The past two years have seen the development of projects that have sought to reduce human environmental impact. All initiatives have used cutting-edge technology, storytelling, and essential partnerships. All this has served to get us here: an innovative project involving the Amalfi Coast Tourist District, ENIT, and the Anders Reisen Forum to promote the destination as a destination for responsible travel debuts on September 13.
September 8th, 2021. By Anna Volpicelli
Regarding tourism and nature, the Amalfi Coast is one of the most sought-after destinations due to its ability to offer a regenerative travel proposal, pushing for creative solutions that regenerate the tourist and environment. This concept implies a way of moving around and exploring the area that favors respect for the ecosystem and its biodiversity, the use of environmentally friendly means of transportation, and the support of the local economy, which includes the rediscovery of cultural heritage, local crafts, and local food.
A philosophy of life
Sustainability is neither a new concept to the Amalfi Coast nor a trendy practice. Cultivating and nurturing a deep and humble respect for the surrounding nature, seizing the gifts of its fruits to create something unique that testifies to the unmistakable essence of the area, is something that has deep roots.
The peasant nature of this land has educated the population to be constantly vigilant about the well-being of its environmental resources, whether these be the expanses of lemon groves. These vast vineyards paint the landscapes of Tramonti or Furore, the nature reserves such as the Valle delle Ferriere, and the numerous paths that lead from the mountains to the inhabited centers. The cultural and archaeological assets still represent residents’ pride and attract countless visitors yearly. The tradition of local handicrafts, such as the art of lace-making, is still valuable and, simultaneously, an activity carried on by younger generations.
The questions that the Amalfi Coast Tourist District, together with the many local entrepreneurs and tourism operators, has been asking for a long time have been: how to protect and at the same time enhance this great heritage? How to educate the millions of tourists who come to this destination every year? What solutions to propose to reduce over-tourism?
The initiatives: from technology to storytelling
This constant questioning has given rise to a series of projects involving schools, intending to educate younger people in virtuous behavior. Collaborations were established with emerging startups that specialize in reducing the impact on the environment, such as the Junker app, which helped numerous residents with recycling collection, or the Little Hunter project, the marine robot, which monitored the condition of the sea waters to keep them clean and crystal clear, and finally the Sentinelle Spazzamare, the catamaran that in the summer of 2019 was responsible for collecting and disposing of all the garbage that was, unfortunately, being abandoned in the sea.
And where technology failed to reach, the Amalfi Coast Tourist District used word and image to create a narrative that would shed light on what residents call “The Other Coast,” the upper part of the Amalfi Coast. That area across the Lattari Mountains is rich in villages, including Scala, Pontone, Agerola, and Tramonti, that are still minor-known. So we launched this magazine to talk about little-trodden places, encouraging visitors to take routes outside the mainstream circuits. In short, creatively, it found a way to break down over-tourism, lead people by the hand to explore new horizons, and get in touch with agricultural entrepreneurs, who, in addition to lemons, grow tomatoes, such as fiascone, typical of these areas.
It has opened the doors to monuments and churches often forgotten and collected medieval frescoes inside them, as yet unseen. All this is part of a long journey aimed at making the Amalfi Coast a Destination where sustainability not only scores in the veins of residents but becomes a way of traveling, an experience within reach of every tourist.
An important appointment
To continue to promote and enhance the sustainable qualities inherent in the area, the Amalfi Coast Tourist District, in collaboration with ENIT-National Tourism Agency and Forum Anders Reisen, a Hamburg-based business and entrepreneurial association specializing in zero-impact tourism, will launch the Amalfi Coast Toward Sustainable Tourism project on September 13. An initiative will be developed over two dates to make the destination ideal for a responsible vacation.
From September 13 to 17, 2021, members of the German press will be hosted and will have the opportunity to touch upon experiences related to sustainable tourism on the Amalfi Coast. A new way of traveling and experiencing the area that will be well told and illustrated during the press conference on September 14 at the Arsenali della Repubblica in Amalfi.
From October 25 to 29, on the other hand, tour operators and members of the Anders Reisen Forum will be hosted in an educational workshop where they will have the opportunity to meet directly with local sustainable tourism operators and propose various activities to their clients. The Amalfi Coast Toward Sustainable Tourism project thus becomes an opportunity for the entire destination to enhance and protect the ecosystems that delineate the 14 municipalities stretching throughout the Amalfi Coast Tourist District, develop emission-free infrastructure, and strengthen agriculture, fishing, food production, and local crafts.
The guidelines on tourism according to the G20
During the G20 meeting in Naples last May, tourism ministers recognized the pandemic crisis as an opportunity to transform tourism in a more resilient, sustainable, and inclusive way, involving the engagement of local communities. Among the seven policy areas for the future of tourism identified in the Rome G20 Guidelines, the ministers emphasized various aspects, including the importance of green transformation to sustain the environment at the global and local scales and expanding investment and infrastructure to focus resources on a sustainable future for tourism.
With this in mind, since 2019, the Amalfi Coast Tourist District, with the financial support of the Amalfi Coast Tourist Development Network, thanks to the Development Contract signed with INVITALIA | Agenzia nazionale per l’attrazione degli investimenti e lo sviluppo d’impresa Spa, has made available economic resources in the development of projects aimed at improving mobility on the Coast in a green key.
Charging stations
Promoting an alternative mode of mobility is crucial for a harvested area like the Coast, where it is vitally important for residents and local communities to protect nature and air quality and control noise pollution. An electric car, for example, saves between 40 percent and 55 percent CO2 compared to a gasoline vehicle and between 22 percent and 40 percent compared to a diesel vehicle. Added to this is that autonomous electric cars do not generate noise emissions.
To encourage the use of such vehicles, The Amalfi Coast Tourist District, with the Amalfi Coast Tourist Development Network, has earmarked significant financial resources for creating a recharging network, which includes a total of 20 columns, for sustainable mobility. Launched in August 2020, the project has already seen the installation of 13 charging devices, and by the end of 2021, the installation of the remaining 7.
The initiative was made possible thanks to the collaboration with DriWE, an innovative startup recognized by the Ministry of Economic Development dedicated to integrating photovoltaic energy production and alternative mobility. From Vietri to Positano, anyone can take advantage of such a service. The devices can be put into operation and managed directly from smartphones. A unique application makes it possible to locate the nearest column, thanks to the NextCharge Map that offers immediate geolocation.
On the Amalfi Coast by scooter
For those, on the other hand, who do not have an electric car, an electric scooter can be rented to facilitate travel between one municipality and another. It is a project that The Amalfi Coast Tourist District and the Amalfi Coast Tourist Development Network have implemented in collaboration with Elettrify, a young startup active in end-to-end sustainable micro-mobility solutions for the shared management of electric scooters. In some locations on the Amalfi Coast, Segway ES4, top-of-the-line vehicle models, will be placed in special parking lots.
A fleet of about 30 vehicles will be distributed among Vietri Sul Mare, Cetara, Minori, and Amalfi, thanks also to the contribution of Tra.Vel.Mar, where the scooters will be available in the ferry attack port, Praiano and Positano. The scooter experience has multiple advantages. In addition to being a practical and easy-to-use means of transport, it offers the opportunity to fully enjoy the landscapes that frame the iconic Amalfi Coast and contribute to the preservation of the natural heritage that has made it one of the most attractive destinations for lovers of sustainable tourism.