Azorean Government launches energy efficiency campaign for tourism accommodation units.
The Azores Regional Secretary for Energy, Environment and Tourism has announced the launch of an energy efficiency campaign for tourism accomodation units.
Marta Guerreiro says that “people” are the “main asset” in a sector like tourism
Inglês The Regional Secretary for Energy, Environment and Tourism stated that “the main asset” in a sector such as tourism is “the people”, so it is important to focus on training and valuing the careers associated with it. Marta Guerreiro stated the importance of entrepreneurs being “by our side”, giving as an example the award, by Bensaude Turismo, for the best student of Tourism degree in 2019 from the University of the Azores. Marta Guerreiro spoke in Ponta Delgada, in the award presentation to the student Natacha Pinto, in the context of the event “Azores: towards sustainability” “These awards represent the awareness our entrepreneurs of the current challenges of tourism, valuing those who will be future professionals in the sector” she said. According to the Secretary, “one of our main challenges today has to do with the qualification of the destination, as it be services and infrastructures, but especially with human resources”, where “continuous training and updating are indispensable”, beyond the focus on initial training”. “We can only speak of good growth if tourism continues to play an increasingly important role in the region’s economy, not only in terms of output but also in terms of employment and entrepreneurship opportunities”, she added. At the time, the Regional Secretary presented an evolution of the sector numbers, with Azores being, since 2015, “one of the regions of the country that has recorded the highest growth in total overnight stays and traditional hotel revenues, successively breaking records never before reached.” In addition to statistics, Marta Guerreiro noted the various awards and distinctions awarded to the Region that attest the sustainable development of the archipelago, highlighting the steps of the certification process of the Azores as a sustainable destination. “This certification will also ensure a reinforcement of the international strategic positioning and notoriety of the Azores tourist destination, aligning it with a growing international awareness of consumers, already well visible in the new generations and their ability to influence others”, she said. Regarding the profile of the tourist visiting the Azores, Marta Guerreiro focused on “the significant growth of tourist flows of new generations, aligned with the current tourist positioning of the Azores”, seeking products of active nature, tranquility, relaxation, high level of sustainability, appreciation of cultural immersion and preference for nature accommodation.
Marta Guerreiro points out the importance of the GSTC Annual Congress at Terceira Island.
The Regional Secretary for Energy, Environment and Tourism pointed out today the importance of the Annual Congress of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, which will take place at Angra do Heroísmo Cultural and Congress Center, on Terceira Island, from 4-7 December. Marta Guerreiro called for the participation of the sector’s agents, pointing out that “this is a very important moment for tourism in the Azores because it is one of the biggest international events on sustainable development”. “We want it to be a moment of sharing, debate and reflection, not only on this issue at international level, but especially at regional level, taking into account the ongoing process of certification of the Azores as a Sustainable Tourist Destination”, she stated. According to the Secretary “about 150 participants are expected” at a congress that she considered to be a “unique opportunity to project the Azores into the international sustainability scene, reinforcing the internal recognition of the potential that the Region can have as a sustainable tourist destination”. Under the theme ‘Navigating the Way Forward in Sustainable Tourism’, the congress will focus on areas such as ‘Smart & Sustainable Destination Management’, ‘Market Opportunities and Challenges for Sustainable Products’ and ‘Is Tourism Responding to Climate Change?’. “We believe this will probably be one of the best GSTC congresses, bringing together a number of speakers from around the world who stand out for their relevance to their positions,” said Marta Guerreiro, pointing as an example EarthCheck CEO, Stewart Moore, Innovation Norway consultant, Ingunn Sornes, and TUI Sustainability Office Director, Jane Ashton. The program of the event can be consulted athttps://www.gstcouncil.org/gstc2019/program/ Registrations for Azores’ residents can be made through the email addresshttps://www.gstcouncil.org/gstc2019/azorean-registration/. Holders of the Miosótis award, as well as holders of GSTC-accredited and/or recognized certification schemes, have access to an additional discount. Marta Guerreiro was talking, in the context of the visit to Terceira Island, on the sidelines of the visit to the tourist resort ‘Casa das Cinco’. “This is another excellent example of qualifying our offer,” said the Regional Secretary, adding that ‘Casa das Cinco’ was a former Fiscal Guard House that was transformed into a ‘picturesque tourist house’ with a ‘great location’, close to the sea and Angra do Heroísmo, a World Heritage city”.
Azores trust to obtain the certification as a sustainable tourist destination by the end of the year
The regional secretary of Energy, Environment and Tourism of the Government of the Azores said today that the executive is working so that by the end of the year the region can be awarded with the certification as a sustainable tourism destination. “We are working hard to make this possible,” said Marta Guerreiro, indicating that an audit by the certification entity is expected later this month. The responsible for the tourism sector in the Azorean archipelago spoke to journalists after meeting in Ponta Delgada, the Advisory Committee for the Sustainability of the Azores Tourist Destination. This committee, which met today for the first time, aims to monitor, analyze, debate, issue opinions and make recommendations on the certification process, on the implementation of planning, management and monitoring tools, as well as monitoring the activity of the Board of Sustainability Management of the Azores Tourist Destination. As part of this certification process, the Azores already have the bronze status of ‘EarthCheck’, a certifying entity for sustainable tourist destinations. Regarding the audit, the Regional Secretary of Tourism stated that “she will evaluate a huge set of indicators for the region that have been collected over the last three years, ranging from environmental issues, but also social issues such as unemployment rates or issues, which will be analyzed in a first phase in the office”. Subsequently, the auditors will be present on three islands for field visits to infrastructure and business contacts. Marta Guerreiro said that today the partners were presented with an action plan containing a set of very practical measures, a document that is available on the Internet and “a tool that identifies and defines the measures to be implemented in the short, medium and long term”. According to Marta Guerreiro, throughout this process, “a huge set of indicators applicable to sustainability requirements, which are not so environmental, but also social, economic and cultural” was made, a huge set of initiatives, from the Sustainability Charter, which has over 80 subscribers, school actions and workgroups per island. Marta Guerreiro highlighted “two major areas of importance” for the Azores to obtain this certification, “the first of all is a matter of responsibility”, underlining the responsibility for the “environmental legacy” and “fantastic cultural” of the archipelago. “It is also an excellent opportunity because it places us and positions us as a region that we want to promote in the world as a reference in terms of sustainability,” she said.
Pico vineyard culture landscape distinguished with international award
Pico Island’s vineyard landscape has been awarded first prize in the “Best Development of a European Landscape of Cultural Relevance” category at the European Garden Awards. The landscape, which has been protected since 1996, and was classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2004, was recognized this Friday by the European Garden Awards as “Best Development of a Cultural Landscape of European Relevance”, a category that awards interventions that “promote the safeguarding of natural and cultural values and the qualification of relevant cultural landscapes, contributing to the revitalization of territory”, explains the note of the Azorean executive. Receiving the award, was at the ceremony held at the Schloss Dick Foundation in Dusseldorf, Germany, the director of the Pico Natural Park and the Technical Office of the Pico Island Vineyard Culture Landscape, Manuel Paulino Costa. The “exceptional example of adapting farming practices to a demanding environment” through “actions that protect geodiversity, biodiversity and cultural heritage and promote integrated architecture” motivated the organization to distinguish the vineyard landscape of Pico Island , which spans over 700 hectares. The vineyards are grown in small stone corrals that protect the grapes from wind and salt, in a tradition dating back to the 15th century, reaching a peak of production in the 19th century, before being abandoned due to diseases that affected crops and crops. desertification of the island. Cited in a press release, the President of the Azores Regional Government, Vasco Cordeiro, highlights the strategy that has enabled, “preserving and safeguarding the environment, mobilizing one of the main assets to help the development of our region.” The European Garden Awards are awarded every two years by the European Garden Heritage Network (EHGN), a network of partners from 14 countries. The selection by an international jury evaluates innovative implementation and management in urban development, sustainability and quality of services to visitors.
Azores with bronze status in EarthCheck tourist destination certification process
The Regional Secretary of Energy, Environment and Tourism said today in Ponta Delgada that the Azores “already have the bronze status ‘Benchmarked’ of EarthCheck”, as a certifying entity for sustainable tourist destinations. “This is something we are very proud of because it reveals the first external recognition of a commitment that we work hard, with all entities, companies and people, positioning ourselves closer and closer to achieving the destination certification”, said Marta Guerreiro, who spoke at the opening of the ‘Green Team’ on the island of São Miguel. For the official, “this bronze seal is not a mere distinction, it is a small big step and shows the progress we have been taking and the current position of the Region compared to the rest of the world’s most sustainable destinations.” Thus, pointed out Marta Guerreiro, the Azores become the reference destination with “the highest percentage of habitat conservation area, with the highest percentage of green area, with the lowest percentage of thefts and robberies, where the waste indicators sent to landfill per person are lower than the average of this exclusive core of destinations and where the indicators of drinking, bathing and inland water quality are practically the maximum among all destinations ”. “This seal and these data prove that it is possible to make the Azores a region where sustainable development is an example worldwide, thus reinforcing the positioning of our destiny in these themes so emerging today,” he said. The tourism portfolio holder assured that the Government of the Azores is committed “in the next phase – the certification phase – which will take place through an audit based on the implementation of the destination’s sustainability policy”, with the intention of this year that the Region attains the certification of sustainable tourist destination. According to the Regional Secretary, this is “a commitment that we believe belongs to everyone, where we can make the difference between who will be in the past and who will have a leading role in building a better future in the Azores”. At the time, the ruler highlighted some stages of the certification process, including the creation of the destination coordinator, the development of a sustainability policy and the comparative assessment of environmental, cultural, social and economic sustainability performance, in addition to several projects, with emphasis on for the Azores Sustainability Charter, which has about 80 subscribers and over 300 public objectives, and for the ‘Green Teams’, as forums for monitoring the sustainability of the Azores tourist destination. “In practical terms, work has been done based on the fact that ‘you can only manage well, what you can measure’, so we have compiled the indicators needed to achieve a set of sustainability outcomes in areas such as energy, emissions study gases, water management, ecosystem conservation, transport, waste and cultural, social and economic management, ”he said, allowing for the status achieved this week.
Azores Government holds “Green Teams” on all islands of the archipelago
The Regional Secretariat of Energy, Environment and Tourism will promote the holding of a set of forums to monitor the sustainability of the Azores tourist destination, called “Green Teams”, in all islands of the archipelago. The first workshop will take place Thursday, August 29, on Santa Maria Island, followed by São Miguel (August 30), Terceira (September 3), Graciosa (September 4), São Jorge (September 5) , Corvo (September 9), Flores (September 10), Faial (September 11), and Pico (September 12). In this first round, it is intended to make known the principles and guidelines of the certification process underway through Earthcheck, to present the Destination Management Structure and its operation, as well as to highlight the importance of destination certification as a strategy to deepen the path towards sustainability. In these workshops, participants will analyze and define the priority performance areas on each island, discuss the actions to be implemented and the goals to be achieved. In this sense, they will embody the implementation of an Action Plan per Island, according to the respective areas of activity, namely energy management and efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions, air quality, control of noise and light pollution, management of drinking water and wastewater and sewage resources, management and protection of ecosystems and biodiversity, land planning and planning, transport, management of solid waste and harmful substances for the environment and social, cultural and economic management. The “Green Teams” aim to monitor, promote listening and reflection, issue opinions and make recommendations and suggestions on the certification process of the Azores as a sustainable destination, particularly on its planning, management and monitoring tools. These geographic forums are made up of entities representing local interests, such as local authorities, associations representing civil society, businesses and citizens.
Azores archipelago receives “Hope Spot” rating for ocean conservation
The Regional Secretary of the Sea, Science and Technology stated that “it is a very important recognition that the Region is considered a ‘Hope Spot’ or a place of hope in the project of biologist Sylvia Earle, known worldwide”, stressing, in this sense, “ the work of several researchers from the Okeanos Research Center and the Azores Sea Observatory, with the involvement of the Regional Government. ” Gui Menezes was speaking this afternoon in Horta during the press conference announcing the Azores ‘Hope Spot’ rating of the Mission Blue Foundation – Sylvia Earle Alliance. According to Gui Menezes, the issue is the appointment “not of a small portion of the Azores Sea, but of the entire maritime territory” of the archipelago. Hope Spots are places considered critical to ocean health, and through this project are selected locations around the world whose communities are supported in promoting actions aimed at protecting the oceans. “It is often citizens and communities who propose certain ‘places of hope’ for the sustainable management of the oceans and for the defense of biodiversity,” said the Regional Secretary. According to the official, this is “a way to motivate and raise citizens’ attention to the importance of the oceans in our lives and the need to protect them”. Gui Menezes argued that the Azores “are, in fact, a special site that maintains some integrity in terms of biodiversity, and are also a unique site in terms of scientific discovery potential and deep sea knowledge”. “This is another source of pride, and we should enjoy the notoriety of the Azores in this area,” he said. The Regional Secretary stressed that “the next two years will be decisive for the Azores in the sea area”, stressing that the Azorean Executive is preparing management plans for marine protected areas, “which are currently undergoing a review work ”and the Maritime Spatial Planning Plan is also being prepared. According to Gui Menezes, this work “will be very important for the issues of sea management, the reconciliation of the various uses we make of the sea, and also for the issues of biodiversity conservation.” “We need to be cautious so we don’t make mistakes that others have already made,” he said. The official also highlighted the project ‘Blue Azores’, in partnership with the Blue Ocean Foundation and the Waitt Foundation & Institute, whose memorandum of understanding was signed in February this year, where a commitment was made in the coming years to 15% of the project. Azores Sea to be protected areas. “This is a very relevant project not only for the Azores, but for the country and the world,” he said, stressing the importance of involving schools and younger generations in ocean literacy issues. In this sense, under the ‘Blue Azores’, the Educate for a Blue Generation program focusing on conservation and sustainable use of marine resources is being implemented in the Region, with the support of the Azorean Executive. The program allows to address, in school context, eight fundamental areas of knowledge about the ocean, across several subjects such as literature, ecology, law, strategy, geography, economics, history, physics and chemistry, and answers questions posed by children, like ‘Why is the ocean important?’, ‘Who owns the ocean?’ or ‘Why is the Azores Sea special?’ “We can be an example and a strong motivation to pursue the objectives of ocean conservation,” says the Regional Secretary. American biologist Sylvia Earle, who they have already called “Jane Goodall of the Oceans”, was in Horta on the occasion of the annual meeting of her project “Mission Blue Foundation – Sylvia Earle Alliance”.
“Espírito Verde” awards distinguish good environmental practices
Azorean Government has rewarded citizens and institutions that stand out for their good environmental practices. The Government of the Azores, through the Regional Secretariat for Energy, Environment and Tourism, has awarded five “Espírito Verde” awards and seven honorable mentions, marking World Environment Day, under the motto “Good examples are to follow … And to be to recognize!”. “These awards are aimed at companies, institutions and personalities distinguished by good environmental practices as well as environmental research, activism, volunteering or patronage,” said the Regional Secretary at the awards ceremony, which took place on Wednesday in Horta. For the holder of the Environment department, it is a way of “highlighting the role of citizens as an active and determining part of the sustainable development of the Azores”. The”Espírito Verde” awards embody an understanding that any practice or activity oriented towards a balanced and sustainable relationship between Man and Nature must be identified, recognized and shared,” he said.
LIFE AZORES NATURA project on the right track
The Regional Director for the Environment underlined the ongoing work under the LIFE AZORES NATURA project, at a meeting where actions were foreseen for the near future, and noted the “good development of the project, in line with the commitments and schedule set out”. Hernâni Jorge stressed the importance of “giving visibility to the largest and most comprehensive nature conservation project ever designed for the Azores”, underlining its relevance “for the conservation of protected species and habitats in terrestrial, coastal and marine ecosystems of all the Azores Islands ”. The Regional Director was speaking on the sidelines of a project management meeting involving all beneficiaries, including the Regional Directorates for Environment and Sea Affairs, Azorina, SPEA and the La Palma Biosphere Reserve. The LIFE AZORES NATURA project, which covers 23 Special Conservation Areas, 15 Special Protection Areas and three Natura 2000 Sites of Community Interest, has a duration of nine years and a total budget of 19.1 million euros. “This is a project that covers most Natura 2000 sites in the Azores, seeking to make a significant contribution to the conservation of species and habitats protected by the Birds and Habitats Directives in terrestrial and marine ecosystems of all islands in the archipelago,” he said. Hernani Jorge. “LIFE Azores Natura’s strategy and project work is based on a strong institutional partnership that will actively contribute to these objectives, involving a range of entities with distinct natures and complementary technical capabilities, enabling the project to benefit from a solid and valuable technical, political and operational knowledge, thus ensuring the continuation of the actions after the end of the action, ”he added. The Regional Director stressed that this is another measure that proves the growing investment of the Government of the Azores in nature conservation, consolidating the natural heritage as one of the main assets of the Region.