Are New Cartographies Strengthening a Sustainable and Responsible Island Tourism?

Abstract

The tourism industry through interaction with information and communication technologies is being strongly influenced and transformed rapidly. Spatial information in the form of novel smart web maps can become a significant factor in documenting the identity of tourist destinations. As geoinformatics and cartography evolve, they can play a substantial role in promoting the tourist destination and eventually, sustainable tourism development for the region, which is required by all stakeholders. In its first part, the chapter discusses the current tourism model and the necessity for sustainable management. In this framework, it then delves into the role of new cartographies and the use of maps in official tourist platforms for popular island tourist destinations in Mediterranean Sea, as well as the requirements of new tourists according to new cartographic trends. The aim of the chapter is to highlight the current and potential contribution of new cartographies to a sustainable and responsible tourism development.

Key Terms in this Chapter

New Cartographies: Digital maps presented online not created by cartography experts.

Smart Tourism: Tourism based on smart applications of information and communication technologies (ICT).

Responsible Tourism: Tourism with respect to the environment, culture, and local community of a destination.

Sustainable Tourism Development: Development which manages and minimizes the effects on the environment, ecosystems, and the inhabitants of the host communities, so as to ensure a better future for the destination and tourism itself.

New Tourist: Tourist who uses internet to choose a destination and creates personal travelling preferences and schedules based on online information.