Sustainable Tourism Law

828 SUSTAINABLE TOURISM LAW homogeneity throughout Italy, unfortunately in practice the situation is somehow different. The economic factor in terms of spending on sustainability is, in fact, often a limit to the drive and implementation of virtuous actions. IV. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS Sustainability is now shared that can be considered a pillar on which the future development of the economy is based. It requires all subjects, operating in different sectors, to adopt a new modus operandi and sometimes new business models. If this is true for the economy in general, in the tourism sector sustainability is an indispensable postulate, since, due to its transversal nature, it involves public and private entities, companies and entities from different sectors, and demands the direct participation of tourists. They are, more or less consciously, accomplices of this process and contribute with their behaviour, if virtuous, to the valorisation of the patrimony and the resources. In fact, more and more, it is the market demand that generates the offer of tourism products and not the other way around, and more and more tourists are asking to live “green” experiences. Even Italians like tourism that respects the environment, tries to reduce the energy consumption and resources of the territory. Despite the growing environmental sensitivity, however, there are still few Italians who in 2018 claim to actually put into practice green tourism (only 20% compared to 18% in 2017). In particular, in 2018 the percentage of the level of knowledge of the definition of “sustainable tourism” increased to 78% (76% in 2017), understood as that which respects the environment and tries to reduce the consumption of energy and resources of the territory. The 41% consider it ethically correct and 28% close to nature. Regarding ecotourism, on the other hand, in 2018, 64% (against 62% in 2017) 33 , of those interviewed, know the definition of ecotourism as a form of tourism that respects the environment, local populations and enhances the natural and historical cultural resources of a territory 34 . 33 All datas from the VIII report ‘Italians, sustainable tourism and ecotourism’ created by Ipr Marketing for the Univerde Foundation, 27 September Rome. www.fondazioneuniverde.it . 34 On the difference between ecotourism and sustainable tourism, see, among others, A. Williams, Reconciling tourism and the environment: a task for international Environmental law?, in VJEL, 2007, p. 32; M. Confalonieri, Il turismo sostenibile e la sua misurabilità, in Economia e diritto del terziario, 2006, p. 463.