Tourist Hotspots Honoured at EU Awards

The EU has hosted its first ever joint European Tourism Indicators System (ETIS) and Accessible Tourism Awards. The Awards, held in Brussels and presented by the European Commission, honoured outstanding triumphs from over one hundred destinations who completed a two-year pilot project, ETIS. Twelve European destinations won prizes for sustainable and accessible tourism management, including environmental acheivements.

Visit South Sardinia and Barcelona Province took home the top prizes for sustainability and accessibility at the first joint ETIS and Accessible Tourism Awards. Visit South Sardinia was overall winner for sustainability thanks to its innovative approach combining EU and UN sustainability indicators, while Barcelona Province won the top accessibility prize for its ‘Tourism for All’ approach.

Over 100 destinations took part in the ETIS pilot phase to help develop a standardised European approach to measuring and monitoring performance in sustainable and accessible tourism management.

The jury handed out one star to three star rankings to ten destinations for sustainability, accessibility, and social impact awards in three categories – overall winners, responsible destination management, and sustainable economic development. Two destinations received a special mention for sustainable and accessible destination management.

Mali Lošinj in Croatia won ETIS Economic Value Achiever for the breadth and depth of insights gathered on sustainable tourism practices on the island, thanks to an impressive set of 130 indicators, going far beyond the 67 ETIS indicators in the 2013 pilot toolkit. Brittany, Destination Brocéliande in France, won ETIS Environmental Impact Achiever for its work developing a green tourism offer in the legendary forest region.

Luigi Cabrini, Chair of the World Tourism Organisation’s (UNWTO) Global Sustainable Tourism Council and keynote speaker at the ceremony, said: “ETIS is about creating clear standards that help us define what sustainable tourism actually means in a measurable way. These winning destinations have made tourism work for local communities and visitors alike, delivering financial and cultural benefits while minimising negative social and environmental impacts.”

Four destinations were awarded two stars as ETIS Social and Cultural Impact Achievers: Dark Sky Alqueva in Portugal for its light pollution free zone and unique ‘night sky’ stargazing offer, Torroella de Montgri-l’Estartit and Llancà in Spain for balancing economic development with sustainable coastal tourism, Ljubljana in Slovenia for its ‘Slovenia Green’ certification label for hotels and tourism spots, and Comunitat Valenciana in Spain for its achievements in improving access for tourists with disabilities.

One star went to two Environmental Impact Achievers, Podgorica in Montenegro for its long-term commitment to sustainable tourism, and Abano Terme in Italy, which combines its reputation as one of Europe’s oldest spa towns with a green tourism approach, attracting visitors that want to alternate from the city-break destination of Venice.

Andalucía in Spain and South Limburg in the Netherlands received a special mention for sustainable destination management and accessibility improvements.

Jesús Hernandez-Galán, Director of Universal Accessibility and Innovation at the ONCE Foundation and ETIS jury member said: “Making holidays accessible to all is not just about the independence, dignity, and comfort of people with disabilities, it’s about building a more inclusive and diverse society that benefits and enriches us all.

“Accessibility indicators make clear what this means in a practical way – from public transport to accessible information – and today’s winners are already reaping the rewards of their hard work in this area.”

A new 2016 ETIS toolkit was launched at the awards ceremony as a tangible contribution from the European Commission towards the UNWTO International Year of Sustainable Tourism Development in 2017. The new toolkit, which employs 43 core indicators and a set of supplementary indicators, was developed as a result of the pilot phases and is available in all official EU languages to enable European destinations to monitor, measure and improve sustainable tourism practices.