In my opinion, the Danish planning system is unique. As a small country, where tourism, agriculture and industry must co-exist with nature, smart and intelligent planning is imperative. This is in place in Denmark. The country is divided into zones: Town zones, country zones and coastal zones that are carefully regulated in regards to use and building construction. As an example, this means that the 5,200 long coastal zone today is free of all unnecessary building construction and businesses. It also means that we have avoided the concrete buildings close to the water which are so familiar in many in the world. Instead, we have a 5,200 km long and 3 km wide coastal zone which ensures that the locals as well as the tourists have access to a vast recreational area with a great selection of nature experiences.

Another decisive factor for tourism is clean air and water. For the past 25 years, the changing Danish governments have invested massively in securing a clean water environment. And the result is there to see. Today, the water at the Danish coasts is so clean that tourists can jump in without thinking twice about - all along the 5,200 km long coast. The environmental authorities only discourage swimming along 10 km of the coast. This means that even in the harbour at the very centre of our capital Copenhagen, tourists can swim in the safe knowledge that the water is clean.

A third decisive factor is that in Denmark it is mandatory for large tourist businesses, e.g. hotels, holiday resorts and amusement parks to undergo a special environmental assessment before they are approved for construction. This has to a large extent meant that we in Denmark have avoided the large massive tourism grounds that can be seen so many other places in the world.

A fourth important aspect is that in Denmark, we have a century old tradition for listing and protecting our nature areas. This is of great importance in a small country like Denmark where land resources are limited. Simultaneously, we have over the past 20 years invested heavily in nature restoration. We are e.g. in the middle of the realization of a large scale project which will result in a doubling of the Danish forest area over the next 40 years. This not only means that tourists in our country have improved recreational options - it also means a "new lung capacity" which can ensure a clean and attractive environment for the future.

All these initiatives have had great and fundamental impact on the positive development in Danish tourism. Despite extensive tourism we have very few conflicts between the environment and tourism.

It is also due to the fact that the majority of Danish tourist businesses and operators are conscious of the fact that a clean environment and a nature rich on experiences are all-important prerequisites for them to make their living. This has among other things resulted in the tourist industry developing a labelling scheme for environmental quality as an addition to the state environmental schemes. The labelling scheme, called "The Green Key", sets requirements to accommodation places regarding energy and water consumption, reduction of waste and requirements to the use of renewable resources. Furthermore, there are requirements to use of environmentally labelled cleaning materials, organic produce and looking after their green areas without the use of pesticides.

Many critics throughout the world have voiced their concern of the rise in global tourism. While it is true that many countries - particularly developing countries - are very vulnerable to unrestrained tourism development, I sincerely believe that Denmark is a fine example of how it is possible to combine tourism and a high environmental quality through "intelligent planning", says Dorte Kiilerich.