Why is the environmental effort particularly interesting for tourism organizations?
Sustainability and sustainable tourism are on the lips of many, and it is important that tourism organizations take an active part in promoting a sustainable agenda for the destination or its business practices.
GREEN TOURISM ORGANIZATION is an exclusive and targeted scheme for tourism organizations.
The effort can help to promote the following:
- Green destination: It strengthens the image of the destination and its companies in the green area to ensure that nature, culture and the environment are not overloaded. Internationally, there is increasing focus on this area, and the UN has had a sustainable tourism year in 2017. Our German neighbors, and increasingly the Swedes, are very focused on the environment.
- Better image and more guests: A green profile strengthens the image of tourism organizations and the area and can attract more guests. The same goes for more and more companies in connection with holding meetings, conferences, congresses and events, where there is often a demand for sustainable efforts.
- Walk-the-talk: It can be difficult for tourism organizations to market the destination on the sustainable agenda and encourage tourism companies to make the effort if they do not do so themselves.
- Public focus: Many tourism organizations are either semi-public or fully public companies, and the tendency is for public institutions to focus more on the environment.
- Environmental Action Tool: Tourism organizations lack a tool or scheme to focus on sustainable tourism.
- Increased marketing: By reducing operating costs for individual organizations, there will be more money for real marketing of the destination.
- GDS index: Many tourism organizations from around the world participate in a Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDS index), where they benchmark themselves on the sustainable agenda compared to other destinations. The index gives extra points if the tourism organization itself is ecolabelled.