "Tourists, Residents, and Sustainable Mobility in Islands: The Case of Ischia (Italy)", Zamparini, L. (Ed.) Sustainable Transport and Tourism Destinations (Transport and Sustainability, Vol. 13), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 97-115. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2044-994120210000013010