From 25 to 28 October 2007, Sucha Beskidzka in Poland played host to the III International Seminar on Mountain Tourism entitled: "Sustainable Tourism in the Montane Protected Areas. Building Partnership Between NGOs' and Managers of Protected Areas".
The Seminar was organised by: International Friends of Nature, Polish Tourist Country Lovers' Society (PTTK) – Cracow Academic Section and Institute of Tourism and Recreation of Academy of Physical Education in Cracow in co-operation with Babia Gora Biosphere Reserve (Western Carpathians) and Ecological Tourism in Europe (ETE).
The organizers set out to create an opportunity for discussion, exchange of information, experience and ideas in topics which included:
- new trends in mountain tourism and evolution of protected areas management;
- identifying NGOs' dealing with tourism in the mountains;
- the role of traditional tourist societies in shaping modern mountain tourism;
- the reasons of disagreements between protected areas authorities and NGOs';
- special role of biosphere reserves in implementing principles of sustainable tourism;
- case studies of positive and negative examples.
The seminar brought together 23 participants from 9 European countries, including park and biosphere reserves managers responsible for tourism and environmental education, representatives of local and international tourism organisations, scientists, mountain guides, foresters, all of whom involved in the topics outlined above.
The Seminar provided participants with an opportunity to visit the Babia Gora Biosphere Reserve – the mountain massif (1725 m a.s.l.) of exceptional bio-cultural diversity and with more than hundred years history of mountain tourism and nature protection. Currently the Babia Gora BR is involved into international project: "Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity through Sound Tourism Development in Central and Eastern Europe", sponsored by GEF.
The following papers were presented:
Judit Miklos: Building up a local network for sustainable development in the Carpathians of Romania
Valentina Castellani: Strategy for sustainable mountain tourism
Bartosz Szczechowicz: Sustainable development in the mountain areas – identification of source of conflict between interests of local communities and protection of nature
Mehmet Somuncu: Sustainable tourism in the Kaçkar Mountains National Park, Turkey
Bernadetta Zawilinska: Cooperation of the landscape parks management in the polish carpathians with local governments and non-governmental organizations
Ondrej Vitek: Problems of tourism and sports in Czech protected areas
Radu Octavian Topai: Creating a national park in Tarcu Mountains
Katarzyna Sliwa: Bottom-up approach in local tourism management based on partnerships
Tomasz Lamorski: Negotiation as a tool for preparation of "sustainable tourism development" project
Joop Spijker and Nora Schuylenburg: Mountain protection at sea level
Wilfried Meulenbergs: Landscape of the year, NGO and local partners shaking hands
