The European Union and soft tourism for the protection of the natural and cultural landscape: some problems and different approaches

The countries of the European Union receive almost 600 million international tourists every year, to which must be added the movements of residents. Anthropic pressure on tourist destinations in urban and rural areas is set to grow. Numerous movements have emerged to counter the phenomenon of overtourism and gentrification by proposing solutions for seasonal adjustment, delocalisation and decongestion. The European institutions put in place numerous policies and tools aimed at supporting, enhancing and promoting soft tourism that can minimize negative impacts on the environment and on the population of tourist areas and involve local communities in decision-making processes regarding tourism planning choices. Moreover, there is a problem of elaborating the meaning of landscape and how it should be experienced and proposed by communities as an expression of their past, present and future identity. It is so important that the concept of eco-compatibility includes the concept of social eco-compatibility that enhances both residents and the expressions of their local culture as well as the natural resources that are attractive to tourists.