Sardinia's sustainable tourism model defies overcrowding

DW (English)

While protests against mass tourism pop up in popular destinations like Venice and Barcelona, one small island proves tourism can still benefit locals if done the right way.

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00:00They are protesting against mass tourism, against rapidly rising rents on Mallorca,

00:06on the Canary Islands and Barcelona.

00:08The locals are concerned they're being left behind.

00:12They don't benefit from the billions in revenue generated by the large hotel chains.

00:17And they are afraid that more and more tourists will destroy what makes their home unique.

00:22It's just enough.

00:25Everything revolves around tourism and we're becoming impoverished and can't find a place

00:28to live.

00:31Sardinia shows that there is another way.

00:34The small Italian island is home to 1.6 million people.

00:38Last year, 7.5 million tourists vacationed here.

00:43That's a lot.

00:44But it's manageable because Sardinia has made a real effort to ensure that tourism is sustainable

00:50for the island.

00:51Together with restaurant operators, guesthouses and hotels.

00:56Some in the industry started thinking about how to save water, avoid waste and use local

01:01products more than 30 years ago.

01:05Everything that comes to the table either comes from our own garden, vegetables, tomatoes

01:09or simply has very short transportation routes and comes from the island.

01:14Of course, this also applies to fish and meat.

01:16We take whatever we can, 90% with a very short journey.

01:22Up to 1,400 guests can stay at the spacious resort.

01:25Cars are banned here.

01:27Electric buggies are used instead, powered by electricity generated from solar panels

01:32installed on roofs.

01:34Because there is more than enough sun in Sardinia.

01:37Lorenzo Giannuzzi built the resort more than 30 years ago.

01:41Even back then, he was thinking about how to minimize the impact of such a large facility

01:47on the environment.

01:49To make water consumption, for example, 1,000 cubic meters, that's one million liters, are

01:55used here every day.

01:57And drinking water is scarce in Sardinia.

02:00At the end of July, the regional government declared a water emergency on some parts of

02:04the island.

02:05Giannuzzi has his own reservoir with a capacity of 350 million liters.

02:11Normally during the winter, we accumulate enough water to fully provide.

02:17We don't need just to be with the current water.

02:23We just use our reservoir.

02:25So we are self-sufficient.

02:28The island's capital, Cagliari, is an hour's drive away.

02:32With its sights, old town and restaurant, it's a magnet for tourists and a starting

02:37point for beach excursions.

02:40The government on the autonomous region of Sardinia began limiting access to beaches

02:44and sites 10 years ago to protect nature.

02:49It was difficult at the very beginning, it's still difficult nowadays, but there's a different

02:56approach from many of our operators and enterprises to embrace such a philosophy.

03:06The concept works.

03:07The evidence can be seen in many places.

03:10Hardly any holidaymakers walk through the dunes that protect the beaches from erosion.

03:15Because there are signs explaining their function.

03:18But above all, there are large penalties.

03:21And nobody disturbs the flamingos next door either.

03:24It seems many tourists are taking a positive view of the efforts to promote sustainable

03:29tourism.

03:31Many of them come back for that very reason.

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