The Sustainable Tourism Working Group is a Standing EUROPARC Working Group. It supports the development and implementation of EUROPARC’s European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas Programme.
About the Working Group
The European Charter of Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas (ECST) is one of the most successful programmes of the EUROPARC Federation. It is in fact a programme that is strongly linked to the very image of our organisation.
The ECST, awarded for the first time in 2001, was developed originally in 1995 as a LIFE project. It developed into a flagship Programme of the Federation, internationally recognised across Protected Areas, but also, after 2008, within the economic sector – businesses and after 2013 with tour operators.
After over 25 years of existence, the ECST is at a point where strategic decisions need to be taken by the Federation. Tourism is not the same as it was in the early 2000s and the programme needs to adapt to this changing landscape. Furthermore, new labels and certifications, either national or international have appeared and are creating strong concurrence with the ECST.
The main objective of the Working Group (WG) is to ensure that the ECST remains fit for purpose. The WG oversees, updates, and strengthens the programme so that it continues to be relevant for Protected Areas and the tourism businesses linked to them, taking into account evolving European policies, emerging tourism trends, and changing visitor patterns.
Members of the Working Group
- Chair: Marta Múgica, Fungobe/EUROPARC Spain and vice president of the EUROPARC Federation
- Paulo Castro (PT), ECST expert
- Fabrizio Santini (IT), Parco delle Colline Metallifere
- Charlotte Mattelart (BE), Fédération des Parcs naturels de Wallonie
- Sharon Jagt (NL), Nationaal Park Weerribben-Wieden
- Agnese Balandina (LV), Nature Conservation Agency
- Lurdes Romano (ES), Reserva de la Biosfera Urdaibai
- Yannick Mehne (DE), Nationale Naturlandschaften e.V. ; member of the EUROPARC Youth Council
- EF Staff liaison: Teresa Pastor