The European Charter for Sustainable Tourism (ECST) is an initiative of the Federation EUROPARC – Federation of Natural and National Parks of Europe, whose overall objective is to promote the development of tourism in a sustainable way in Europe’s Protected and Classified Areas.
Based on a study on Tourism in Protected Areas, carried out by EUROPARC, which culminated in the publication of the Loving Them to Death report in 1993, ECST is an instrument that establishes, in a concrete way, the principles of sustainable tourism in Protected and Classified Areas and how they can be applied in the territory. Its guidelines were elaborated with the contribution of tourist entrepreneurs and other local parties, so that all those involved in the territories may be involved in its preservation.
The ECST membership system is a voluntary agreement that commits the involved parties (managers of Protected and Classified Areas, tour operators and other local actors) to carry out a local sustainable tourism strategy.
Main objectives of the ECST:
- To promote knowledge and support for the Protected and Classified Areas, which represent a fundamental part of our natural and cultural heritage and because of which it must be preserved for the benefit of present and future generations;
- To compatibilize the conservation of the territory values with the satisfaction of the entrepreneurs aspirations, with the expectations of the visitors and with the needs of the local population;
- Sustainable management and tourism development of Protected and Classified Areas.
Principles of the ECST:
- To involve local actors (related to tourism) in the management and development of the tourist activity in the territory;
- To develop and implement a sustainable tourism strategy and an action plan for the territory;
- To protect and promote the natural and cultural heritage of the territory, avoiding an excessive tourist development;
- To offer visitors a high quality experience;
- To provide adequate information to visitors about the territory’s values;
- To promote genuine tourism products that allow visitors to discover, understand and establish a relationship with the territory;
- To increase knowledge about the territory and the theme of sustainability among local actors related to tourism;
- To ensure that the development of the tourism activity does not jeopardize the quality of life of the local population;
- To increase the benefits of tourism to the local economy;
- To control the flow of visitors in order to reduce the negative impacts that tourism may cause.