About the Charter

Although the idea of and the need for sustainable tourism have been accepted for some years, and despite the existence of many good examples of activities in this field, the ever increasing challenges facing protected areas showed the necessity of making a real commitment through the development of a Charter. The wider need for sustainable development was further highlighted by the creation of the Agenda 21 programme at the United Nations Conference on the Environment and Development at Rio de Janeiro in 1992.

In 1993, a working group designated by the Federation of Natural and National Parks in Europe conducted a study on tourism in protected areas. This work was financed by the European Commission (DG XXIII). It resulted in the report "Loving them to death ?" containing proposals and guidelines for developing sustainable tourism. It recommended a charter be developed jointly by tourism professionals and managers of protected areas.

In 1995 EUROPARC took the initiative to set up the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas, with a project funded by the EU’s LIFE programme and led by the Fédération des Parcs naturels régionaux de France on behalf of EUROPARC. The Charter was created to provide a lasting and effective framework to translate the recommendations of the report into practical measures to make sustainable tourism a reality throughout protected landscapes across Europe.

Ten European pilot parks together with representatives of the tourism industry and NGOs active in the tourism and environment fields, contributed their combined experience and wisdom and outlined their needs. A final version of the Charter was published in 2000, with 21 parks from Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain and the UK signing a letter of intent. This was the first time that such a concrete project involving so many protected areas was developed.

The majority of these parks continued to work with the Charter and completed the strategy and action plan necessary to subscribe to it fully. In fact now the Charter is considered a great tool for protected areas to use to develop their tourism sustainably and increase acceptance in the region. This can be seen in the number of Charter Areas that are certified and the new numbers opf protected areas that apply for certification each year.

The Charter commits signatories to implementing a local strategy for ‘sustainable tourism’ defined as: ‘any form of development, management or tourist activity which ensures the long-term protection and preservation of natural, cultural and social resources and contributes in a positive and equitable manner to the economic development and well-being of individuals living, working or staying in protected areas.’

The Charter brings participating protected areas:

• A basis for strengthening relationships with local tourism stakeholders and the wider tourism industry
• The opportunity to influence tourism development in the area
• A higher profile in the European arena as an area devoted to sustainable tourism
• Public relations and awareness-raising opportunities with visitors and local and national media
• An opportunity to work with and learn from other European “Charter parks” in a network
• Helpful internal and external assessment, leading to new ideas and improvements
• Greater credibility amongst potential funding partners

Fundamentally, parks and protected areas which meet the requirements of the Charter will benefit from the economic, social and environmental advantages of well managed, sustainable tourism.