A strong and vibrant tourism industry is vital to the ongoing health and vitality of regional communities. It is now critically important that organisations follow a coordinated approach to support a green tourism recovery that aligns with each business’s unique essence and values, as well as assisting in achieving net zero emission goals.
Understanding that climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time, and that consumers are calling for action to protect the environment and reduce the impact of human activity on the planet, the EarthCheck Certified program provides a framework for change, drives action and enables the monitoring and management of emissions. This award-winning global program demonstrates leadership in climate action and has been gaining momentum as a tool to support a sustainable future in a post-COVID environment.
The EarthCheck Certified program is underpinned by science, understanding that ‘what gets measured, gets managed’, the core of all EarthCheck’s Certification programs is measurement. By fully understanding an organisation’s footprint stakeholders at all levels can make informed decisions to take-action. By monitoring performance, your organisation will be in a powerful management position. Informed decisions can be made around resourcing, capacity building needs and engagement programs to ensure that KPI’s and targets are reached. Data can be utilised for advocacy, ensuring that engagement efforts and communications are underpinned by meaningful statistics.
EarthCheck Sustainable Destinations
The EarthCheck Sustainable Destinations program assures travellers that certified destinations are backed by a strong, well-managed commitment to sustainable practices and provide high-quality sustainable tourism experiences within the region.
The certification is for precincts or destinations with a clearly defined boundary. It requires one organisation, like the local council or local tourism organisation, to be responsible for the management of the certification, however it assesses the entire tourism destination management practices community wide.
The program addresses key global environmental, cultural, social and economic (ECSE) concerns and deals with environmental regeneration and environmental improvement as well as the conservation of existing natural heritage assets. Economic concerns addressed in the program include employment conditions, support of local economy, use of fair-trade goods and services, and recognition of the seasonality of tourism revenue – all contributing to the alleviation of poverty in the destination.
