Labelguide 2023 EN

(google translate, 11 mar 2023)

A handy decision-making aid in the tourism label jungle

More and more people are paying attention to sustainability when making their consumption decisions - including when planning their holidays. Seals of quality can provide orientation. However, there are over 200 labels worldwide that distinguish a wide range of tourism offers - from accommodation to tour operators, beaches, nature reserves and regions. The certifications use a wide variety of criteria. Who can keep track here?

To make it easier for travelers to find their way around, we took a close look at tourism sustainability labels. We present selected seals of approval that guarantee high quality because they cover a wide range of sustainability, are independent and meet internationally recognized standards. These labels distinguish holiday offers that respect human rights, protect natural resources and the climate and benefit the population in the destinations.

Pay attention to the seal of approval when booking your holiday! As a result, you not only have a good trip, but also contribute to the fact that the people at the holiday destination also benefit from tourism and that nature and the environment are protected. 

This guide is also available online at tourismus-labelguide.org. Further seals of approval are presented in the digital version

Why should I pay attention to recognized sustainability labels when booking?

Traveling means meeting people, getting to know other cultures and experiencing unique nature. Tourism is one of the most important and fastest growing economic sectors worldwide. Undoubtedly, it offers earning opportunities and economic perspectives, also in countries of the Global South.

But the global boom in travel has its downsides. Holiday flights heat up the global climate. Natural resources are being overexploited, putting pressure on ecosystems and fueling conflict. This applies in particular to water, which is a scarce commodity in many places - climate change is making the problem even worse. Many cities, attractions and beaches are so popular with travelers that the local population suffers. Rising rents and the closure of shops for everyday needs are typical consequences of "overtourism". The construction of hotel complexes drives locals off the beaches, local fishing is restricted, the newly created jobs are often precarious, women and children are discriminated against, including sexual exploitation.

A sustainable orientation of tourism ensures that people are treated fairly and that our earth remains liveable - in line with the United Nations' "Agenda 2030". This formulates 17 goals for a sustainable development of the world (Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs) – from the fight against poverty to the careful use of natural resources to peacekeeping.

Conscious travel decisions for sustainable tourism development

Is sustainability important to you, do you buy products that are manufactured with respect for human rights and the environment? When choosing your holiday offers, you can also ensure that social and ecological standards are met.

Serious seals of quality offer a decision-making aid. However, the quality of tourism labels varies greatly. It is often not clear what exactly distinguishes the labels and who awarded them.

As a rule of thumb, the more comprehensively a label focuses on ecological, social and economic sustainability and takes into account the concerns of the host population, the more it can contribute to sustainable development. A label becomes really credible when the certification criteria are disclosed and compliance with them is checked by an independent body.

Our guide will support you in making your next holiday trip sustainable.

How were the labels chosen for this guide?

We have taken a closer look at 24 tourism sustainability seals of approval for you. They were selected from over 200 labels worldwide based on these three criteria:

First criterion: comprehensive sustainability

Sustainable tourism protects the environment and natural resources, is fair to hosts and employees, opens up opportunities for the regional economy and takes cultural identities into account. The more specifically and comprehensively a label takes environmental, social, economic and cultural aspects into account, the more effectively it can contribute to the sustainable development of tourism at a regional and global level - and thus support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.

We introduce you to labels whose certification criteria comprehensively reflect sustainability. The range extends from environmental and climate protection measures - such as the efficient use of energy and water, the use of renewable energy sources, waste avoidance, etc. - to social aspects - such as compliance with human rights, ensuring fair working conditions for the Employees in our own company as well as in partner companies, equality for women, the participation of the local population and the protection of children - right through to strengthening the regional economy and preserving the cultural heritage in the destinations

Second criterion: credibility

The criteria are publicly available and compliance with them is checked independently on site.

Third criterion: dissemination

Seals of quality are presented that distinguish accommodation providers, campsites, tour operators and destinations. When selecting the labels, their distribution as well as their market coverage was taken into account.

With 12,000 companies and destinations, the 24 labels presented cover around two thirds of the current worldwide range of certified environmentally friendly and socially responsible travel offers

In addition, there are a number of labels – especially in Europe – that focus on ecological criteria. On page 40 we introduce you to ten other well-known labels with good sustainability or at least high environmental standards that are independently tested and therefore credible.

Starting on page 42, you can also find out how you can find reputable sustainable offers on booking platforms and what needs to be considered when offsetting flight emissions (pages 44/45).

What distinguishes the presented labels?

Labels are awarded for tourist businesses and services as well as for destinations. They prove that the providers voluntarily implement measures that go beyond the legal requirements to avoid negative effects on the environment, society, economy and culture in the travel regions as far as possible and thus support sustainable tourism development overall.

The information on the individual labels in this brochure shows you at a glance who is behind the seals, which services or destinations are awarded, in which countries the awards are represented, whether they are internationally recognized and where You can find more information about the certification criteria.

Issuing institution – who awards the certificate?

Here you can see which institution carries out the certification and awards the label. This can be a government agency, a non-profit organization, a tourism association or a private company.

Independent professional support - who is behind the certification system?

There are usually other organizations behind the awarding institution, which are involved in defining the criteria and in the certification process. The broadest possible participation of different interests groups from civil society, authorities, companies and science is an important quality feature

Scope - Where is certification carried out?

Here it is shown in which countries or parts of the world the labels are valid. National seals of approval can better take into account regional characteristics in their standards and test procedures than transnational ones. However, these are often better known in the international tourism business.

Transparency - Can I see the certification criteria?

In order to be able to form your own opinion of a label, you need access

to the certification criteria. It is considered good practice to publish the applicable standards and criteria of a seal of approval in full and free of charge.

Test procedure – who checks compliance with the criteria?

The credibility of a label depends heavily on the type of control over the user of the mark. The most trustworthy is an on-site inspection by independent experts as part of a factory tour and inspection of all documents. For cost reasons, some contracting authorities carry out the checks themselves, while others check the submitted documents “at their desks” and carry out random company visits. In these cases, a reliable check is not always guaranteed.

Certified companies & destinations – how big is the offer?

The more companies, tour operators and destinations have a label, the easier it is for travelers to find sustainable holiday alternatives.

Global recognition by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council – GSTC

High-quality sustainability labels in tourism are internationally recognized by the "Global Sustainable Tourism Council - GSTC" (Global Council for Sustainable Tourism). The basis of the recognition is a certification standard that fully takes into account the social dimension of sustainability in addition to the ecological and economic ones, as well as a transparent test procedure by independent experts.

Notice

The information about the certificates described in this brochure comes directly from the certification programs or is based on internet research. The information in this brochure relates to January 2023. All information and changes to sustainability certifications in tourism are regularly updated on the Internet platform TOURISM 2030 (http://tourism2030.eu) (see also page 41). The certificates jointly use the "Green Travel Maps" to publish their award-winning companies and destinations worldwide.

Travel Green Planet 2030 initiative

The initiative aims to diversify and strengthen credibly certified sustainable tourism worldwide - and thus become a motor for the international sustainable development of the 2030 Agenda. To do this, sustainability certificates must become better known and better used. With the support of the COSME program project of the European Commission "European Tourism Going Green 2030" (ETGG2030), accommodation providers, campsites and tour operators are supported in the selection of suitable certificates. This should strengthen the sustainable tourism offer in Europe.

In order to increase demand, customers can access certified travel offers via travel agencies, online booking systems and tourism marketing organizations. The information can also go directly to consumer and environmental protection associations. The central instrument is the world's largest independent marketplace for sustainable tourism on the website tourism2030.eu with its "Certification Quickfinder" and the "Green Travel Maps". Sharing information about certified companies through the Travel Green Planet 2030 initiative is an important contribution to SDG 12 “Responsible Consumption and Production”.

Between greenwashing and true supply chain responsibility

Many travelers want to book sustainable offers. More and more tour operators and booking platforms are complying with this wish and offer customers the opportunity to display sustainable hotels and excursion offers. However, not everything that appears in the sustainability filter has been independently checked and covers all dimensions of sustainability. Some tour operators work with accommodation and excursion providers that have sustainability certificates according to the international GSTC standard. These now include the large tour operators such as TUI or DER Touristik, where the number of certified hotels is in the lower single-digit percentage range.

The first pioneering companies have decided that all accommodation offered should have an independently verified, holistic sustainability certificate. When these tour operators also have their own business independently audited, you can rest assured that your trip is designed to be as sustainable as possible. Since credible certificates are not available in all holiday regions, some of the sustainability pioneers only achieve a quota of ten to 20 percent of certified accommodations. It's worth asking the organizer. A company that attaches importance to sustainability will appreciate your interest and can transparently explain its strategy when selecting its service providers. Caution is advised when tour operators and online platforms rely on self-disclosures! The market leader booking.com and other booking companies, for example, enable their partner companies to provide their own information on their commitment to sustainability. This information is not based on independent verification. It is difficult for customers to see whether these are credible and effective sustainability measures. In December 2022, for example, Booking.com lists almost a third of all accommodation in Germany as “hotels for more sustainable travel”.

Everything climate neutral, or what?

Tourism causes every 11th tonne of CO ₂ and is therefore one of the driving factors for climate change. More and more companies are currently advertising with certificates for climate-neutral products - also in tourism. However, every overnight stay in a hotel, every trip and even more so every flight causes emissions that are harmful to the climate. It is therefore important to reduce these emissions as much as possible and then compensate for the unavoidable remainder. The problem is that many companies only take the second step without exhausting all emissions reduction efforts first. In the case of a tour operator, this means, for example, that all flights less than 1000 kilometers are replaced by bus or train travel and that the train is used instead of feeder flights. The providers of certificates for climate neutrality usually do not check the concepts for saving emissions, but sell climate protection certificates solely on the basis of the amount of emissions. Such a compensation is not a contribution to active climate protection, but enables the maintenance of climate-damaging business models.

Compensation providers: You should pay attention to this

Not only companies buy climate certificates – travelers can also compensate for their negative climate impact by offsetting the emissions of a trip with a donation to projects that save the same amount of CO 2 _. You can recognize credible compensation providers by these characteristics:

• The climate protection projects correspond to the "CDM Gold Standard". It guarantees that emissions have been saved in a demonstrable, permanent manner and in compliance with strict guidelines.
• The underlying emissions calculator takes into account all climate impacts in the form of CO ₂ equivalents - including the impact of other greenhouse gases and cloud formation when flying. These effects roughly triple the pure CO _{2 emissions.}
• The provider draws attention to the fact that reducing is more important than compensating and provides information about more climate-friendly alternatives (e.g. bus instead of plane).

In November 2022, Finanztest magazine carried out a comprehensive and independent study of four providers. Atmosfair is rated "very good", Klimakollekte and Primaklima with "good" and Myclimate Germany only with "sufficient".

Reducing before compensating 

Compensation does not undo the negative effects of your flight. Avoid flights, for example within Europe, completely. You should visit distant destinations less often and for a longer period of time.

PARTNERS 

The ECOTRANS association is a European network of experts and organizations that work together to promote sustainable development in tourism, carry out international research and development projects and inform the specialist public about exemplary initiatives. To strengthen transparency and international cooperation, ECOTRANS has developed the independent information and network portal DestiNet.eu for sustainable tourism with the European Environment Agency and other partner organizations and is continuing it under the name Tourism2030 as a registered partnership for the 2030 sustainability goals.

www.tourism2030.eu  | www.ecotrans.org
ECOTRANS e. V
Hedwig-Dohm-Strasse 22, D-66117 Saarbrucken
Email: contact@ecotrans.de 

Bread for the World , as a globally active development agency of the Protestant churches in Germany, supports partner organizations in almost 90 countries around the world. Under the Tourism Watch brand , it works with partners from all over the world to promote sustainable, socially responsible and environmentally friendly tourism. The information service Tourism Watch takes a look behind the tourist scenes every three months and focuses on the people in the destinations. The vision of a peaceful and just world without poverty is only possible if a fundamental change in tourism is achieved. 

www.brot-fuer-die-welt.de
www.tourism-watch.de
Brot für die Welt - Tourism Watch
Caroline-Michaelis-Strasse 1, D-10115 Berlin
Email: tourismwatch@brot-fuer-die-welt.de 

The Friends of Nature International (NFI) is the umbrella organization of the Friends of Nature movement and a member of the Green 10, a platform of the largest European environmental NGOs. Together with its 45 member organizations, it is committed to sustainable development of the environment and society at regional, national and global level. With the RESPECT work area , NFI is committed to tourism that is ecologically, socially and economically sustainable in the long term and supports the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

www.tourismus.nf-int.org | www.respect.at
respect_NFI | Friends of Nature International
Viktoriagasse 6/1
A-1150 Vienna
Email: office@nf-int.org

fairunterwegs is the Swiss non-profit organization that shows how tourism can be: fair, environmentally friendly and with touching encounters. To achieve this, fairunterwegs is involved in two ways: on the one hand, we encourage travelers to travel fairly, on the other hand, we motivate politicians to adopt a sustainable tourism policy. The zewo-certified association has existed since 1977, at that time it was called "working group tourism & development".

www.fairunterwegs.org
fairunterwegs
Mission Street 21, CH-4055 Basel
Email: info@fairunterwegs.org