European destinations awarded for their sustainability performance
| Release date | 21/07/2008 |
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| Contributor | cupceant |
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Tourism accounts for around 10% of the world’s economic activity and has become one of the main generators of employment. It has a major impact on natural and built environments and on the wellbeing and culture of host populations.
These effects can be positive or negative, depending on how tourism is developed and managed. The nominated destinations from all over Europe demonstrated how a sustainable tourism approach is helping to avoid negative effects and maximise the positive, thus being crucial to the survival and future development of all tourism in today’s world, emphasized Franco Ianniello, Head of Tourism Unit, DG Enterprise, European Commission.
From more than 20 destinations in 13 European countries, a prominent jury of sustainable tourism experts nominated 15 applicants selected 3 finalists to the award, and eventually the winner. All nominees will be published on DestiNet, the Sustainable Tourism Information Portal of the European Environment Agency, as examples of good practice.
All nominees for the Royal Destination Award for Sustainable Tourism 2007 demonstrate major achievements and an excellent picture of innovation regarding sustainable development in the major sectors of the tourism industry, said Eugenio Yunis, Head of the Department for Sustainable Development of Tourism of the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), also member of the jury. But in the end the tourists themselves will make the most significant contribution by selecting one of these destinations for their next holiday stay.
Besides the honour of being recognized for their efforts towards sustainability, the winner received a statue and a certificate, handed over by the prominent representatives of the European Commission and the UNWTO.
The statue, named Oikos is very exclusive, but also symbolic, the Executive Director of the Royal Awards, Professor Mikael Backman explained. It demonstrates on one hand the huge impact of mankind on earth’s environment, and on the other hand the worried and innovative human being that has to find the solution to these problems.
The winner of the Royal Destination Award for Sustainable Tourism 2007 is Fiskars Village from Finland. Among a huge variety of sustainability initiatives Fiskars Village was awarded for excellent performance with regard to sustainable tourism development, with special attention to destination management as well as economic viability and local prosperity at destination level.
Fiskars Village representatives, Ms. Sari Puustinen and Mr. Ingmar Lindberg receiving the Oikos statue from Professor Mikael Backman.
Fiskars Village is situated in the municipality of Pohja in South-Western Finland, about 100 km west of Helsinki, in a river valley along the Fiskars’ river. The lively community consists of almost 600 inhabitants and every year there are more than 150 000 visitors in the village.
The history of Fiskars village is mainly the history of industrialisation and iron production. The village has survived both the industries and social decline and has become a unified cultural and historical environment with great emphasis on the nature. Contemporary crafts, arts and design have replaced the former metal industry. Tourists have become more aware of the historical village thanks to the artists, designers and artisans who have made their homes in Fiskars. The valuable industrial buildings have been revitalized to serve as fine studios and workshops.
The knowledge of the historical traditions and environmental resources in the village has played a central role in the planning and fulfilling of actions in terms of sustainable tourism development. On the other hand, it has also been recognized, that choices that respect the environment, such as energy efficiency and recycling, also are economical in the long run.
Innovative in the development of the tourism in the village is the active and well organized collaboration and cooperation between the different actors: the municipality of Pohja is responsible for all the basic services, together with the Corporation the municipality tends to the infrastructure as well. The Corporation, as the main land owner, takes care of and is responsible for the real estate, offering the physical frames for the life in the village as well as for the development of tourism. The purpose of the Cooperative is to promote the businesses and the marketing of its 103 members who mainly make their living based on tourism. Fiskars Villagers’ association is a unifying organ for all inhabitants of the village and it cooperates with the Corporation and the Cooperative, as well as with most associations in the village. The municipal tourist administration cooperates tightly with the actors of the village and with other tourist destinations in the region.
An important part of the experience in Fiskars is the possibility to meet the craftsmen in their workshops: the blacksmith in his forge, the glassblowers, paper makers, jewellery artists, ceramicists - some have even opened the doors to their homes. In some workshops it is possible for the visitor to try making himself, e.g. forging or blowing glass. Courses and workshops are arranged for different groups. This is an important aspect to raise the awareness of and respect for hand-making and craftsmanship.
The other finalist was Pielach Valley – Tal der Dirndl, from Austria, for very good performance with regard to sustainable tourism development, with special attention to environmental quality as well as cultural richness and physical integrity at destination level.
Pielach Valley – Tal der Dirndl
Pielachtal is a rural region with a rich cultural landscape and high biodiversity. The valley stretches from the soft foothills of the Alps into more mountainous sandstone areas and finally ends in a zone with jagged cliffs of limestone. The difference in altitude is about 800 meters. The region is located in the vicinity of the capital of Vienna. The distance between Vienna and the mouth of the valley is 70 kilometres.
The Pielach Valley has an office for regional management, which is in charge of the coordination of the development of tourism and of further aspects of regional development. The regional management cooperates closely with the people of the tourism sector – regardless of the size of their businesses. The coordinating activities involve for instance the four stars hotels Steinschalerhof and resort ‘Steinschal Village’, farm holidays, transportation companies and leisure facilities. The result of this close cooperation is that most of the ideas come from the people themselves. The largest hotels of the region for example cooperate regularly with 16 different regional clubs, about 20 farmers and several local craftsmen that manufacture typical regional products.
The development of the Pielach Valley is based on the principles of Integrated Tourism: cultural events, celebrations, feasts etc. are part of the local culture and are organized for and by the inhabitants of the valley. No events are arranged only for tourists alone. The priority is that traditions and customs remain part of the cultural life of the region. Tourism is carefully integrated into the authentic cultural life. An Example of Integrated Tourism: Stockschiessen: This Austrian variant of curling is typical of many rural areas in Austria. The local clubs organize introductory courses for tourists. Every year several hundred tourists use this opportunity, which means additional income and motivation for the club.
An innovation in the management and governance of the region will be the regional sustainability report, which is one of the current projects. In the course of preparing the report 5% of the population and businesses in the tourism sector got involved. The results will help to create a new strategy of the valley and support decision making and target setting.
In the region, the health potential of traditional local knowledge and regional products is explored. Currently the regional management supports scientific projects to analyze the health effect of local plants, fruits and farm products and how they can be maximized. The most prominent products that are analyzed are those made of the Cornelian Cherry (which grows only in few Austrian regions), herbs that have been used in the local kitchens for centuries and dairy products. This new (or rather rediscovered) knowledge adds to the local identity of the people in the Pielach Valley and offers new economic opportunities.
Unique experience in the region is “The Steinschal Village”: Remote neighbouring farms in the alpine part of the valley that had been abandoned some years ago were renovated and complemented with new buildings. A typical Austrian village as a small resort for health and conference tourism. The concept relies on decentralized housing instead of one big building. The energy supply for heating and warm water relies 100 % on regional biomass. The village is surrounded by mountain forests.
Cairngorms National Park, in Scotland, United Kingdom become finalist for very good performance with regard to sustainable tourism development, with special attention to providing a safe, satisfying and fulfilling experience for visitors as well as assuring high level of environmental quality at the destination.
Cairngorms National Park
The area has been shaped by man for hundreds of years and evidence of this remains not only physically in archeological remains, built heritage and the landscape, but also in the inhabitants of the Park - their language, music, dance, clothing and sport.
The Cairngorm Mountains form the heart of the National Park but the surrounding small towns and villages are also included within the Park boundary. These communities lie in the various administrative regions, but are united by their historical connection to the mountains. The designation of the Cairngorms National Park in 2003 brought these communities together and allows for a more joined-up approach to management of the natural and cultural heritage of the area. In total the area is 3800 square kms in size, with a resident population of 16,000 and an estimated 1.4 million visitors per year. An estimated 80% of the local economy is dependant on the tourism industry, with around 5000 tourism jobs within the Park. In total tourism contributes an estimated £134 million to the local economy. Keeping the economic benefits of tourism within the area is a priority and recently-formed bodies such as the Cairngorms Farmers Market Association, which currently runs 10 markets a year, and Creative Cairngorms, an association of 70 arts and crafts businesses, aim to increase local visitor spend on authentic local produce and souvenirs.
Within 2 years of designation, the Cairngorms National Park became the first National Park in the UK to be accredited with the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas. Since the National Park was designated there has been a 4-fold increase in the number of tourism businesses accredited under VisitScotland’s Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS). This has largely been due to the decision to make environmental accreditation a criteria of use of the Cairngorms Brand for marketing. The National Park brand, which features on marketing material, entry points and interpretation is available for all businesses to use, subject to quality and environmental criteria. This helps to position the National Park as a high quality ‘green’ destination in the minds of consumers and allow businesses to take advantage of that. Work is also ongoing to ensure that tourist numbers are well spread throughout the year, and that visitor spend is retained within the area through the promotion of local produce and crafts.
Highland Games are an important part of the living cultural heritage of the National Park as well as a key tourist attraction. The Braemar Highland Games have run for centuries but for the last two years a new element has been included - a junior Highland Games to encourage young people to compete, developing the participants of the future and ensuring the success of the event in the future. Explore Abernethy is a community-based ranger service in the village of Nethybridge. The initiative was set up by the community to encourage visitors to make the most of fantastic woodland walks in the area and now includes a seasonal ranger and visitor centre detailing the natural and cultural heritage of the village and surrounding countryside. Way-marked paths around the village are sponsored by local businesses. Cairngorms-on-a-Shoestring is a project to encourage more people with low incomes to visit the park by making information available on public transport, budget accommodation and free activities.
Complete list of nominees
| Name of destination | country | type of destination | website |
| Bregenzerwald | AT | mountain resort/ rural area | www.bregenzerwald.at |
| Pielach Valley | AT | rural destination | www.pielachtal.info |
| Wachar | AT | region | www.arbeitskreis-wachau.at |
| Euregion West Pannonia | HU-AT | cross-border region | www.alpok-puszta.hu |
| Island of Moen | DK | island | www.visitmoen.com |
| Fiskars Village | FI | cultural and natural tourist resort | www.fiskarsvilalge.fi |
| Cavallino Treporti | IT | sea side resort | www.comunecavallinotreporti.it |
| Francavilla al Mare | IT | beach resort | www.comune.francavilla.ch.it |
| St. George´s Bay, St. Julians | MT | beach resort | www.visitmalta.com |
| St. George´s Bay, St. Julians | MT | beach resort | www.visitmalta.com |
| National Park Schiermonnikoog | NL | national park | www.natuurmonumenten.nl |
| BioRia, Estarreja | PT | natural wetland and rural area | www.bioria.com, www.ecoinside.pt |
| Lekeito | ES | local village | www.lekeito.com |
| Cairngorms National Park | UK | national park | www.cairngorms.co.uk |
| Aviemore and the Cairngorms | UK | mountain destination | www.visitaviemore.com |
| Newcastle, Co. Down, Northern Ireland | UK | activity resort | www.downdc.gov.uk |
Read more at DestiLink and at www.tourismaward.net
The Royal Awards for Sustainability Foundation was initiated by the European Environment Agency in 1996, to promote sustainable development by rewarding excellent performance and best practice. The Royal Awards are protected by his Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and His Royal Highness Crown Prince Felipe of Spain.
The Royal Destination Award for Sustainable Tourism 2007 - background
For the first time ever in Europe Royal Awards for Sustainability together with the European project DestiLink will show the state-of-art of the tourism destinations with their diverse contributions to sustainable tourism development in Europe.
The overall aim of handing out a destination award is to recognise destinations engaged in outstanding and innovative sustainable practices and to stimulate the adoption of good sustainable practice and development at a destination level.
It is also the aim to raise the public profile of the need for improving sustainable practice in tourism, and to engage tourist commerce and industry in sustainable development as a means of delivering better business, and finally to encourage dialogue between the doers.
Three nominees, from geographical Europe, will be chosen and invited to the award ceremony, where the winner will be announced. The Best Practice examples from the three nominees will be distributed to relevant target groups via international sustainable tourism platforms and networks.
Together with Royal Awards for Sustainability, DestiLink is co-organising a high- profile conference: "Sustainable Tourism – the Agenda for Destinations”. The conference and the award ceremony will be held on 13th April 2007 in St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland.
It is estimated that the event will attract more than 200 international delegates, who are offered to exhibit promotional material at Fairmont St. Andrews, Scotland. Different marketing packages, including accommodation and meals, are available for international delegates from relevant organisations and companies. To obtain further information on the venue, prices and special offers on available marketing packages, please contact Marta Reevesmarr, Marketing Officer at FCCT on +44 1592 656080 or by email: Marta.reevesmarr@fife.gov.uk.
Download call for participation here (pdf, 300 k)
Download entry form here (pdf, 28 k) or here (MS Word, 184 k)
Time Frame
The award ceremony will be held on the 13th of April 2007 in St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland.
How to enroll
Entrants are available to enrol electronically on www.tourismaward.net, where criteria and application forms can be downloaded.
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION: 15th February 2007
Former awards on sustainable tourism
Calvia 2003
Best private initiative:Winner of the private initiatives was project VISIT submitted by ECOTRANS in Germany. In 2000 there were approximately 40 regional, national and international ecolabels for Tourism in Europe. The project wishes to demonstrate how tourism ecolabels in Europe can be an effective instrument in moving the tourism industry and consumers towards a more sustainable behaviour. The steps and objectives are among others to make an assessment in Europe on ecolabels and develop a set of key indicators for sustainable tourism development. The development of a standard for ecolabels for tourism will facilitate the identification of reliable ecolabels and thereby avoid misleading the consumer. The very well arranged ceremony gathered 160 people from the tourist industry, participating finalists, NGO’s, local governmental and environmental institutions, all enjoying the ceremonial dinner in the exhibition hall of Calvía City Council and the awarding of statuettes to the winners. The President of the Regional Government of the Baleric Ilands Mr. Francesc Antich and the Major of Calvia Ms. Margarita Nájera delivered the statuettes. Besides the two winners the 5 other finalists were given a diploma and the rest of the participants will receive a certificate of participation.
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