Azores are once again part of the TOP 100 of Sustainable Destinations

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The Regional Secretary for Energy, Environment and Tourism revealed today that the Azores are once again included in the TOP 100 list of Sustainable Destinations by Green Destinations. “It is recognitions like this that make us continue this path towards sustainability with more strength and more enthusiasm,” said Marta Guerreiro. “I cannot fail to show pride and satisfaction for receiving, once again, this acknowledgment, which places the Azores at a high promotional level regarding to sustainability issues, which we strive for and are recognized for”, stressed the titleholder of the Tourism wallet. The official emphasized that, since last year, the Azores have been certified as a Sustainable Tourist Destination, being the only archipelago in the world and the only region in the country with this distinction, considering that “this was a work, not always visible, of the last years , with very positive consequences, especially in the times we are currently experiencing”. “We have seen a reconfiguration of the tourism sector, but in this matter, the Azores anticipated a set of actions and measures”, said the Regional Secretary. “We must be proud to be leading this path of sustainable development in tourism”, said Marta Guerreiro, reinforcing, however, that “a destination with sustainability certification can never consider that its work is finished and that is why we are in the second year of the certification process, starting now to win the Gold Award for Sustainable Destination by EarthCheck, the certifying destinations entity”. “EarthCheck is governed by strict criteria of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, that is, with the United Nations seal, which attests to the quality of its action and our certification as a Sustainable Tourist Destination”, she emphasized. “The aim of the Azores is to maintain this strategic positioning and to continue to affirm the Region as a world reference of destination, effectively, sustainable”, she guaranteed. According to the governor, “it is important to be more and more ambitious and continue to work to reach the highest levels of this certification”. With this TOP 100, Green Destinations recognizes and presents stories of sustainable tourism and its good practices as inspiring examples for other Destinations, for tour operators and for travelers. The TOP 100 list of sustainable destinations can be accessed at: https://greendestinations.org/sustainabletop100/ In 2020, Green Destinations had already distinguished the Azores in the ‘Best of Nature’ category, in 2019 in the ‘Best of Europe’ category, as one of the regions that contributed to Portugal being awarded, and in 2018, in the category ‘Best of the Atlantic’. Since 2012, the archipelago has also been awarded by the Quality Coast, a Green Destinations program, and since 2014 it has been a platinum destination, the highest level of this award, which distinguishes the best practices from sustainable destinations. Green Destinations is a non-profit foundation for the development and recognition of sustainable destinations, leading a global partnership of representatives, specialized organizations and academic institutions.

Certification as a Sustainable Destination is a “continuous process” and a “leadership commitment”

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The Regional Secretary for Energy, Environment and Tourism mentioned today that the certification of the Azores as a Sustainable Tourist Destination is a “continuous process” and a “commitment to leadership, by example and responsibility for the future”. According to Marta Guerreiro, “This is a process that does not end. In fact, it is a continuous process that has to involve an even broader set of entities and citizens, increasingly aware of the responsibility of raising the name Azores to the highest standards of sustainability”. The Regional Secretary spoke at the opening of the Consultative Committee for the Sustainability of the Azores Tourist Destination, which meets at least once a year, as part of the monitoring of the certification process of the Azores as a Sustainable Destination, by the certifying entity EarthCheck. This consultative group is composed of public, associative and private entities, representing their directly interests related to the Sustainability of the Azores Tourist Destination. This session presented a review of the process and the respective status of the certification achieved in 2019, as well as the progress of the actions of the 2020-2027 Action Plan. Marta Guerreiro referred that “this was a process that involved a lot of work, not always visible, where we received high praise from the certifying entity”. Among some of the strengths mentioned by EarthCheck, the holder of the Azores Tourism sector highlighted “the organizational structure of destination management, made up of this Advisory Committee, Monitoring Groups and Green Teams from all islands, which allowed the involvement of a wide range of stakeholders”, but also the Sustainability Charter, the communication strategy, and the effort collecting evidence and organizing the requested documentation. “For all these strengths, the auditors congratulated the Region for being the first time they identified so little non-conformities in a first audit of a destination”, emphasized Marta Guerreiro. According to the Regional Secretary, due to the challenges arising from the Covid-19 pandemic, this certification is the proof that “the Azores have made a unique path in the development of this activity, anticipating a set of organization and planning work in favor of the territory and the sector, lined up with the measures that are now required of all world’s tourist destinations ”. “We are an example of good practices in this area, with a rich international notoriety, because we developed a complete work in line with international sustainability”, she reinforced, recalling that the Azores are the only archipelago in the world and the only region in the country with this distinction. “More than a policy, it is a responsibility towards the future”, referred the Regional Secretary, assuring that “sustainability is an approach that must be present in all human activity, from business to political decisions, from social to environmental interactions”. Marta Guerreiro also stated that “achieving a sustainable future means being able to overcome a set of complex challenges, which can only be achieved through cooperation and partnerships, with the collective awareness of the impacts of our behavior”, appealing to the involvement of an “increasing range of local and international players”. The Azores Tourism Association (ATA), Portugal Hotels Association (AHP), Portugal’s Hotel, Restaurant and Similar Association (AHRESP), Portuguese Association of Travel and Tourism Agencies (APAVT), University of the Azores, Azorean Institute of Culture, Agricultural Federation of the Azores and security and protection entities were some of the members that made their contributions, giving their testimony of what they are carrying out in their areas, and showing total availability to continue to be the dynamic agents of the sector. More information on the certification of the Azores as a Sustainable Tourist Destination can be obtained athttps://sustainable.azores.gov.pt/

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Government of the Azores marks World Wetlands Day on all islands

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The Regional Secretariat for Energy, Environment and Tourism, through the Regional Directorate for the Environment, will carry out various environmental awareness and education activities on all the islands, as part of the celebrations of World Wetlands Day, to be celebrated on February 2 and this year is dedicated to the theme “Biodiversity and Wetlands”.

Marta Guerreiro says that “people” are the “main asset” in a sector like tourism

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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.

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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”.

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Azores trust to obtain the certification as a sustainable tourist destination by the end of the year

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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.

Azores with bronze status in EarthCheck tourist destination certification process

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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.

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Azores Government holds “Green Teams” on all islands of the archipelago

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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.