The European Charter for Sustainable Tourism and the Codi de Gestió Sostenible de la Garrotxa i el Collsacabra are two tools that we give to all tourist businesses who want to work in the line of sustainability.
The European Charter was implemented in La Garrotxa in 2001, one of Europe's leading wildlife parks and the Spanish first introduced .
Since then, La Garrotxa entities related more directly or indirectly to tourism, among which are Turisme Garrotxa, plan jointly every 5 years a strategy for the future, and apply the actions we have committed to get ahead.
In addition, all tourist businesses that are willing to carry out an improvement plan and meet certain requirements can also be credited with the European Charter.
Parallel to the European Charter was born on Codi de Gestió Sostenible de la Garrotxa i el Collsacabra, a tool that aims to improve the management of socially responsible public agencies and private companies to contribute to the balanced and sustainable growth.
Since 2012 the driving entities European Charter and joined Codi de Gestió Sostenible in La Garrotxa joined efforts to made available to businesses these two tools. Since then, La Garrotxa tourist companies that are credited with the European Charter, so do the Codi de Gestió Sostenible, and have the doors open to participate in other projects.
The European Charter for Sustainable Tourism is part of the global and European priorities expressed by the recommendations of Agenda 21 adopted during the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992 and by the fifth Community Action Program for a sustainable development
It was prepared by a group of European representatives of the protected areas, the tourism sector and its collaborators. It is the continuation of a first reflection, which began in 1991, by the Europarc Federation which culminated in the publication of the Loving them to death report.
It is one of the priorities of the "Parks for Life" actions program of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
In addition, it complies with the principles set forth in the World Charter for Sustainable Tourism elaborated in Lanzarote in 1995.
The European Charter is in line with the international Guidelines on Biodiversity and Tourism Development the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria for destinations, and the European Commission’s tourism policy and its priority “to promote the development of sustainable, responsible and high-quality tourism”, and gives guidance to Parks and Businesses to work for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
