San Marino · International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development

Issue date31 Aug 2017

Total mintage73,100

EU maximum70,500

Editions3

Edge lettering2 ★ × 6, alternately upright/inverted

InscriptionTURISMO SOSTENIBLE / SAN MARINO / 2017 / UP INC. / R

DesignerAndrew Lewis

mintInstituto Poligrafico e Zecca Dello Stato, Roma

Issue occasion

The coin commemorates the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017, proclaimed by the United Nations. The design depicts the planet Earth surrounded by waves, along with the symbol of the designer Andrew Lewis, and bears the inscriptions “TURISMO SOSTENIBLE” and “SAN MARINO”. Sustainable tourism stands for environmentally friendly travel that respects the natural, social and artistic environment and is intended in particular to support weaker economies.

The design

In the centre, the planet Earth is depicted, surrounded by waves, with a circle containing the letter A on the right, the symbol of the designer Andrew Lewis. The motif is surrounded by an upper arc bearing the inscription “SUSTAINABLE TOURISM” and a lower arc bearing the inscription “SAN MARINO” and the year “2017”. On the right, between the inscriptions, are the initials of the engraver Uliana Pernazza (“UP INC.”); on the left, between the inscriptions, is the mint mark “R” of the Italian mint.

The outer coin ring depicts the twelve stars of the European flag.

Background on the topic

The proclamation of the themed year was connected with the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda, adopted in 2015. Tourism is explicitly addressed in its Sustainable Development Goals: among other things, as a potential factor in employment and local culture, in the monitoring of ecological impacts, and in the sustainable use of marine resources. The United Nations General Assembly decided on the themed year in December 2015. Coordination was entrusted to the then United Nations World Tourism Organization, today UN Tourism.

The focus was on five areas of action: economic participation, employment and poverty reduction, the efficient use of resources, the protection of culture and cultural diversity, and mutual understanding. Governments, travel companies and international organizations were to examine how tourism revenues could remain to a greater extent within the local population. This includes, for example, regional supply chains, locally managed accommodation, qualified jobs and the involvement of residents in planning decisions. At the same time, attention was to be drawn to problems such as high water and energy consumption, waste, traffic congestion and damage to heavily visited cultural sites.

For San Marino, the topic has a direct connection. The microstate, completely surrounded by Italy, receives numerous day-trippers and cultural tourists. Its historic centre and Monte Titano were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2008. The protected ensemble includes fortifications, towers, public buildings and other evidence of the Republic’s political development. The preservation of this narrowly defined historic area must therefore be coordinated with its use for tourism.

The choice of the occasion can thus be explained both by the international agenda and by local conditions. For a state whose perception abroad is closely associated with its historic centre and tourism, the themed year offered an opportunity to address issues of monument protection, visitor management and the economic use of cultural heritage.