WESTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES EXPERIENCE IN DEVELOPING TOURISM IN NATURAL PROTECTED AREAS

Abstract

Tourism as a global phenomenon has a significant impact on the ecology, economy and social sphere, therefore for its development in natural protected areas it is necessary to take into account the principles of sustainability. Western European countries, in particular France, Spain and Italy, have many years of experience in managing tourism on nature natural protected lands. Their practices include measures to preserve natural and cultural wealth, compliance with standards of environmental protection and social responsibility as well as active cooperation with local communities. The management of protected areas in Europe is aimed at preserving biodiversity, protecting ecosystems and at the same time supporting tourism. The European Union policy takes into account the Convention on the Protection of Biological Diversity as well as the European Restoration Regulation, which sets goals for the recovery of degraded ecosystems by 2050. For example, in France, where natural protected areas occupy more than 20% of the country’s area, tourism becomes an important tool for maintaining national natural parks through the involvement of visitors in protection processes. Ensuring economic efficiency, improving the life quality of local communities and protecting the environment are important aspects of the sustainable tourism development. The challenges facing European countries in tourism include uneven demand, high environmental costs and the need to preserve cultural heritage. To coordinate actions for the sustainable tourism development in natural protected territories the European Charter of Sustainable Tourism has been developed as well as a number of macro-regional strategies that contribute to the effective use of natural resources and the cultural heritage preservation. The Western European countries experience shows the need to implement environmental standards in the field of tourism based on international standards and aimed at preserving natural territories. The article emphasizes that it is important to create conditions for the development of sustainable tourism in Ukraine combining economic benefits with environmental responsibility and support of local communities which will contribute to the preservation of the country’s unique natural territories.