Tourism in Sardinia: Art. 4 Regional Policy N. 4, 11 May 2006. Is it essential for the long-term conservation of the Emerald Coast?

ABSTRACT


This study examines the impact of tourism on the environment and the importance of local government in planning and regulating tourism by means of specific policies.
This project looks specifically at the case of the Emerald Coast in Sardinia (Italy), known for its élite tourism and in particular for its yacht tourism, and at the introduction of Regional Law N.4 11 May 2006, which with its Art. 4, taxes non-resident vessals, i.e. yachts longer than 14 metres, that anchor in Sardinian waters between June and September.

The law has caused lot of argument between VIPs and politicians, who all argued that the policy would kill the image of the island and would impede its development.
The tax has been named the “Luxury Tax”, as it is believed that it is not an environmental tax but just a governmental device to receive more income from taxation.
The main concern of this project is to investigate whether the tax is having a negative impact on tourism in terms of arrivals and yacht presences in the island, and to examine if whether tax is really necessary for the conservation of the coast in the long-term future.

In order to achieve this, secondary research was carried out and reports of the Regione Sardegna were examined in order to analyse the statistical figures for the growth of tourism in the island; primary research was also carried out, an environmental expert, a broker of luxury yachts and an operator of the Local Tourism Authority were interviewed in order to understand in what way these big yachts are dangerous for the environment and to find out whether taxation is the right strategy for the protection of the coast.

Data collected from the secondary sources shows that yachts and tourists are not discouraged by the tax, and in fact an increase in arrivals and presences in the island has been registered since 2006.
Analysing the results of the findings from the primary research, it was found out that small vessals and cruise ships, which are exempted from the tax, also contribute to pollution and negative environmental impacts; therefore, according to logic and theory, the law cannot be considered an environmental tax and does not seem to be the best strategy to adopt to conserve the coast in the long-term. The report concludes with recommendations for the future.