Starting from the idea that it is necessary to study best practices, in order then to improve on them, here are some examples of what some far-sighted tourist destinations are doing to create a balanced tourism system.
- Tourism New Zealand, drawing from the uniqueness of Kiwi culture and putting a spotlight on children, recently launched the Tiaki Promise initiative, to encourage visitors and locals to act as guardians, in order to preserve the country’s culture, environment and identity.
- Spurred on by the (negative) example of Amsterdam, the Netherlands have just launched their new tourism strategy, Perspective 2030, in which the ultimate goal is for every Dutch person to benefit from tourism by 2030. A big focus is placed on shared interests and putting local residents first, with an emphasis on career prospects for all those who, even tangentially, contribute to the tourism sector.
- In recent years Austurland (East Iceland) has seen tourism become one of their primary industries. Growth was quite unexpected, to the point that until 2014 there was really no framework or organization (akin to our Tourism Board) designed to manage the development of the tourism product.
- This has led to the certainty that destination planning must involve everyone. They designed an inclusive development process involving the community, whose wellness and quality of life remained at the forefront when making any decision.
- Thanks to highly sophisticated and viral marketing campaigns, the Faroe Islands have become in recent years a bucket list destination, with the tourist sector increasing 10% every year since 2013. And “from great growth comes great responsibility.” This is why in 2019 Visit Faroe Islands launched a new strategy, Join the Preservolution (from preserve + evolve). Tourism is no longer seen as an opportunity, but rather as a responsibility, especially towards the residents and the environment.
BALANCED TOURISM 
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