Habits of conservation, consumption and recycling are important determinants of economic
throughput. Provincial governments interested in tourism's role in a diverse, steady-state
economy may wish to orient tourism development around the tourist segments with less
intensive consumption habits. We estimate consumption of energy and materials by
tourists vacationing in Val di Merse, a rural region of Tuscany, Italy. We compare tourists
and their host population by means of a consumption based indicator, the Ecological
Footprint. Conclusions for planning and management are explored. While the average
tourist is often thought to consume more on vacation than at home, and often more than
local residents, our estimate of the tourist footprint as an equivalent resident (5.28 gha) is
similar to that estimated for residents (5.47 gha), excluding arrival transport. In total, the
tourist population (685 equivalent residents) in Val di Merse contributes an ecological
footprint of 13,500 gha annually, compared to 74,500 gha due to local residents (pop. 13,624).
Both levels are lower than the average 6.74 EF estimated for the tourist countries of origin.
Arrival transport contributes an additional 32.8 gha per tourist equivalent resident, and
accounts for 86% of the total tourism impact. Infrastructure, information provided, and
traditional knowledge are discussed as possible ways Provincial governments can maintain
or grow tourism flows while maintaining low ecological footprint, and while raising
economic turnover relative to material and energy throughput.