Certification for Destinations

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Certification for Destinations

Stronger Together

As the central point of contact for a tourism destination, you promote stunning landscapes, unspoiled nature, cultural traditions, and local distinctiveness to your guests. Your success therefore depends on preserving these cultural and natural assets. At the same time, in promoting tourism, you must balance the interests of all involved institutions, businesses, and public authorities. Not an easy task.

This is precisely why the TourCert certification integrates these aspects as key components of a comprehensive sustainability approach.

Illustration of a person holding a magnifying glass on a Globus

Nachhaltiges Reiseziel

Certification for Destinations

Targeted and Practical

Sustainable Destinations as a Collective Effort

We have designed our system to strategically align your destination with sustainability through intensive dialogue with stakeholders. Key parameters include the quality of products and services, customer orientation, responsible use of resources, accessibility, and sustainable mobility offers. A sustainable destination is a collective effort that thrives on strong partnerships among all involved institutions and businesses.

 

What it is about:
  • Do you support the local economy through partnerships with local providers?

  • Which stakeholder groups are relevant and which may have been overlooked?

  • How can dialogue with stakeholders be improved?

  • How do your business partners evaluate their collaboration with you?

  • Are climate friendly transport options recommended for arrival and departure?

  • Do you offer climate friendly mobility options on site?

  • Are guests informed about sustainable offers?

  • Is the local population actively involved in tourism development?

Practical Coaching

Personal, Competent & Efficient

With experienced coaches, we guide you on your path to certification. Our empowerment-based learning concept combines practical, online, and in-person learning phases. During the practical phases, you implement the system’s elements step by step within your own organization.

NEW: Our offerings are now also available as a professional digital format.

All in One Place

Our Community

It provides a transparent overview of all certified destinations and promotes the exchange of best practices among local stakeholders, businesses, and TourCert. In this way, sustainable measures within the destination are strengthened, synergies are leveraged, and the long-term success of sustainability strategies is ensured—locally, regionally, and internationally. Each member destination actively contributes to implementing responsible tourism in a measurable and impactful way.

Good Reasons for TourCert

Why You Should Choose Certification

01

Certification
Guaranteed Quality Through GSTC Recognized Standard

02

Savings
Together with a TourCert expert, you identify opportunities to save energy and resources—turning efficiency into real cost savings!

03

Quality
You systematically monitor your quality parameters and can use them to optimize products and services.

04

Strengths
Based on the identified strengths, you can refine your organization’s unique position in the market.

05

Competitiveness
You develop clear strategies and can leverage them to gain a competitive advantage.

06

Transparency
A regular sustainability report creates transparency and highlights the strengths and weaknesses of your organization.

07

Reputation
You benefit from an enhanced reputation—with customers, the public, and internal stakeholders alike.

08

Expertise
By acquiring new knowledge, you enhance your employees’ skills, foster innovation, and improve the quality of your customer communication.

09

Loyalty
Satisfied customers help you strengthen customer loyalty.

10

Motivation
Your social commitment and employee involvement enhance motivation and overall staff satisfaction.

“The world is a beautiful place and worth fighting for.”

Ernest Hemingway

Your Path to Certification

The Key Steps
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Here’s Where the Journey Goes

As a DMO, you lead the entire certification process and engage partner businesses to join. Together with your team and supported by a TourCert expert, you develop a mission statement as the first step in your sustainability journey.
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Assess the Current Status

Together with you, TourCert experts review the current sustainability situation of your destination. A web service developed by TourCert makes the assessment process easier and more efficient.
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It Has Potential!

We identify positioning opportunities and potential, and develop approaches for implementing sustainability measures. The goal is to highlight concrete areas for action toward a sustainable orientation.
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Become More Transparent

We translate your services into measurable indicators and enable in-depth analysis of your offerings. This helps you create greater transparency for your stakeholders.
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Improve Step by Step

The core of the TourCert system is continuous improvement. Within this framework, you record specific goals and corresponding actions in an improvement program, showing how you and your partners can achieve ongoing short- and long-term progress.
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Done!

Our auditors review the fulfillment of the criteria during an audit, and the final decision is made by the TourCert Certification Council. After successful certification, the DMO receives the seal, and participating service providers are recognized as partner businesses of the sustainable destination.

From Baden-Württemberg to the World

Pilot Project “Sustainable Destination”

In a pilot project in 2014, the Ministry of Justice and European Affairs of Baden-Württemberg, together with TourCert, developed the certification for destinations. The “Sustainable Destination” award was the first recognition in the German-speaking region to consider the destination as a whole and involve all tourism providers. Today, TourCert-certified destinations can also be found beyond Germany’s borders. The green “N” marks all “Sustainable Destinations” in Germany, and all destinations additionally receive the TourCert seal.

Sigils for Tourcert and Certification for Destinations

Have Questions?

We’re Happy to Help!

We’re happy to discuss the individual steps and options with you personally. If you have any questions, please contact our responsible contact person.

Would you like to submit a specific request directly? We look forward to hearing from you!

Do you have any questions?

We’d be happy to discuss our services with you and help you find the solution that best fits your needs. We look forward to hearing from you!

angela.giraldo@tourcert.org
+49 711 24839712

Image of Head of Empowerment Angela Giraldo
Angela Giraldo

Partner I Head of Empowerment