What is the Charter?
The European Charter for Sustainable Tourism (ECST) has been
drawn up by the EUROPARC Federation, a politically independent pan-European organisation of management authorities and specialists from more than 400 national protected areas in more than 35 countries. The European Charter reflects world-wide and European priorities as expressed in the recommendations of Agenda 21 and represents the obligatory reference point for a tourism policy in the European Union's protected areas. The ECST is above all a procedural tool to define guidelines and correct procedures for encouraging a type of tourism which is both sustainable for the protected areas and attractive for the market. The Charter's ambitious aim is to make park managements, municipalities in the protected area, local tourism service providers and tour operators dialogue together in a joint project. It is a real challenge.
Signing the European Charter enables the area to harmonise and develop the various types of economic activity present and guarantee an adequate quality of life for local residents.
For more information, visit the sites of the EUROPARC Federation and EUROPARC Italia in the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism section.