Sustainable Destination Management
Strategies in the OIC Member Countries
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Activities and Tourism, it regulates its own accounting and administration.283 ENIT has the
authority to enter into agreements with regions and autonomous provinces, local authorities,
and other public bodies. The Board of Directors includes two members appointed by the
Minister.284
The National Tourism Observatory (ONT), established in 2006, is responsible for studying,
analyzing, and monitoring economic, social and technological dynamics related to tourism, in
addition to gathering qualitative and quantitative information on tourists, including their
interests. Its main objectives are to collect and present data on trends and tourist activities and
to provide forecasts for the development of strategic plans on promoting and marketing Italy’s
tourism offer.285
Sustainability Strategies
The tourism industry generates pollution through an increase in consumption of resources
which impacts on ecosystems of tourist destinations. However, sustainable tourism
encompasses socio-cultural and socio-economic impacts as well.286 Strategies should, therefore,
be developed to lower CO2 emissions and reduce environmental impact, but also to maximize
positive cultural, social, and economic impacts and minimize negative ones.
Italy supports the development of sustainable tourism by promoting new cultural attractions
and by encouraging tourism enterprises to upgrade their services and infrastructure. Recent
legislation has established measures for the protection and restoration of cultural heritage, the
development of Italian culture, and the re-launching of tourism.287
Italy is ultimately known for its art and culture and, as mentioned in the National Strategic Plan,
most “visits are still too heavily concentrated on several sites of extraordinary value but subject
to heavy pressure, thus increasing the risk of loss of territorial identity.”288 The Tourism
Strategic Plan aims to better distribute visitor flows into areas that are not recognized as tourist
destinations with the objective of decongesting saturated areas, thus protecting cultural
heritage and reducing the impact on local communities and improving competitiveness by
widening the product offer and establishing a more sustainable model.
Italy’s transport infrastructure is somewhat outdated or, in some cases, deficient and inter-
modality transport which integrates various means of transport into the same system has been
identified as lacking as well.289 The level of education and skills in the tourism industry for a
country with such history and demand, still leaves room for improvement. Programs should be
initiated to enhance quantity and quality in the education offer in tourism management to suit
the level and demand of tourism in Italy.
283 ENIT. (2017). Natura giuridica. Retrieved from
284 OECD. (2018). Italy . In OECD Tourism Trends and Policies 2018. Paris: OECD Publishing.
285 Osservatorio Nazionale Del Tourismo. (n.d.). T he national tourism observatory. Retreived from
286 UNESCO. (2009). Sustainable tourism development in UNESCO designated sites in South-Eastern Europe . Retrieved from
view/news/sustainable_tourism_development_in_unesco_designated_sites_i/.
287 OECD. (2018). Italy . In OECD Tourism Trends and Policies 2018. Paris: OECD Publishing.
288 Director-General for Tourism. (n.d.). The strategic plan for tourism. Retrieved from,
289 Angeloni, S., (2013). The strategic plan for tourism development in Italy . Retrieved from