(In 1990, the Council set up the Corporate Environmental Strategy Working Group to guide policy, set targets and monitor progress towards them.)
7) What are the main tourism-related issues in Bournemout’s Local Agenda 21?
- Reducing the seasonality of tourism by means of targeted marketing initiatives and the development of business tourism;
- Promoting the Bournemouth Conference Centre
- Encouraging longer stays as an alternative to day trips
- Promoting alternative to extensive car use on holiday (providing inromation about cycle ways, foothpaths and public transport oppurtunities)
- Encouraging the development of “green tourism”
- Providing management plans and educational opportunities at sites of special landscape interest: surveys, carrying capacity programme, monitoring biodiversity...
- Providing visitors and resident with a better seafront environment (creating the Seafront Service in charge of management of the area, taking initiatives such as the “no smoking” beaches and so on)
8) What about local management tools?
The Borough Council has introduced an informal “Environmental Management System” (EMS) type of approach of great benefit to the integration of environmental, economic and social issues with general management issues and practices.
9)What about the preparation and implementation of the Local Agenda 21?
The Bournemouth Environment Forum has been in existence for several years and brings together those people and bodies that are involved in the environmental field. But the creation of “Bournemouth Partnership” was an important landmark in terms of dialogue. It involves hundred influential organisations and individuals. Its task is to improve the quality of life. The Community Plan has been developed by the Bournemouth Partnership, and is coordinated by the Borough Council. It represents a shared vision for the future.
Members of the Bournemouth Partnership will be asked about their progree towards the Community Plan’s priorities, objectives and targets. Each year, the Bournemouth Partnership will examine the improvements it has made to the overall quality of life in the town and will publish the results.
10) Conclusions:
Whilst not facing any serious problems on the sustainability front, Bournemouth has embarked upon an LA21 on a preventive basis, and in order to correctly manage the growth in tourism to which it aspires.
The “Bournemouth Partnership” is a good example of how partners (including the tourism sector) can be involved in a town’s sustainable development project.