Tourism and regeneration of the natural environment, the FiturNext 2023 challenge
By Pako Rodríguez, Consultant specialised in tourism. (Originally published in Spanish)
FiturNext, Fitur's Observatory of best practices in tourism, which seeks a positive impact on the sector, has launched the 2023 challenge. In this edition, the search for high-impact replicable initiatives focuses on how tourism can contribute to the regeneration of natural spaces.
FiturNext keeps growing and creating its own space in the tourism sector as an observatory that aims to learn about, promote and distinguish global projects with a proven positive impact. It also aims to generate constructive conversations around each theme with the most relevant actors through the organisation of webinars around the Challenge and, of course, during the days of Fitur.
The Observatory has focused on various social challenges and sustainable objectives throughout its trajectory. From the promotion of local economic development through tourism (2020), through gender equality (2021) and accessibility in the sector (2022) to this 2023 edition whose objective is the regeneration of natural spaces via tourism activities, both in the terrestrial and aquatic environment, including fauna and flora, and in both urban and rural environments.
Why regeneration?
We assume a climatic situation in which the conservation of the natural environment, although positive, is no longer sufficient due to the different levels reached. This is why we are looking for a type of tourism that leaves the place where the activity takes place better than it was. There are already many examples of projects aimed at using the energy of visitors to clean rivers, lakes, beaches and other areas, and it is precisely this type of activity that will be promoted in this edition.
The Observatory always monitors the most disruptive initiatives on a social and technological level. In addition to the innovation that replicability represents, which is measured through our own evaluation methodology in the form of a barometer, the impact of each project is analysed using indicators generated for each of the challenges. These indicators allow us to identify the projects with the greatest impact. In the case of the Fiturnext 2023 challenge, we will evaluate not only the number of visitors received and their growth thanks to the projects analysed, but also the degree of involvement of the visitors in the environment where they carry out the activity. At the same time, we will take into account how the environment where this tourism activity takes place has been improved and how it has impacted on the local community.
Regenerative tourism represents an opportunity for the tourism sector. This is being understood by companies that are committed to positive tourism, as well as by some public administrations that are aware that it is necessary to reset and rethink the current model to promote tourism as an engine of change, where positive externalities outweigh the negative ones, both environmentally and socially.
Through this challenge, aligned with various Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, the aim is to promote actions that improve the environment in which they operate, ensuring not only the conservation of natural resources, but also their continuous improvement, increasing their value thanks to tourism. A model where local communities receive the benefits generated thanks to this commitment to regeneration.
Are you joining the Fiturnext 2023 Challenge?
If you have an initiative that fits the above, do not hesitate to submit it by filling in this form. The categories to which you can submit your project are as follows:
Projects with an impact on the terrestrial environment.
Projects with an impact on the aquatic environment.
Public or private organisations working for the regeneration of natural areas through the management and promotion of this type of action.
The projects that make it to the final will participate in the activities that will take place at Fitur 2023 and subsequent actions and will benefit from the visibility provided by being part of the Fiturnext community thanks to their impact in the media.
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