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 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.

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.

A number of these parks continued to work with the Charter and completed the strategy and action plan necessary to subscribe to it fully.

The first applicant parks were verified in late spring / early summer 2001 by appointed tourism experts, and the first successful applicants were awarded the Charter in autumn 2001.

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 defines the shared responsibilities of the protected area authority, the tourist businesses and tour operator. It is divided into three sections:

• Sustainable tourism for the protected area

• Sustainable tourism for tourism businesses in the area

• Sustainable tourism for companies organising tours in or to protected areas

For further information on the Charter please contact Richard Blackman, EUROPARC Federation

e-mail: info@european-charter.org