The document discusses sustainable tourism and golf courses in Andalusia, Spain. It outlines the territorial development plans established by the Andalusian government to separate real estate development from golf course construction and prioritize environmental sustainability. These plans include the Territorial Development Plan of Andalusia, Urban Plans of Subregional Areas, and the Sustainable Tourism Plan. The goals are to balance tourism growth, protect the environment and local culture, and generate long-term local employment. Golf course regulations established by the decree 43/2008 require bioclimatic design, landscape integration, renewable energies, water and waste management, and environmental certification.

1. Thinking to Sustainable
Golf Tourism
The Best Way
Ramón Davila President of Promotur & RD Golf Counsulting

2. Sustainable tourism is tourism
attempting to make a low impact
on the environment and local
culture, while helping to generate
future employment for local
people.
Sustainable golf courses save
significant levels of water,
energy and chemicals
www.rdgolfconsulting.com

3. Sustainable Tourism
& Golf Courses
Evironmental Friendly
Between the 1960´s and beginning of These Plans (POTA AND POTS) approved
this decade, the construction of golf cour- by the Andalusian Government in 2006,
ses in Andalusia has been directly linked have brought about a radical change in
to the promotion of the real estate and regards to the previous situation. Rigo-
although until the 1990´s the quality of rous limits have been established and
the golf courses was given more importan- the growth possibilities in urban as well
ce than to the real estate development, it as touristic areas of the Municipalities of
is necessary to recognize that in the years Andalusia. In relation to the development
of the explosion of the very strong real es- of golf courses it has completely separa-
tate boom that Spain witnessed until five ted the real estate development from the
years ago, this balanced changed towards construction of golf courses, giving the
the interests of the real estate market, so- quality of golf courses a prevalent impor-
metimes of a speculative nature, over the tance in relation to its touristic value over
quality of the developments and the golf the real estate aspect.
courses themselves.
In this way, the Andalusia Government has
established the main guidelines in which
Taking into account the risk involved for
the Municipalities must act, whom until
the balanced, sustainable and respon-
that moment did not have a reference to
sible development in Andalusia, the Go-
regulate growth and acted independently
vernment of this Autonomous Community
moved by their own criteria. This crea-
established back in 1994 a Territorial De- ted an unbalance and great differences
velopment law in which Government and amongst different Municipalities of Anda-
Parliament where granted the power to lusia.
plan the growth and define the basic sche-
mes which all administrations should fo- The basic strategic principles which POTA
llow in the Territorial development of their was inspired by are the following in regards
cities. This TERRITORIAL DEVELOPMENT to the local urban and municipal planning.
PLAN OF ANDALUSIA (POTA) and also the
URBAN PLANS OF THE SUBREGIONAL In this regard, the diagram of the urban
AREAS are responsible for developing the planning development of Andalusia is the
principles, strategies, guidelines and re- following:
commendations of the regions, to which
the Municipalities must adhere to.
POTA
Andalusia Territorial Planning Development
Goverment/Parliament
POTs Subregional
Andalusia Government
(Territorial)
Zoning Plans with Urbans Development
Territorial Impacts Plans Municipalities
Andalusia Goverment
www.rdgolfconsulting.com 3

4. Territorial Development Plan
of Andalusia TerriTorial Plan
The principles in which this TERRITORIAL
PLAN is based are the following:
• Territorial competitiviness and cohesion.
• Sustainability and development.
• Social cohesion.
• Rational use of the natural resources and ecological
sustainability.
Taking into account
• Water and land.
• Coastal Regions.
• Energy.
• Landscape.
• Territorial Coherence of the public politics:
• Coordination with the international politics (EU and Medite-
rranean)
• Coordination with the economic regional politics.
• Coordination with the environmental politics.
Coordination • Coordination with the public service politics (Health, sport,
etc).
• Coordination with the urban politics.
• Coordination with the local politicis.
The process in this list followed in Andalusia continues with the
approval in 2007 of the Law of Prevention and Environmental Qua-
lity Act (following the European guidelines) by which these strict pro-
cedures are implemented to guarantee the environmental sustaina-
bility as a prevalent principle.
The implementation Law at the present time in Andalusia is the Law
of Integrated Management of Environmental Quality -GICA Act-
The Law of Integrated Management of Environmental Quality -
(GICA Act) is responsible for regulating the instruments in charge
of the environmental prevention and control of Andalusia allowing
prior knowledge of the possible effects on the Environment plans,
programs, projects and building and activities.
4 www.rdgolfconsulting.com

5. Law of Prevention and
Environmental Quality -Gica acT-
One of the main innovations of this law is that it also affects the
plans and programs, in accordance to European guidelines, intro-
ducing the concept of analysis of the capacity of load in a specific
area together with the processes of monitoring of its environmental
values.
The Integrated Environmental Authority (AAI) is the solution for the
competent Ministry in the field of the Environment by which , for the
purpose of Environmental protection and Health, allows to exploit
all or part of the activities subject to such integrated environmental
authorization in accordance to the Integrated Environmental Autho-
rization. (GICA Act).
To obtain the Integrated Environmental Authorization (AAI) it is ne-
cessary to integrate both the authorizations and declarations out-
lined in the Law of Integrated prevention and control of pollution
(IPPC Act) as well as the declarations and authorizations that corres-
pond to the competent Department in relation to the Environment
and which are necessary prior to the introduction and implementa-
tion of the activity which is to be developed.
The integrated Environment Authorization (AAI) therefore simplifies
the sectorial proceedings of the Environment that existed until that
moment (production and waste management, authorization of spi-
llage, etc)
Another feature of this proceeding is that it specifically establishes
for each installation a certain limit value on all environmental vec-
tors (atmosphere, water, noise, waist, soil…) as well as monitoring
plans for the process.
Finally and rentering into the specific area of Tourism of Golf Cour-
ses, the process ends with the approval of the Sustainable Tourism
Plan and the Golf Course Decree 43/2008.
Environment The Sustainable Tourism Plan offers the following objectives.
www.rdgolfconsulting.com 5

6. The Sustainable Tourism Plan
offers the following objectives. TOURISM SUSTAINABILITY
OBJECTIVES:
• To moderate the growth rate and capacity of reception in
the area.
• Maintain and reinforce the tourism attraction of the area
• Differentiate and reinforce the destinations and tourism
products.
• Maintain and professionalize employment
• Long term sustainability
• Economic viability
Objectives
6 www.rdgolfconsulting.com

7. The Sustainable Tourism offers
the following advantages: TOURISM SUSTAINABILITY
ADVANTAGES:
• Diversification of the local economy
Advantages • Adequate planning of the ecosystem’s load capacity
• Controls and evaluates impact and develops environmental
responsibility.
• Stimulates industry profitability
• Improves the self-esteem of the local area and adds value to
their surroundings.
• Establishes integration procedures between planning and
management.
• Guarantees a sustainable tourism model from a social, envi-
ronmental and economic point of view.
The conditions of the new Sustainable Tourism are
presented in this diagram:
Via
www.rdgolfconsulting.com 7

8. The Sustainable Tourism
SuSTainable viewPoinT
From a SUSTAINABLE VIEWPOINT the Tourism objec-
tives can be broken down as follows:
Economic Environmental Cultural and social
Sustainability Sustainability Sustainability
Protection of Respect towards
Income generation
nature traditional values
Creation of stable Conservation of
Employment natural resources Upkeep of social
balance
Having seen the previous elements, we can determi-
ne which will be the major LEVELS OF SUSTAINABILI-
TY IN THE GOLF TOURISM DESTINATIONS.
• PLANNING OF SUSTAINABILITY OF THE DESTINATION
• SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF THE DESTINATION
• SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT AT BUSINESS LEVEL
Analysis
Analysis of the Area:
• Analysis of the load Capacity
• Analysis of the Resources of the Destination
• Analysis of the Potential of the Destination
• Analysis DAFO of the destination
• Guidelines of Programmes and Plans (Regional, Sub re-
gional and local)
• New Techniques in the Planning of Tourism Destinations
(SIG)
• Coordination between the territorial, urban and tourism
planning.
8 www.rdgolfconsulting.com

9. The Sustainable Tourism
ManaGMenT of The SuSTainable
deSTinaTion
Once the planning has been defined we must then look
at the next level which is the MANAGMENT OF THE
SUSTAINABLE DESTINATION which is based in the fo-
llowing outline:
• Implementation and follow up of the sustainability indicator
systems
• Specific management of the golf destinations
• General standards of quality of design, construction and
management of golf courses
• General Implementation of the certificates of quality and
environmental management, ISO 90001 AND 14001
• Application of the regulations of the Decree 43/2008
Decree of Golf Finally we reach in the following analysis the sustai-
nability level of the specific golf sector that Andalusia
has tried to resolve in harmony with the previous prin-
ciples explained above.
This is achieved with the 43/2008 Decree, which re-
gulates the construction and functioning of the golf
courses based in the following principles of regulation:
43/2008 Decree of golf courses
www.rdgolfconsulting.com 9

10. Sustainability in Golf Courses
The andaluSian Model
SuiSTanabiliTy in The Golf courSeS
Advantages presented before the
territorial planning:
• Aiming for quality
Golf Courses Design • Highest technical level
• Renewable energies
• Integral management of water
• Integral management of fertilizers and chemical products
• Integral management of residues
• Quality and environmental system managements
• Compliance with the 43/2008 Decree
courSeS of TouriSM inTereST:
Establishes Advantages
Bioclimatic design Promotion
Landscape integration Brand
Use of Renewable Energies Qualification
Development and Conservation of Quality
Nature
Plan of Management of Quality and Sustainability
Environmental Systems (ISO 9001 y
14001)
www.rdgolfconsulting.com 7

11. Innovation and New
Sustainability in Golf Courses alternatives on the golf
courses
Implementation of the environmental
management systems
• Creation of Diagnosis and Action plans for each course
• Promote pilot projects of implementation of EMAS II or
others, voluntarily as “committed with the environment”
Innovation Management of Hydraulic Systems
• Regulation of Administrative situations.
• Increase in the use of regenerated water.
• Reduction of consumption achieved by the agronomic ma-
nagement.
Energy Management
• Encouragement to save energy and potential use of re-
newable energies
Residue Management
• Appointing clean spots for sorting and storage of residues
• Careful management of special and organic residues
Ecologic improvement of natural
habitats.
Alteranative • Naturalization of humid areas and creation of habitats wi-
thin the course
Landscape integration
• Boosting the natural landscape, especially those areas
not used for play.
Training and Communication
• Development of environmental training programs directed
to managers, workers and course workers.
www.rdgolfconsulting.com 7

12. www.rdgolfconsulting.com 7