Description
The European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas (CETS) was developed in 1991 by the Europarc Federation. The certification is awarded through an independent verification process.
To date there are 37 Italian protected areas certified, 91 in total in Europe.
In Trentino all the protected areas are certified.
The Charter promotes five principles, which define and recognise good practice in the development and management of sustainable tourism in Europe's protected areas, which are often threatened by the pressure of tourist flows:
In addition to being the reference for the tourism policy of the European Union's protected areas, CETS represents an important opportunity for parks to discuss - both at local level and between protected areas - issues that go beyond conservation and environmental protection. They are thus moving from a concept of passive protection of their territory to a broader and more extensive concept of "active conservation".
Protected areas thus become 'laboratories of good practice' related to sustainability, becoming ideal places in which to experiment with innovative projects. Thanks to the processes triggered by the Charter, parks have the opportunity to act as catalysts for sustainability and lifestyle change.
The Charter is also a process certification: in fact, Europarc verifies and certifies that the protected areas have actually implemented inclusive and transparent participatory processes and have therefore shared a sustainable tourism action plan where different actors (not only the Park) are responsible for its implementation.
CETS is a process divided into 3 parts:
- Sustainable Destinations - Part I
The first and main part is the certification of the sustainable destination, usually a large area corresponding to the territory of the Park's municipalities. Certification is awarded to the managing body of the protected area.
- Sustainable Partners - Part II
Local tourism enterprises certified according to sustainability principles, located within the Sustainable Destinations.
- Sustainable Tour Operators - Part III
Tour operators (or similar) that organise sustainable trips and experiences in Protected Areas.
See "A Sustainable Journey" - video by Europarc to raise awareness among travellers and local communities about the importance of sustainable tourism. The short film guides us through a tourism experience that speaks to our hearts and minds. We can enjoy our holiday by being responsible and mindful of the nature and culture of our chosen destination.