European universities for a Sustainable and Competitive Tourism

International Studies Conference; Florence- Pistoia 30th June/1st July

Tourism is a strategic sector for the sustainable development of the European economy. Europe
remains the top tourist destination in the world, with more than 480 million visitors each year, or
53.6% of all tourists. Tourism generates approximately 10% of the European GDP and accounts for more than 20 million jobs. It is estimated that over 710 million people will visit Europe in 2020. Tourism is competitive if it is sustainable, that is, if it preserves and enhances the environmental, human,and cultural resources of the resident populations. In order to be sustainable it should be planned. Spontaneous tourism, entirely given over to the market, will
become unsustainable over time, and therefore uncompetitive. The European Union has promoted a policy of planning for sustainable and competitive tourism, soliciting the active collaboration of all the actors involved, including the Universities.
A group of European Regions, upon the invitation of the EU, have undertaken a common initiative with the creation of the NECSTouR Network The Universities also intend to contribute to reaching the objectives of sustainable and competitive European tourism through educational and research programs. The purpose of this Conference is to promote the creation of a Network of European Universities which, through an ongoing exchange of ideas amongst all the
involved actors, favors the emergence of shared local “good practices” and the realization of common training and research programs, primarily aimed at local businesses, destinations, and institutions.

Tuesday – June 30, 2009
Florence – Faculty of Economics, Main Hall
3:00 P.M. Introductory remarks
Giampiero Nigro – Dean of the Faculty of Economics, University
of Florence
Paolo Bongini – Deputy Director for Tourism and Trade,
Region of Tuscany
Joan Carles Vilalta – Director General of Tourism, Generalitat
of Catalonia
3:30 P.M. Regional policies for sustainable and
competitive tourism
Coordinator – Lorenzo Gai (University of Florence)
Environmental policies and sustainable tourism:
the Italian case.
Maria Tinacci Mossello (University of Florence)
Economic policies and sustainable tourism:
the French case
Jean-Pierre Martinetti (University of Paris I - Pantheon-
Sorbonne)
Economic policies and sustainable tourism: the Spanish case
Isabel Cortés Jimenez (University of Nottingham)
5:00 P.M. Sustainability in the training of tourism
management
Coordinator – Moreno Ventisette (University of Florence)
Vocational Management Training for the European
Tourism Industry (VocMat)
Cathy Guthrie (VocMat Project)
Institut de Recherche et d’Etudes Supérieures du
Tourisme
Maria Gravari Barbas (Director of IREST, Paris)
European University for Tourism
Brunela Trebicka (Tirana)
6:30 P.M. Adjourn working session
8:00 P.M. Social Dinner

Wednesday – July 1, 2009
Florence – Faculty of Economics, Main Hall
9:00 A.M. Research on the sustainability of tourist
destinations: A Panel of Tuscan Universities
Coordinator – Piero Roggi (University of Florence)
Sustainable tourist businesses
Elena Livi and Lucia Varra (University of Florence)
Sustainable tourist destinations
Patrizia Romei (University of Florence)
The sustainability of rural tourism
Giovanni Belletti, Andrea Marescotti, and Silvia Scaramuzzi
(University of Florence)
A statistical framework for sustainable tourism
Lucia Buzzigoli and Cristina Martelli (University of Florence)
Measuring productivity in local tourist systems
Lionello F. Punzo (University of Siena)
The evolution of governance processes and the sustainability
of tourist destinations
Maurizio Vernassa (University of Pisa)
10:30 A.M. Coffee break
10:45 A.M. Research on the sustainability of tourist
destinations: Contributions from European Universities
Coordinator – Antonio Giusti (University of Florence)
Sustainable tourism: myths, reality, and challenges
Jayne Stocks (Sheffield Hallam University)
Sustainable tourism indicators: the challenges and the prize
Malcom Bell (South West Tourism – UK)
Fostering sustainable tourism development: objectives and
activities
Anja Hergesell (University of Vienna)
Destination innovation systems for sustainability purposes:
the case of Costa Brava
Lluis Prats Planaguma (University of Girona)
Sustainable development of tourism destinations:
the case of Soomaa National Park, Estonia
Heli Tooman (University of Tartu)
12:00 A.M. Transfer to Pistoia – satellite campus of the Faculty
of Economics (UNISER)
1:30 P.M Lunch

Wednesday – July 1, 2009
Pistoia – Synodal Hall of the Palace of the Bishops,
Cathedral Square
3:30 P.M. Towards a network of European
Universities for a sustainable and competitive tourism:
approval of the Memorandum of Understanding
Coordinator – Piero Barucci (University of Florence)
Introductory address
Giuseppe Totaro (President, UNISER, Pistoia)
European actions for sustainable and competitive tourism
Francesco Ianniello (European Commission, DG Enterprise,
Tourism Unit)
The NECSTouR experience
Paolo Bongini (Region of Tuscany)
The ABITA Network experience
Marco Sala (University of Florence)
The Italian Society for the Science of Tourism
Nicola Boccella (University of Rome -“La Sapienza”)
The contents of the Memorandum
Antonio Magliulo (University of Florence)
Discussion participants:
Giampiero Nigro (University of Florence)
Marco Sala (ABITA Inter-university Center, Florence)
Muharrem Tuna (Gazi University)
Lluis Prats Planaguma (University of Girona)
Nadia Theuma (University of Malta)
Isabel Cortés Jimenez (University of Nottingham)
Jean-Pierre Martinetti (University of Paris I - Pantheon-
Sorbonne)
Maurizio Vernassa (University of Pisa)
Nicola Boccella (University of Rome - “La Sapienza”)
Jayne Stocks (Sheffield Hallam University)
Lionello F. Punzo (University of Siena)
Heli Tooman (University of Tartu)
Brunela Trebicka (European University for Tourism, Tirana)
Anja Hergesell (University of Vienna)
Conclusions
Paolo Cocchi – Regional Minister for Culture, Tourism and
Trade, Tuscany
6:00 P.M. Close of Conference

Conference Secreteriat
Faculty of Economics : Phone 055 4374016
Regione Toscana : Phone 055 4383674
convegno.turismo.unifi@regione.toscana.it
www.regione.toscana.it/turismo