A collaborative platform supporting "sustainable & responsible tourism" in protected remote areas

The SENSA project aims to create a collaborative platform supporting "sustainable & responsible tourism" in protected remote areas, such as natural parks, natural reserves and historical sites. SENSA targets two main field actors, namely "Protected Areas" actors (natural parks / protected areas managing authorities) and "Ecotourism" actors (responsible travel operators and local tourism services providers). It addresses the needs of end-users (responsible travellers / tourists) seeking authentic and natural travels in well preserved wilderness areas. Several types of satellites (navigation, communication and earth observation) are used for environmental mapping, site accessibility, travellers itineraries in protected areas, geo-localised emergency services and geo-localised field best practice, as well as on-site field observations from the travellers (geo-localised pictures / measurements / observations). Parks are able, through better environmental management means, to increase the number of visitors and to allow a more comprehensive access to their sites. Satellite-based applications, enabling optimised temporal & spatial distribution of travellers in natural parks, in adequacy with mapped environmental and safety considerations are fostered. Ecotourism operators are able, through the use of dedicated services to plan fully personalised itineraries, to open new discovery frontiers and authentic immersion for travellers in protected areas, as well as to become active preservation agents by reporting from the field, the state of conservation of the visited areas. SENSA promotes an increase of opportunities for travellers while enhancing environmental preservation, and consequently increasing revenues for both Natural Parks Authorities and Ecotourism Travel Operators.