Please answer the case study questions in breif. Thank you so much.

Alpine Pearls: A Network Promoting Environmentally Friendly Holidays Dagmar Lund-Durlacher, MODUL University Vienna Anja Hergesell, MODUL University Vienna Karmen Mentil, Alpine Pearls Synopsis and Learning Outcomes Encouraging environmentally friendly transportation is seen as an important element of mitigating climate change and developing sustainable tourism. This case study pro- vides a good example for developing and marketing environmentally friendly mobility options in order to reduce the environmental impacts caused by tourists' travel both to the holiday destination as well as in the destination. The Alpine Pearls Association was established on 29 January 2006 by 17 members aiming to develop environmentally friendly tourist mobility options. The number of member destinations has since grown from 17 to 28. This case study will present the role of trans- port in holiday travel and will examine related environmental impacts. It then turns to stakeholder management and discusses the planning, development and marketing of environmentally friendly holiday options, the importance of stakeholder involvement as well as tools and instruments for stakeholder management and communication. Stake- holder theory (Freeman, 1984; Frederick et at, 1992) will be discussed in the context of Alpine Pearls' network management by pointing out the important elements of success- ful stakeholder management such as the analysis of formal and informal relationships, of stakeholder interests and power relations and the development of integrative stake- holder programs.The case shows that successful international stakeholder management, including collaborative processes with democratic decision-making and transparent, 10 International Cases in Sustainable Travel & Tourism respectful and trusting communication, can foster sustainable development beyond individual destinations and increase awareness and demand for environmentally friendly holidays. After completing this case study, learners should be able to: 1 Understand the role of sustainable transportation in the provision of the tourism product. 2 Identify stakeholders and their role in delivering a sustainable tourist experience. 3 Analyse opportunities and challenges, and develop strategies to involve stakeholders for sustainable tourism development. 4 Recognise challenges and barriers to successful stakeholder management. 5 Explain the role of communication in successful stakeholder management. Background Alpine Pearls is an association of 28 Alpine destinations (see Figure 2.1), of which five are located in Austria, two in France, two in Germany, sixteen in Italy, one in Slovenia and two in Switzerland O Stuttgart StraBburg Munchen Deutschland Bad Reichenhall Salzburg Berchtesgaden Osterreich Hinterstoder Basel Werfenweng O Dijon Zurich C Innsbruck Neukirchen Berno Schweiz Mallnitz Interlaken Arosa Moos im Ratschings Weissensee Passeiertal VillnoB Maribor GentO Tiers "Sauris Bled Les Gets Valdidentro Forni di Sopra Slowenien Deutschnofen Karneid-Steinegg OLyon Chamois - La Magdeleine Welschnofen Pralognan- Cogne Moena a-Vanoise Ceresole Reale Mailand Turin Frankreich Pragelato Limone Piemonte Italien Genua Nizza Figure 2.1: Member destinations of Alpine Pearls, Source: Alpine Pearls (n.d.)Alpine Pearls: A Network Promoting Environmentally Friendly Holidays 11 Mobility concerns are at the heart of the Alpine Pearls' mission. The Alps are an important European transit region for both international trade and leisure travel between northern and southern Europe. At the same time, the Alps themselves are a very popular tourist destination attracting about 30 million international tourists (in 2006) and even more domestic tourists every year (Bartaletti, 2008). Indeed, including second homes, annual overnights in the region amount to 545 million making it the second most visited region worldwide after the Mediterranean coast (Bartaletti, 2008). Both trade and tourism (most domestic and continental tourists arrive by car (Peeters, 2004)) make heavy use of the few main roads to access or cross the Alps resulting in frequent traffic jams particularly during holiday season. The volume of traffic in the European Alps impacts on the global environment as its emissions contribute to climate change, which in turn affects the attractive- ness of the Alps as a winter destination due to decreases in snow fall as a result of temperature increases (Astelbauer-Unger et al., 2011). Moreover, the emissions deteriorate the local air quality and cause noise pollution. Indirectly, the traffic and its infrastructure reduce the space available to ora and fauna, as well as to agriculture and other human activities. This means that while the trafc from tourists travelling to the European Alps signies economic well-being, it also negatively affects the residents' quality of life and the tourist experience, thus lessening the attractiveness of the destination and ultimately threatening the economic well-being which it has brought. Recognising the need for developing environmentally friendly tourism in the European Alps, Alpine Pearls has established an active network of stakeholders to develop environmentally friendly holiday packages and market the idea of sustainable tourism and transport. Their main initiatives focus on the promo- tion of environmentally friendly transport options for arrival and departure, the development of environmentally friendly transport services within and between the member destinations including shuttle services, and the provision of envi- ronmentally friendly activities in the destination like riding e-bicycles and horse- drawn carriages, driving electric cars, cross country skiing, hiking, horseback riding and more (see Appendix). Key Concepts Tourism is inherently linked to the movement of people as they move from the traveller generating regiOn via the transit route region to the tourist destination region and back (Leiper, 1979). Considering the impacts of tourist movements to and from the destination but also within and between the destinations, mobility is an important concept in regards to sustainable tourism development. 12 International Cases in Sustainable Travel 8: Tourism A range of actors are involved in the delivery of tourist transportation. These are either directly involved (i.e. airlines, railway companies, bus companies and airports), or are indirectly linked to the provision of transport (i.e. transport authorities whose decisions on infrastructure, regulations and policies affect the attractiveness of each mode of transport for tourists). These actors can also be categorised according to the role they play in the generating region, the transit route region and the tourist destination region. The complexity of interrelationships between actors increases when taking into account that transportation is just one part of the tourist product. The tourist product comprises all the goods and services the tourist consumes as part of the trip, i.e. in the traveller generating region, the transit route region and the tourist destination region (Middleton, 1989). The tourist product or experience is often unique to each tourist and is based on his or her individual consumption patterns. While the tourist consumes goods and services provided by a range of suppliers, the trip is likely to be perceived holistically as a tourist experience (Middleton, 1989). This perception has implications for tourism planning, development and marketing. Suppliers and other actors have to work together to develop satisfying tourist experiences on the one hand, and sustainable tourism on the other. Actors aiming to pursue sustainable tourism planning and development thus increasingly include approaches to public participation and collaborative learning which calls for the involvement of a broad range of stakeholders. Stakeholders are defined as all "affected by the achievement of the organisation's objectives" (Freeman, 1984). Stakeholders can be divided into internal stakeholders who are responsible for managing an organisation internally, and external stakeholders who inuence or are affected by the organisation. External stakeholders can be further divided into primary and secondary stakeholders. Primary stakehold- ers are groups with reciprocal relationships to the business organisation such as customers, suppliers and competitors. Secondary stakeholders, by contrast, inuence or are affected by the organisation indirectly, but have no direct interac- tion (Frederick ct LIL, 1992). Putting the stakeholder management concept into practice involves: 1 the identification of relevant stakeholders, 2 the analysis of their formal and informal relationships, their interests and power relations, 3 the development of a general strategy for the organisation and specific strate- gies for the stakeholders, and 4 the development of integrative stakeholder programs (Freeman, 1984; Frederick at at, 1992). Alpine Pearls: A Network Promoting Environmentally Friendly Holidays 13 Case Analysis Alpine Pearls is a cooperative marketing association which promotes the idea of soft (sustainable) mobility as well as specic sustainable holiday options offered by member destinations (known as Pearls). The association promotes options for visitors to reach member destinations without a car and provides informa- tion about accessing public transportation when visitors are at the destination. Member destinations must meet strict quality criteria (see Appendix), including reduced trafc in village centres, provision of transfer services, mobility without cars and environmentally friendly holiday choices. The cooperative structure allows member destinations to learn from each other and use marketing resources more effectively. Moreover, the association establishes international collabora- tions both with like minded organisations and suppliers of other tourism product components in order to maximise awareness, support product development and product distribution. In the pursuit of their aims, Alpine Pearls works together with internal and external stakeholders concerned with offering environmentally friendly mobility solutions for travel to and from, in and between destinations. Adopting the stake- holder management concept, Alpine Pearls recognises and seeks to collaborate with a number of stakeholders (see Figure 2.2). The primary internal actors are the member communities, the Board of Directors and the Alpine Pearls Management. The member destinations may either be members from the political sphere (i.e. they are represented by the local mayor) or from the tourism industry (i.e. they are represented by the local head of the Destination Marketing Organisation (DMO)). Each type of membership has its advantages and disadvantages. As the mayor and the local council are elected, changes in local government may affect a destination's relationship with Alpine Pearls. The most negative experience in this regard has led to one destination leaving the association as the new mayor could not be convinced of the association's benefits. In contrast, DMO representatives do not change frequently and, when they do, the work is handed over so that the new person is already aware of Alpine Pearls and the destination's membership in the association. DMO representatives are also more knowledgeable about tourism concerns, which makes them the experts and opinion leaders in tourism-related discussions during the annual General Assembly. In legal matters, conversely, it is the mayors and local governments that have the expertise. Moreover, the latter have the power to implement a range of policies to establish alternative mobility solutions in the destinations. This ability to act is particularly important as many actions related to product development have to be managed and nanced by the destinations themselves. 14 International Cases in Sustainable Travel & Tourism Secondary National tourism offices Regional tourism Primary offices Local tourist service providers Tourists Accommodation providers Media Internal gencies Restaurants Alpine Pearls Management (Office staff, contractors) Tour operators Board of Local tourism Amarops, Directors offices NGOS forumandersreis Member communitites Industry partner (General Assembly ) Municipal offices (eg. Maier sports) Transportation rian National providers Tourist Board (NTO) (eg. DB, OBB. Co.Mo. Do.) Alpine Convention, NFI, Local CAI, WWF Italy (NGO) population Media National governments & authoritites Figure 2.2: Alpine Pearls Stakeholders The member destinations are represented in the General Assembly. That way, representatives of the members meet each other at least once a year. In addition, regular networking activities such as study trips and joint workshops support relationship building, the exchange of ideas and experiences and inter-destina- tion learning. In addition to these face to face meetings, communication among members is facilitated by six newsletters per year which are distributed to the members' contact persons (about 120 addresses), as well as regular information on events and current activities via email. All these activities support the develop- ment of innovations in the destinations, on the one hand by learning about other destinations' initiatives, and on the other hand by encouraging the initiation of joint projects. Indeed, several member destinations collaborate in EU-funded projects. The relationship between Alpine Pearls and its member destinations is for- malised. The members have to pay a one-time entry fee and an annual fee of 12,000 EUR, which constitutes the budget for all marketing activities and for the maintenance of the Alpine Pearls Management. Moreover, the destinations have to comply with a list of criteria and have to prepare an annual report for internal quality control. The latter is important as the member destinations differ in their size, volume of tourist arrivals and overnights (see Figure 2.3) and theAlpine Pearls: A Network Promoting Environmentally Friendly Holidays 15 extent to which environmentally friendly tourist offers coexist next to traditional tourist offers. However, the compliance with the criteria (e.g. developing non- motorised areas in the destination and providing electrically generated vehicles) is difficult for some of the destinations as it requires additional funds which have to be (primarily) raised by the destination. Alpine Pearls does try to support the destinations by applying for EU project funds. 2 1,800,000 tourist arrivals 1,600,000 tourist overnights 1,400,000 1,200,000 1,000,000 800,000 600,000 400,000 200,000 Tiers Bled Arosa Sauris Villnor Cogne* Mallnitz Moena* Les Gets* Chamois* Valdidentro Ratschings Pralognan* Neukirchen Hinterstoder Interlaken* Welschnofen Werfenweng Forni di Sopra Deutschnofen Berchtesgaden Bad Reichenhall Karneid-Steinegg Moos im Passeier Note: The members that joined in 2012 and 2013 are not included in this overview. Numbers for these destinations are based on estimates or statistics of previous years Figure 2.3: Number of tourist arrivals and overnights in 2010 by member destination. Source: Based on table in Alpine Pearls, 2011 In exchange for the annual fee and compliance with the criteria, the member des- tinations are marketed by Alpine Pearls. This means that each member destina- tion is presented on the association's website (http://www.alpine-pearls.com/en/) and destination holiday offers are available for booking. The members are also featured in the Alpine Pearls newsletter that is sent out to prospective customers. As part of other marketing activities, Alpine Pearls highlights the most innova- tive of its member destinations. This means that some degree of competition is fostered between members to develop innovative products. Moreover, branding of the destination as a member of Alpine Pearls is rewarded with a bonus system offering free additional internet promotion for that destination. Thus, each desti- nation can increase the extent to which it is marketed by being an active member.16 International Cases in Sustainable Travel 8: Tourism Each member destination is represented in the General Assembly which meets once a year and decides on the future strategies, the network's annual action plan (including marketing activities) as well as on the allocation of the budget to the respective activities. Each member community has one vote when decisions have to be taken. Every three years, the General Assembly elects the Board of Directors which consists of the president, 6 vice-presidents (one representative from each participating country) and one treasurer. Members of the Board of Directors all work on a voluntary basis, receiving no nancial compensation. The Board meets four times a year, two times in person and two times via teleconference. The Board prepares annual balance sheets, issues invitations and prepares the General Assembly Meeting, reports to the General Assembly, supervises the Alpine Pearls Management and makes employment decisions. The president and his substitute also represent the association externally. So far, the rst president has been continuously re-elected. As such, Mr Brandauer from Austria has played a vital role in the development of the associa- tion. He has not only fullled the official duties of a president but has also acted as a successful mediator when member destinations have disagreed on issues. While his presidency has led the association to blossom, it has also led to German- speaking relationships dominating Alpine Pearls. Mr Brandauer recognises these disparities and has argued for the election of a new president from another member country. The Alpine Pearls network is administered by the Alpine Pearls management team consisting of the Alpine Pearls Office and contractors and agencies that are used to undertake particular tasks. The Alpine Pearls Ofce is headed by the Executive Director who is appointed by the General Assembly. The Director, Karmen Mentil, is supported by two project assistants and two translators at the head ofce in Austria. Two additional staff members work in Italy and France where local ofces have recently been established. The management team coordinates all of Alpine Pearls' internal and external activities. Internally, the management team is, among other things, responsible for preparing the ofcial meetings of the Board of Directors and the General Assembly, the preparation of the annual budget, activity plan and the annual report, as well as for coordinating and implementing the activities outlined in the annual activity plan. As part of the annual activity plan, the Alpine Pearls management team pursues the recruitment of new member destinations, at the time of writing, particularly in Germany and France as these countries are currently underrepresented. Furthermore, the management team is in charge of quality control. Next to checking the destinations' annual self-assessments, random external quality checks are conducted every year by contracting third party agencies. Finally, the management team is also responsible for ensuring internal communication. Alpine Pearls: A Network Promoting Environmentally Friendly Holidays 17 I Organisation Association Alpine Pearls I Peasea '1' ' if. ' '- CH IaY-( I ' . General Assembly 1 l l l, ' l 1 Board of Directors Diredo Sodirol DuedorCll' Directorl' (\"Ml |3M _(3Wil0|'mdl (mel Figure 2.4: Organisational chart (adapted from Alpine Pearls) Communication within the network is carried out in three languages, namely German, French and Italian, as not all members are uent in one language. This regularly leads to misunderstandings despite the use of professional translators for meetings and informational materials. While professional translators know other languages, they are not always familiar with the linguistic repertoire of the respective industry. Concepts related to sustainable tourism and transportation are particularly difficult, both due to language use and national differences in conceptualisation of the terms. Moreover, the use of translators increases com- munication costs. Communication is thus considered the greatest challenge encountered by Alpine Pearls. Externally, the Alpine Pearls ofce is responsible for raising awareness for sus- tainable tourism and transport and for marketing its member destinations to the national and international public by promoting their environmentally friendly transportation and fun mobility offers. The latter describes the use of environ- mentally friendly mobility activities for leisure purposes (e. g. driving Segways). Alpine Pearls thereby bundles the resources for marketing which enables its members to use their funds more effectively to reach a Wider market. Alpine Pearls has a website on which the member destinations are featured and uses 18 International Cases in Sustainable Travel 8: Tourism social media like F acebook, Twitter and YouTube. The online marketing comple- ments the traditional promotion work based on print materials such as informa- tion folders and occasional Alpine Pearls magazines. Member destinations are required to display the Alpine Pearls logo on all promotional material, including their website, in order to increase awareness and publicity. The association also prepares four pages of informational materials which the member destinations are asked to include in their brochures. The Alpine Pearls management, in collaboration with three media agencies in Munich, Paris and Milan, runs image campaigns, organises press trips and hosts round-tables with experts to present the network's innovative mobility solutions and E-mobility. They regularly participate and present at conferences and other events, and promote their activities at fairs. E-newsletters in four languages are sent 4-6 times per year to a database of external recipients. The database is comprised of external contacts of the member destinations and contact details of prospective customers collected in competitions and quizzes with cooperation partners. Strategic cooperation with external organisations is crucial in order to increase the efciency and effectiveness of Alpine Pearls' activities. Most cooperation starts through personal contact and is based on verbal agreements rather than on formal written agreements. In order to provide an environmentally friendly arrival to and departure from the destination, cooperation with transportation providers has been established. Transport infrastructure is nationally organised, which means Alpine Pearls has to cooperate with national railway companies. Due to different laws and regula tions, this constitutes a major challenge, particularly for providing cross-border transportation solutions across the Alpine Pearls destinations. So far, Alpine Pearls has entered into cooperation with DB (German railway) and GEE (Austrian railway) and some regional railway companies like Co.Mo.Do. The cooperation focuses mainly on joint media and promotional activities. Alpine Pearls also cooperates with German tour operators such as Ameropa, Mondial and ONE WORLD which create and distribute holiday packages to Alpine Pearls member destinations. While this could be viewed as a good opportunity for cross-marketing, the tour operators' frequently fail to explicitly inform Alpine Pearls about their decisions as to whom they have included in and excluded from their catalogues. Cooperation with national tourist organisations has varied in success. While the Austrian National Tourism Board has supported Alpine Pearls with joint media and marketing activities, cooperation with the German National Tourist Ofce could not be established. Alpine Pearls: A Network Promoting Environmentally Friendly Holidays 19 Cooperation with companies such as electro mobility vehicles, Sports and leisure goods suppliers also provide many opportunities for cross-marketing. However, it has been difcult to enter cooperation in all member countries due to language barriers but also limited funds, as potential partners frequently require a nancial contribution for joint marketing activities. Cooperation with kindred organisations has been developed to build aware- ness and promote the initiatives of Alpine Pearls member communities in develop- ing environmental friendly tourism. A memorandum of understanding has been signed with the Alpine Convention, which provides guidelines for sustainable development in the Alpine region. Further cooperation has been established with nongovernmental organisations such as Nature Friends International. Alpine Pearls not only wants to create and promote environmental friendly holidays; the association also strives to create environmentally and culturally sustainable member communities. While the local population benets from the development of environmentally friendly transport solutions, Alpine Pearls also asks its members to actively promote the idea of sustainable development in their destinations. Several events such as themed days in local kindergartens and schools, workshops and discussion rounds for adults and celebrations of the European 'Car Free Day' are organised each year. Such initiatives have helped to create awareness about environmental issues and climate protection and have encouraged a change of attitudes and behaviours within the local communities. Conclusions and Future Outlook Alpine Pearls is the rst international network in Europe that develops and mar- kets environmentally friendly tourist mobility choices. The combined efforts of all stakeholders involved in this process have resulted in initial successes: the awareness of and demand for sustainable tourism options in the European Alps has increased and more guests are travelling to and from Alpine destinations by train. This progress is particularly attributable to successful stakeholder manage- ment. It builds on regular, open, respectful and trusting communication between all internal stakeholders and democratic processes in decision-making, as well as on continuously reaching out to external stakeholders in order to convince them of collaborative benefits. Nevertheless, there are a range of challenges facing Alpine Pearls and its mem- bers. These challenges relate to stakeholder communication, product develop- ment and quality control. Communication is constrained by geographic distances and language barriers between member destinations. Furthermore the member destinations are heterogeneous in size, volume of tourists, the extent of resources available and the extent to which innovative mobility offers are provided. This 20 International Cases in Sustainable Travel 8: Tourism makes it difcult to develop a standardised offer. This is exacerbated as the envi- ronmentally friendly mobility options coexist with traditional tourist offerings to varying degrees in the destinations, thereby threatening the credibility of Alpine Pearls and its member destinations as sustainable tourism providers. Recognising these challenges, Alpine Pearls has committed itself to qualita- tive rather than quantitative growth. While it has ambitions to add another 10-15 member destinations (particularly in Germany, France and Slovenia, as these countries are currently underrepresented), it will only admit destinations with strong environmental proles. Acknowledging the financial constraints of many communities and the need for investments to become environmentally friendly, Alpine Pearls supports applications for EU cofunding of projects by member destinations. Cooperation with external stakeholders for the development and distribution of environmentally friendly holiday offers will be pursued further in Order for the member destinations to gain a competitive advantage among envi- ronmentally concerned tourists. Next to these immediate plans related to the net- work, Alpine Pearls envisions transferring the concept and the knowledge gained to other regions, creating similar networks around the world. Initial interest has already been indicated by destinations in Scandinavia and the Mediterranean. Alpine Pearls: A Network Promoting Environmentally Friendly Holidays 21 References Alpine Convention (n.d.) 'The Convention', organisation's homepage, retrieved from http://www.alpconv.org/en/convention/default.aspx on 16 November 2012. Alpine Pearls (2011) 'Massnahmenplan 2012: Marketing- und Kommunikation Budget', internal document, Werfenweng, Austria: Alpine Pearls. 2 Alpine Pearls (n.d.) 'Alpine Pearls - Holidays in Eco-Motion', organisation's homepage, retrieved from http://www.alpine-pearls.com/en/home.html on 16 November 2012. Alps Mobility (n.d.) 'Alps Mobility I and Alps Mobility II', EU project website, retrieved from www.alpsmobility.net/main_frame.htm?uk on 16 November 2012. Astelbauer-Unger, K., Baumgartner, C., Hrbek, R. & Plattner, G. (2011) 'Alpiner Wintertourismus und Klimawandel', Nature Friends International website, retrieved from www.naturfreunde.at/files/uploads/2012/01 on 16 November 2012. Bartaletti, F. (2008) 'What Role Do the Alps Play within World Tourism?', CIPRA organisation, retrieved from alpsknowhow.cipra.org/background_topics/alps_and_ tourism/alps_and_tourism_chapter_introduction.html on 15 November 2012 Co.Mo.Do. (n.d.) 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(1989) 'Tourist product', in S.F. Witt & L. Moutinho (eds.), Tourism Marketing and Management Handbook, London: Prentice Hall, pp. 572-576. Nature Friends International (n.d.) Nature Friends International homepage, retrieved from http://www.nfi.at//index.php?lang=en on 16 November 2012. Peeters, P., Van Egmond, T. and Visser, N. (2004) European tourism transport and environment, Second draft deliverable 1 for the DG-ENTR MusTT project, prepared by NHTV Centre for Sustainable Tourism and Transport, retrieved from http:// www.cstt.nl/userdata/documents/appendix_deliverable_1_subject_matter_ review_30082004.pdf on 15 November 2012. Verbeek, D.H.P., Bargeman, A. & Mommaas, J.T. (2011) 'A sustainable tourism mobility passage', Tourism Review, 66 (4), 45-5322 International Cases in Sustainable Travel 8: Tourism Appendix: Alpine Pearls' Member Criteria Alpine Pearls has a list of criteria particularly related to mobility as a means of transport (between traveller generating regions and destinations, as well as between destinations) and mobility as a fun activity. Regulatory criteria: The community must explicitly commit itself to the principles of sustainability. The community must explicitly commit itself to fullling the member criteria. lfthere are deciencies in the compliance with criteria, the destination must show in measurable terms that it is aiming to overcome this deciency. Tourism must play a central role in the community.This is measured either by average number of overnights over three years, number of inhabitants related to number of overnights, or number of inhabitants related to bed capacity. The community must have passed an environmentally friendly mobility development concept in the destination. N0 heavily used streets (i.e. more than 10,000 vehicles/day) may be located in the destination's centre. The destination must have areas only for pedestrians, like parks etc. If the destination is a town/city, it must have pedestrian areas and areas of little trafc. The destination must be typical in architecture and character for the region. No factories and companies causing noise pollution are allowed in the destination. Mobility as a means of transport: There must be transportation solutions available for people who arrive by train/bus or who do not want to use their car at the destination. Transportation must be offered with vehicles of the newest technology. Environmentally friendly vehicles should be used if possible. All offers must accommodate the special needs of mobility impaired customers. The destination must be accessible without a car every day of the week from 8am to 10pm. At least one of the following services must be available at least every 2 hours: CI Bus/train CI Shuttle service between the destination and the nearest bus/train station with long distance connections Cl Taxis Destinations must ensure a high quality in the travel to/from the destination by ensuring luggage transport and a maximum waiting time of 15 minutes between arrival at the station and pick up for transport to the destination. The destination must be connected to the regional public transport network, so that all attractions can be reached daily without a car. Alpine Pearls: A Network Promoting Environmentally Friendly Holidays 23 The frequency of the service depends on customer needs but should ensure regular services during the weekend and optimal connectivity between modes oftransport. A map showing the regional public transport network must be offered to all tourists. lfthere is no adequate public transport network, the community must establish an alternative network of shuttle buses. Within the destination, an environmentally friendly transport system must be in place. It can include buses, trains, horse carriages and cable cars. The offer must be available every day of the week. Guests arriving without car and those not wishing to use it in the destination should have free use ofthe transport system included in their guest cards. Destinations, in which all attractions can be reached on foot, do not need to offer a local transport system. Mobility as a fun activity: The destination is not allowed to offer motor sports activities. All activities on offer should be environmentally friendly such as hiking, (Nordic) walking, mountain climbing, cycling, mountain biking, swimming, rowing, horseback riding, driving electrically powered vehicles, paragliding, skiing, snowboarding, ice-skating and sledding. Each destination must offer a minimum of fun mobility activities, namely hiking trails, at least one hire for bikes and for electricallyrun vehicles. Moreover, the destination must specialise in at least one stream of mobility activities (e.g. hiking, horseback riding or skiing see activities listed above). Further criteria relate to: Information requirements to make customers, tourism providers and residents aware of sustainability and the environmentally friendly offers for transport and fun; Ensuring the quality ofthe tourism product, the tourist experience and the environment; Saving energy and using regional produce along the value chain; Sustaining the cultural and architectural uniqueness of the region; Adopting participatory planning approaches