Responsible tourism: the labels

This summer, will you be spending your holidays under the sign of responsible tourism? Discover the tourist labels that will help you find your way.

The health crisis has led us to review our way of traveling. We are now opting for a sustainable tourismless massive and less impactful for the environment. To ensure you travel sustainably, here is a quick overview of the sustainable tourism labels.

7 labels to favor for responsible tourism

The responsible tourism or ecotourism, what is it? The World Tourism Organization defines it as: ” tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, responding to the needs of visitors, professionals, the environment and host communities”. Some tourism stakeholders are committed to guaranteeing their sustainable practices : the labeling allows tourists to recognize them.

Finding your way through the jungle of sustainable tourism labels

It is sometimes difficult to find your way through the multitude of responsible tourism labelswhich are sometimes confused with commercial brands or worthless names. The following list of labels guarantees the sustainable dimension of your hotel, campsite or leisure area, but also tour-operators or restaurateurs.

European Ecolabel

The green and blue flower, better known for cleaning or cosmetic products, is also used for tourist establishments. The European ecolabel means that the hotel or campsite implements water and energy saving measures and internal waste sorting. Towels are not changed every day, ecological cleaning products are used and the catering service must include an organic or local offer.

The Green Key

This is a symbol found in countries across Europe and North Africa. The Green Key emphasizes environmental education : employees and customers must be made aware of the need to protect the planet. As with the European Ecolabel, water, energy and waste management measures are implemented, as well as spatial planning for campsites.

Green Globe

Green Globe is a certification mondiale which concerns all tourism players: accommodation, amusement parks, tourist sites, catering, etc. Green Globe-labeled players meet a series of sustainability conditions based on four criteria: responsible management, cultural heritage, environment, economic/social.

Act for Responsible Tourism

ATR certification is a French label which concerns tour operators and travel agents. They are committed to supporting local development, promoting indigenous populations and raising awareness among travelers about responsible tourism. Environmental measures are also to be implemented by the tour operator.

Panda Gite, Eco-gite

These labels concern French gîtes and guest rooms. Panda lodgingsa label developed in cooperation with the WWF, are mainly located in natural parks. There are around a hundred Panda lodges in France, and around 400 Ecogîtesto be searched on the platform of Gîtes de France.

Nothing better than responsible accommodation to recharge your batteries ©PhotoSunnyDays

The Gîte Panda label is mainly focused on environmental protection and the responsible discovery of local flora and fauna, while Ecogîte mainly promotes sustainable approaches. construction durable and building development.

Tourism and Disability Label

Sustainable development is not just a question of the environment, but also of respect for human beings in their own right. This is why the Tourism and Disability label is part of our selection responsible tourism labels. It concerns not only accommodations, but also the tourist attractionsrestaurants and leisure sites. The label highlights the initiatives of these establishments in favor ofreception of disabled people : accessibility, information for all audiences, autonomy.

The list is not exhaustive and several ecotourism labels are also valid for spending green holidays. We can also trust the ISO 14001 standards for nature accommodation, Owl and Nature labelto the Accueil Paysan network for farm holidays, and to the brand Natural Hotel which rewards hotels located in natural parks and which are committed to the Environmental Protection.

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