Ecotourism between theory and practice: empirical analysis of the tourism industry of whale watching in H\ufasav\uedk (Iceland)

Whale watching is a dynamic industry and, in particular in a country like Iceland, where tourism is currently playing a leading role in the national economy and where nature \u2013 understood in a broad sense \u2013 represents the main attraction for visitors, whale watching, rapidly grown during the last years, shows an evident potential under an ecotouristic point of view. In recent times, an increasing need for the understanding of interactions between humans (tourists) and wildlife (whales) emerged, highlighting the interest towards environmental conservation, protection and preservation matters and towards the search for activities, and modalities, that could essentially contribute to the sustainability of tourism experiences, such as wildlife tourism ones. It is difficult to argue with the fact that whale watching uses the whale \u201casset\u201d in a non-destructive way, unlike whaling, activity still commercially conducted in Iceland, but at the same time it can\u2019t be considered ecotouristic and sustainable a priori. In fact, several studies point out how tourism has a disturbing effect on wildlife and negatively affects their ecology and short- to long-term behaviours. This article, after a general introduction on the main ecotourism principles, examines the whale watching industry of the \u201cWhale Capital of Iceland\u201d, H\ufasav\uedk, and it mainly focuses on the results and data of two researches conducted in the field \u2013 respectively among whale watchers and among the local whale watching companies. The purpose of this work is to investigate if and how H\ufasav\uedk whale watching is following an environmentally sustainable and ecotouristic path, and to bring into light its strengths and weaknesses as a whale watching destination

Precaution and protection policies of urban ecosystem in the Iblea north eastern coast of Sicily

According to the hypothetical urban scenarios in the future, the urban ecosystem will be the piace where the most part of people live, with a deep negative impact on the world ecosystem. So it is necessary for all the people to get better ways of life in the towns and less and less unbalanced urban space, that to say a clean, efficiency and productive place that satisfies the needs of its inhabitants. A fundamental aim to the restoration of conditions of equity in the city seems to come from the models of development of sustainable city, related to the improvement of the environment and, above all, to a plan of sustainable society. Leaving from the indications of the European urban policies and those coming from issues about European, Mediterranean and Sicilian experiences, the team of present research may suggest he better political and technological choices adapted to the governance of urban ecosystem (with particular care for the waste, he transports, the management of the water and energetic resources) of the greater Sicilian cities an above all, of those if the Eastern Sicily. They will not come finally neglected the problematic related to the monitoring activities, both in function of the control of the environmental state and that of the continue verify of environmental impact of the pursued choices. Particular attention will be turned to the preventing of the seismic risk.

Leisure Shopping and Fashion Tour: New Elements of the Marche Tourist Offer

In the last decade, the Italian region Marche has consolidated a respectable position in the national and international panorama of tourist destinations. A region, that in building its territorial brand, has used its peculiar mix of past traditions and modern innovations to offer tourists a complex territorial product. This blend of natural, cultural and historical resources succeeds in appealing and attracting even the most demanding visitor. Purchasing goods during a holiday has always been a significant activity of the tourism macro- industry, both from the economical and experiential point of view. Within the variable framework of the tourism market, where destinations and operators have to adapt and enhance their offer to better attract their targets, analyzing how shopping could be a primary, secondary or ancillary reason for traveling, is a matter of crucial interest. Such travels can require short movements, typically one-day or week-end trips, but can also be characterized by a longer duration where other experiences, besides shopping, are combined. This phenomenon and its demand have historically involved Italy, a country that can rely on a diversified and high-quality offer that valorizes and combines traditions, expertise and local products along with the offer of big international brands. Among the various itineraries offered, the ones that connect places of tradition, industriousness and local craftsmanship to areas designated to prestigious fashion brands and clothing outlets, are of particular interest. The incorporation of shopping activities within a vivid framework of traditional entrepreneurial businesses is both a pleasant and advantageous experience. It represents the opportunity for a renewed exploration of the area and the rediscovery of the best local production companies. The objective of this work, through a field survey and interviews with tourists, entrepreneurs and workers of these sectors, is to investigate the phenomenon in its territorial consistency in order to understand if there is a substantial cause and effect relationship between the two sectors

Trade as a cultural identity aspect in a city. A case study on Catania

In the present-day post-industrial society and in a globalised economy there is a strong tendency towards standardization and homologation. If we consider one of the most traditional urban functions - the commercial one - analysing what is happening in the centre of the cities of all the developed countries of the world, we notice a process of standardization regarding the offer, both in the sense of the single articles sold and in the sense of the commercial area in all its complexity (uniformity of the showcases for the exposure, diminution of the historical shops with sale of distinctive articles, diffusion of the branches of national and international chains and the phenomenon of franchising). Therefore, the central areas of our cities tend to be more and more alike. Obviously this is fruit of a more complex process, that is concretized in the tendency towards the diversification of the distributive network through the rapid diffusion of hypermarkets and commercial centres in the outskirts of cities and in the changed behaviour of the consumers, more and more directed to American styles of consumption. What kind of role will the more traditional commercial structures that characterize the Italian historical centres have in the future? Despite the fact that these last ones are, at the moment, under considerable pressure that pushes towards a more radical change, there is the possibility however that the particular "commercial landscape" that characterizes them could itself become a new model of development capable of promoting the urban culture, close to the functionalistic model, currently in expansion, totally directed towards the peripheral spaces. Catania is a city where we find, to a great extent, the evolutionary characteristics of the southern urban system, but in which we find even more the changes and the tendencies present in the cities of the more developed regions when processes of decentralization of economic activities, residential activities and of the social structures are outlined. The commercial patrimony of Catania, besides the cultural one, represents one of the pivots on which the identity of the city is based. It represents a resource for the development of the town and a stimulation of tourism. This research investigates the solidity and the potentialities of traditional commerce in the central areas of the city of Catania in relation to the dynamics of development of the external commercial centres.

Saint Agatha Religious Festival in Catania: Stakeholders’ Functions and Relations

The purpose of the paper is to develop an explorative analysis of the functions and relations among actors involved in the organization and implementation of the Saint Agatha Religious Festival in Catania attracting nearly one million presences during the first week of February. The research is based on the survey of different sources of information, such as literature, news, media, and deep interviews with key informants pertaining to civil and religious institutions. The survey is designed to profile the Festival in terms of history, the character of the stakeholders, size, origin of assets, venues used, decision-making structure, and programs. The Festival’s use of volunteers and sponsors is specifically addressed. Empirical research sketches the network of stakeholders, the relationship between organizations, the importance of local social actors and strategies in enhancing local culture and sustainable tourism, regarding, in particular, the socio-cultural impacts of religious tourism. The local society has historical peculiarities which impose prudential considerations in generalizing about findings, and a comparative study with other Sicilian and/or Italian religious festivals will be important, mainly in order to delineate the actual sustainability of Festivals. The framework developed in this study can be helpful in the application of local social policies and also help comparative festival studies

Reading and interpreting the gateways in contemporary cities: an educational perspective

This work aims at highlighting the teaching potentialities of urban geography, in particular the didactic value of gateways in contemporary cities. Therefore, after a reflection on the still fundamental pedagogical value of urban geography and its teaching tools, the paper provides a model of reading and interpreting the city through the study of connections between tourist flows and consumption models in specific urban places, that is to say, the traditional city gateways such as railway stations, ports and airports