ETC publishes Handbook on Encouraging Sustainable Tourism Practices

European Travel Commission (ETC) publishes Handbook on Encouraging Sustainable Tourism Practices

• Policymakers, destination management organisations, the tourism industry, local communities and visitors each have a role to play in the sector's transformation
• New ETC handbook brings clarity on how tourism organisations can encourage sustainable practices
• COVID-19 has influenced both businesses and consumers to think differently, with sustainability now as an important driver in purchase decisions

Today, the European Travel Commission (ETC), representing 33 national tourism organisations in Europe, has published the new  Handbook on Encouraging Sustainable Tourism Practices  – a guide which explains how national and local tourism organisations can encourage tourism stakeholders at every level to build sustainable tourism practices into their everyday operations.

With a renewed focus on adopting practices that reduce the negative impacts of tourism as a result of COVID-19, the handbook contains valuable case studies from worldwide entities and destinations that have successfully forged more economically, socially, and environmentally viable tourism practices over the past years. The twenty case studies included in the handbook highlight the ways in which European and other worldwide destinations are embedding sustainable approaches into their travel and tourism sector, together with key takeaways for National Tourism Organisations (NTOs) and Destination Management Organisations (DMOs).

Putting principles into practice

ETC believes Europe's national and local tourism organisations have a major role to play in bringing their stakeholders together to develop a shared vision for sustainable tourism implementation. This vision encourages them to work with commercial and academic partners, as well as public sector and industry associations to generate valuable insights and identify ways to help Europe's visitors make more environmental and community-friendly choices before and during their journeys.

The handbook also recognises that travel and tourism organisations, in particular small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), that want to take action, often find it difficult to navigate the complex range of accreditation schemes, monitoring systems, funding mechanisms, campaigns and even equipment that exist in the sustainability 'space'. Examples of responsible practices, together with a range of practical recommendations are presented in the handbook, which is now available to download free of charge from ETC's website.