The UNESCO World Heritage Site Cinque Terre
The unique cultural landscape of Cinque Terre in Liguria is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997.
On the Website of the World Heritage Centre the justification reads like this:
The Committee decided to inscribe this site on the basis of criteria (ii), (iv) and (v), considering that the eastern Ligurian Riviera between Cinque Terre and Portovenere is a cultural site of outstanding value, representing the harmonious interaction between people and nature to produce a landscape of exceptional scenic quality that illustrates a traditional way of life that has existed for a thousand years and continues to play an important socio-economic role in the life of the community.
rerference:http://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31&id_site=826
A short description can be found at Wikipedia.
During my visit in the second week of October there was no sign of low season. Hords of tourists arriving with the train visited the small villages.
Obviosly there are not many possibilities to stay overnight. There is an entrance fee to the national park.
Management efforts of the site are good. But this seems to be obligatory facing the high number of visitors.
Besides the protection of the cultural landscape through the World Heritage Status there is an area of the coastline that is protected as a natural preserve. It is the natural habitat of mammals like doplhins and whales.
The threats of mass tourism were already verbalised in the Report of the ICOMOS-Evaluation during the process of the application in 1996:
There is a potential risk to this property from tourism, which could be exacerbated by eventual inscription on the World Heritage List. ICOMOS therefore urges the State Party to ensure through legislation and management that its essential qualities are protected and maintained.
reference:http://whc.unesco.org/archive/advisory_body_evaluation/826.pdf
Manarola, the second village of Cinque Terre coming from La Spezia (reference: Matthias Ripp, 10/2005)
Street leading to the harbour of Manarola (reference: Matthias Ripp, 10/2005)
1 Thomas Krueger from Genova / Italy wrote on 12.11.2005:
The local government has somewhat broken with the government from La Spezia to promote tourism by their own. There are very much efforts to create hospitaliy in the hinterland like of the Cinque Terre, like Val di Vara.
Living next to the Cinque Terre my favorite season for hiking here is between December and March. Maybe I can contribute with some 360° panoramas later this year.
You can go for whale watching from Genoa by boat (Alimar) for a place about 40 miles in front of Imperia (depth of the sea over 1000 m). With the support of a samll airplane the chance is very good to see fin whales and also sperm whales (Pottwal).
Best wishes,
Thomas
2 Matthias from Bamberg wrote on 12.11.2005:
Hi Thomas,
so what do you think as someone living close by: Is mass tourism a threat to this region?
3 Thomas from Genova / Italy wrote on 12.11.2005:
Hmm, the infrastructure is not suited for large numbers, but there are coming more and more tourists. Big tour operators can't play with big numbers here, so they will be always limited to relative small groups (=small earnings). At the other side also the local government is aware about this situation and they try to limit the flusses of tourism like on the famous "Via dell'amore".
For the semi-abandoned villages in the hinterland this is an opportunity, and the number of Bed&Breakfast and "Ferien auf dem Bauernhof" is growing very fast - and that's good for the development of this region behind the Cinque Terre.
4 Matthias Ripp from Bamberg wrote on 13.11.2005:
So you think visitor management and the idea of spreading the tourist flows to the small villages in the hinterland? But what about the traffic situation? The streets seem not to be suited for large numbers of cars. And the small villages in the hinterland (and montains) can not be reached by train, and very hardly with public transportation.
Another question is: How is the influence of tourism on the protected area along the coast (marine life)?