The European Travel Commission (ETC), the non-profit organisation responsible for promoting Europe as a tourism destination, has commissioned the Travel Foundation, Good Place Slovenia and Green Case Consulting to deliver a new handbook on implementing national tourism schemes, including certifications, awards and indicators that aim to improve and promote sustainable travel experiences.
The handbook, available early next year, will be the ultimate “how to” guide for National Tourism Organisations across Europe. The report will set out a framework, or “model” scheme, which can be adapted to meet the specific needs of each European nation.
The user-friendly handbook will be based on sustainable development and management principles, and will draw on the latest research and best practice tools and case studies, including the award-winning Slovenia Green scheme. But above all, it will draw on the experiences of the authors and ETC members, to create a practical toolkit filled with useful templates, checklists and other resources to inspire and guide tourism managers through a tried and tested process.
As part of the development of the handbook, research will also be undertaken to identify examples where sustainability initiatives have strengthened national tourism marketing and promotional activities.