Apply now for EUROPARC’s Star Awards 2024!
Welcome to the EUROPARC Sustainable Tourism Partners’ Award.
Tourism is one of the main economic drivers of Europe’s rural areas. EUROPARC has long recognised the need to ensure we have a thriving, living, working landscapes that support nature and people. Tourism, therefore, has to be developed and managed along with sustainable principles, if we are to ensure a positive future. Parks and Protected Areas are at the core of the natural and cultural assets of an area and are often the main reason for visiting.
However to be a Sustainable Destination, depends on businesses, community, and municipalities all working to that common purpose.
In these STAR Awards, EUROPARC seeks to celebrate, champion and acknowledge the effort and investments made by tourism businesses to be more sustainable and help care and protect their natural and cultural heritage.
To be less impactful on the environment in which the businesses reside, to work alongside the park, and to play a supporting role in the community are all the excellent actions of “ECST Partners”.
EUROPARC, therefore, invites all current Charter Partners and Tour Operators to apply for the awards in order to highlight the sustainable actions being done which are Good for Nature, Good for People and Good for Business.
>>> Download the Guidelines for Candidates <<<<
Guidelines for candidates – ENGLISH
Instrucciones para candidados – SPANISH
Linee guida per i candidati – ITALIAN
Directives destinées aux candidats – FRENCH
Eligibility
The Star Awards is open to all Sustainable Business Partners or Tour Operators who have a current validated partnership (under ECST Part 2 or ECST Part 3) with a park or protected area, itself currently awarded by EUROPARC. If you are unsure of your eligibility please contact your Park for further information.
Categories
We really want to learn of your experiences and share your stories, so we have endeavoured to ask questions in different areas in which you may contribute to the Sustainable Destination. We have tried to make the questions as intuitive as possible to answer. There are 4 categories you can choose from:
The Application Process
We recommend that you only apply to one category. There are already transversal criteria that all categories must meet. It is better that you select the category in which you feel strongest and that you document it well.
Using the online form in either French, Italian, Spanish or English. The deadline for entries is 30th June.
APPLY in ENGLISH (French, Spanish and Italian Versions are also available)
These will be assessed by an international jury together with EUROPARC representatives. The best from each category will be adjudicated by an international jury who will select the overall winner.
These will be announced at the ECST Award Ceremony 2024. Winners will be invited to attend the award ceremony at the European Parliament in Brussels, in late November/early December 2024 (Date to be confirmed).
The overall winner will receive, along with a representative from the Protected Area with which they are a partner, a free place at the EUROPARC Conference 2025 or at the ECST network meeting 2026.