Inspireco Training

How to become a Ecotourism Destination

Herbert Hamele/ ECOTRANSEgirdir, 10-13 June 2014

The international standards for sustainable destinations form the base for becoming a "Green Destination" through • involving many stakeholders, • assessing the sustainability level, • developing and realizing an action plan for research,• innovation, marketing and monitoring.

The training will help to understand the global context and opportunities and to use the European tourism indicators for sustainable destination

Theme 1: How to become a Ecotourism Destination

Objectives of the training

Monitor your progress & benchmark your destination

Assess your Sustainability Profile

Learn about your topic of interest

Get training to make your destination greener

Promote and market your destination

Map your green strengths, initiatives & offer

Join appropriate networks

Work together & get advice

8 steps & tools for becoming a Ecotourism Destination(DestiNet Partner Programme)

Learn about your topic of interest

Tool/Material: Destinations Knowledge Base, EEN Knowledge Base

Topic: Ecotourism

Example: Ecotourism Destination (2nd EETC Declaration)

Questions: Which topics are of most interest to you?

Are the requirements on „Ecotourism destination“ ok?

1

We agree with the following ecotourism destination conceptEcotourism destinations in Europe should have: A protected area associated with the

destination; A critical mass of local ecotourism businesses; A sustainability plan under implementation, in

developing ecotourism; Nature and local culture as the main ingredients

in product development and marketing; Active participation of local communities based

on shared values, empowered through education and awareness raising.

Declaration of The 2nd European Ecotourism Conference

Get training to make your destination greener

Tool/Material: INSPIRECO training & coaching

Topic: Ecotourism: tools for assessing the sustainability level

Example: ISPARTA multi stakeholder group

Question: Which stakeholders participate at this training?

2

Tool/Material: GSTC for destinations, ETIS, EETLS

Topic: Destination & Business Management

Example: Quality Cost/GSTR – Sustainability Profile

Questions: How far are the criteria/ indicators applicable to ISPARTA?

What is the ISPARTA sustainability profile?

Assess your Sustainability Profile

3

The European tourism indicator system is specifically intended for tourism destinations. It is designed as a locally owned and led process for monitoring, managing, and enhancing the sustainability of a tourism destination. It has been developed as a result of lessons learned from previously existing indicator system initiatives and fine-tuned as a result of feedback collected from field testing, in a number of different destinations in Europe.

The system is made up of a set of Indicators, a toolkit, and a dataset. It is drawn up as an instrument that any destination can pick up and implement without any specific training. It can be a useful way to track destination performance and make better management decisions, as well as influence adequate policies.

The European tourism indicator system - Toolkit for sustainable destinations

The present system has a structure of 27 core and 40 optional indicators. These can be used on a voluntary basis, together or integrated into existing destination monitoring systems. The system is flexible. It can be expanded or contracted to meet the needs of the destination, the interest of local stakeholders, and the specific sustainability issues that the destination faces. The basic principle of the indicator system is that destination responsibility, ownership, and decision-making is shared. Engaging a group to come together and work together to collect and report information is a powerful way to undertake effective destination management

European Tourism Indicators for Sustainable Destinations Assessment sheet for work groups

Draft work steps:

1. fill out the table (estimate, interviews)

2. Make pictures of relevant sites

3. identify gaps of information

4. come up with ideas how to fill the gaps

5. Report your results

Tool/Material: ETIS

Topic: Destination Management

Example: ISPARTA workshop in May, founding of the ISPARTA ecotourism committee

Questions: Which role shall the ISPARTA committe have?How to continue this process?

Work together & get advice

4

ETIS implementation steps from Awareness Raising to Continuous Improvement

Tool/Material: Green Destination checklist for mapping

Topic: Sustainable Tourism Certification and Awarding

Example: VISTAS, Destination „Werfenweng“/Austria

Questions: Which „green“ strengths, initiatives & offer are already in ISPARTA?Which certificates/awards are available?

Map your green strengths,

initiatives & offer

5

• EUCC - Quality Coast• EDEN Association• Alpine Pearls • Ecotrans

DestiNet Innovation Group

ITB 2014: Vision for Innovation in Sustainable Tourism Awards (VISTAS!)

Cascais /PT Kuldiga /EE Durbuy/BE Gozo/MT Lagos/PT Werfenweng/AT

Three decades of sustainable tourism

training, development & networking in Europe

Tool/Material: Travel Green Europe marketing package

Topic: Marketing

Example: Destination „Werfenweng“/Austria

Questions: Is such a marketing package of interest to ISPARTA?

Which marketing channels is ISPARTA using?

Promote and market your destination

6

Tool/Material: GSTR for Destinations

Topic: Monitoring/Benchmarking

Example: Destination „Werfenweng“/Austria

Questions: Is this of interest to ISPARTA?

Are there monitoring processes in ISPARTA?

Monitor your progress &

benchmark your destination

7

Global Sustainable Tourism Review (GSTR)

Compares the quality and sustainability performance of 1000

destinations

Monitors improvements in sustainability, over time.

Encourages DMOs, DMCs to improve their performance.

Presents sustainability indicators that are relevant to tourists.

Helps holiday makers in selecting destinations and

accommodations.

Global Sustainable Tourism Review (GSTR)

A new monitoring system of destinations: Sustainability and quality as percieved by visitors

The GSTR is used by various booking websites, e.g. BookDifferent.com

Use of GSTR data in BookDifferent.com

Tool/Material: EEN Knowledge Base Isparta/Turkey, EEN on Ning

Topic: Networking

Example: EEN Germany

Questions: How can the participants contribute to the ISPARTA/ TURKEY knowledge base?

How to organise this?

Join appropriate networks

8

Workshop 21-22 May 2014 in Egirdir/Isparta - Herbert Hamele/Ecotrans

INSPIRECO - Ecotourism Potential Isparta

Monitor your progress & benchmark your destination

Assess your Sustainability Profile

Learn about your topic of interest

Get training to make your destination greener

Promote and market your destination

Map your green strengths, initiatives & offer

Join appropriate networks

Work together & get advice

Making Isparta a Ecotourism Destination

Monitor your progress & benchmark your destination

Assess your Sustainability Profile

Learn about your topic of interest

Get training to make your destination greener

Promote and market your destination

Map your green strengths, initiatives & offer

Join appropriate networks

Work together & get advice

Making Isparta a Ecotourism Destination

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