The future of Alpine pastures – Agricultural or tourism development? Experiences from the German Alps

Abstract

Alpine pastures are central to tourism in the European Alps. Tourism development in many alpine destinations relies significantly on the work force and products of alpine farmers without considering or integrating them in tourism related processes, assuming that farmers are interested in further economic growth through tourism. The question arises, whether an adequate involvement will support this interest in maintaining or expanding tourism use. The paper at hand used questionnaires and in-depth interviews with alpine farmers in the Achental region of Southern Bavaria, Germany, to examine current experiences with tourism and outdoor recreation. The study concludes that the interest in expanding tourism use is rather limited and financial aspects have little impact on the main motivation to engage in tourism development. In contrast, the study shows many conflicts arising in the clash between agricultural production and tourism use. Therefore, management actions by the local association Eco-model Achental tasked with tourism coordination are essential, including farmers as stakeholders in a participative planning process. New initiatives and support covering legal aspects, visitor management, information, networking, energy and water management are considered key to maintain this sustainable form of rural tourism in the region. In this paper we recognize that certain stakeholder groups have been neglected in tourism planning processes. However, stakeholders who are largely responsible for stewardship of the landscape need to be incorporated in regional tourism development to ensure sustainability. Therefore, the following management actions are identified: -Actively engage crucial stakeholders in participatory planning processes. -Understand that stakeholders' motives are not necessarily based on economic gain. -Identify factors that support landscape maintenance. -Create a network of stakeholders to generate appropriate support for a variety of interests.