European SUSTAINABLE DESTINATIONS

THROUGH EU LEGISLATION:

FICTION OR REALITY?

EkaterinaLarionova

European SUSTAINABLE DESTINATIONS

THROUGH EU LEGISLATION: FICTION OR REALITY?

Dissertation

“IherebydeclarethatthisresearchiswhollytheworkofEkaterina

Larionova.Anyothercontributorsorsourceshaveeitherbeenreferencedin

theprescribedmannerorarelistedintheacknowledgementstogetherwith

thenatureandthescopeoftheircontribution”.

EkaterinaLarionova

StudentattheNHTVUniversityofAppliedSciences

MasterProgramTourismDestinationManagement

StudentNumber:152137

Date:December2,2016

I

PREFACE

IencounteredmanyunsustainableactivitiesduringthefieldresearchtoMyanmarandBali.

That experience prompted a feeling of change inme, and thatwaswhen I decided on a

directionofMaster’sthesis.Thus,Iwasmorethanluckytobechosenforacommissioned

researchbyGreenDestinations,becausethetopicdirectlyreflectedmyinterestsandpassion.

GreenDestinationsisanon-profitorganisationcontributingtoamoresustainableandgreen

tourismdevelopment.Greendestinationsfoundationaimstosupportdestinationstobecome

more:

Genuineandauthentic,celebratingtheirlocalcultureandtradition;

Responsible,defendingpeopleagainstexploitationandhumanrightsviolation;

Economicallysustainable,buildinguponthelocalbusinesscommunity;

Environmentallysustainable,ensuringpublichealthandsafety;

Natural&Scenic,protectingwildlifeandrespectinganimals(GreenDestinations,2016).

Toachievesettledvisionandgoals,GreenDestinationsundertakesvariousactivities.Firstand

foremost, Green Destinations developed Green Destination Standard, which is GSTC –

RecognisedandsupportedbyanAssessment&Reportingonlineplatform.Secondly,Green

DestinationsNetworkisaccessibleforanydestinationsubscribedtotheGDAssessment&

Reportingplatform.Thirdly,GreenDestinationsAmbassadorsprogramallowstosharethe

knowledgeandspreadaroundtheworldthemosturgentissues.Moreover,theorganisation

assistsandadvisesthedestinationsonpossiblegreenandsustainablesolutionstostaymore

competitiveinthemarketplace.Lastbutnotleast,GreenDestinationsincooperationwithits

partnersorganisedGlobalGreenDestinationsDay (GGDD) inSeptember in Ljubljana.This

conference is considered to be the biggest event about the sustainability of tourism

destinations,anditgathered300destinations’professionalsfrom36countriesfromallover

theworld.

II

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Firstofall,Iwouldliketothankthecommissioner‘GreenDestinations’,inparticular,Albert

Salman.Thisresearchtopicperfectlysuitedmypersonalinterests.Moreover,theysupported

mewiththeideasandmethodstoconductingthisstudy,providedwithnecessarycontacts,

andgaveanopportunitytobeaparticipantofGlobalGreenDestinationsDayaswellasannual

nationalQualityCoastmeetinginNoordwijk.Itwasagreatpleasuretoconductthisresearch

togetherwith‘GreenDestinations’because,onthisjourney,Ihavelearntalotofvaluable

insightsandhavehadunforgettableexperiences.

Secondly, I would like to thank my supervisor Herman Jan Meijers. He was always very

enthusiastic about my work, supporting and motivating me during the entire process.

Furthermore, he was always available on my requests, answered any questions I was

concernedabout,andsuggestedalotoffruitfulideas.

III

EXECUTIVESUMMARY

TheEUhasbecomeoneoftheleadingdestinationsworldwide,andthetourismindustryis

highly beneficial for the socio-economic environment of EU member states. Moreover,

sustainabilityisplacedinthecentreofsuccessfultourismdevelopment.Thus,theEuropean

Commissionstrategyhasunderlinedtheimportanceofnotjustthecompetitivepositionof

theEUbutalsosustainableandresponsibletourismdevelopment.Inaddition,theemerging

issuesprovokedby tourismgave a background for a developmentof various certification

programmes. Certification programmes and awards are widely spread across the EU,

assessing a level of sustainability and, therefore, promoting sustainable strategies. Thus,

Green Destinations organisation developed Green Destinations Standard, recognised by

GSTS,which includes“the following themes:DestinationManagement,Nature&Scenery,

Environment&Climate,Culture&Tradition,SocialWell-being,Business&Hospitality”(Green

Destinations,2016).

Significantly,aneffectivenessofsustainablestrategies isdependentontheadequatelegal

system. Sustainability, being a cross-field concept, is regulated by different kind of laws.

Hence,theEuropeanUnionhasconstantlybeenworkingonthedevelopmentofpowerful

legislation, and a majority of sustainable development issues are cover by EU law.

Importantly, there is no research done about the direct influence of EU legislation on

sustainabledevelopmentofEUdestinations.Thus,thecentralgoalofthisstudyis:

ToanalyseandidentifyhowEUlegislationcontributestothesustainabilityofEU

destinationsinordertosimplifytheprocessofcompliancewithGreenDestinationsStandard

criteriaandtomotivateotherdestinationstobesustainableand,therefore,more

competitive.

Thefollowingresearchquestionsassistinachievingthegoal:

1. Howimportantissustainabilityforthecompetitivenessofthedestinations?

2. TowhatextentisnationallegislationconnectedwithEUlegislation?

3. For which Green Destinations Standard Criteria it is not necessary to check local

compliance for each destination due to the transposition of EU regulations into

nationallegislation?

IV

Hypothesis:“AllEUdestinationsshouldcomplywithGreenDestinationsStandard

criteria,whicharecoveredbyEUlaw”.

4. Howfararetherelevanttransposedlawsandregulationsenforcedandrespectedin

practice?

Methodology:

Thisstudyusedqualitativeaswellasquantitativeresearchmethods.Thequantitativemethod

aims toanswer the third researchquestionand to test thehypothesis.Whereas, the first

questionincludedamixoftwoapproaches,thesecondandthefourthresearchquestions

wereansweredpurelyviaqualitativedatainterpretation.

Secondary data collection is introduced in ‘Theoretical Background’ section. This chapter

consists of literature review, providing with in-depth information about sustainability,

sustainable tourism development, sustainability assessment and EU member states

compliance with EU legislation. Moreover, the researcher included summaries of EU

regulations,regardingsustainabledevelopment,whicharedividedintodifferentthemes.

Theprimarydatacollectionofthisresearchincorporatesseveralmethodsinordertohavea

betterunderstandingofthetopicandensureahighlevelofvalidity.Thus,23EUdestinations

and 22 sustainability experts filled in two questionnaires; the researcher conducted 5 in-

depthinterviewsduringtheGlobalGreenDestinationsDayinLjubljanaandmadeauseof

destinationsandexperts’correspondenceandofparticipantobservations.

Findings:

• Inthefirstplace,ithasbeenfound,thatsustainabilityisquiteanimportantfactorfor

thecompetitivenessofthedestinations.

• Secondly,theresultsshowed:thereisastrongconnectionbetweennationalandEU

legislationsystems;EUlawisaguidelineformajorsustainabilityissues;nationallaw

is in no way less important than EU regulations; there is a different level of

dependenceonEUlawamongstEUcountries;thereareplentyofregionalandlocal

initiativestowardssustainabledevelopment.

• Thequestionnaires’answersrevealedahighlevelofdisagreementuponeachGreen

DestinationStandardcriteria.Thus,thetestedhypothesiswasdisproved.

V

• Lastbutnotleast,enforcementandimplementationissuesareappearedtobecentral

when it comes to compliance with laws and, therefore, with Green Destinations

Standardcriteria.

Further,therecommendationsaregivenfordifferentstakeholdergroupsinordertoenhance

orimprovetheoverallsustainabledevelopmentandcompetitivenessofEUdestinations(see

Table1).

RECOMMENDATIONS

GOVERNMENT

AUTHORITIES

- ToensureintimetranspositionofEUlegislationinto

nationallegislationsystem

- Tomonitortheeffectivecompliancewiththeregulations.

- Toensureappropriateenforcementofnationallegislation

- Cooperationofdifferentmunicipalitiestosupportregional

initiatives

DESTINATION

MANAGERS

- Toenhanceorincreasetheimportanceofsustainable

destinationdevelopment

- Tosetupashort-termandalong-termregional/local

sustainablestrategy

- Tocooperatewithothernearbyandsimilardestinations

- Toaddresscomplexissuestothenationalorregional

governmentauthorities

‘GREEN

DESTINATIONS’

- DonotexcludeanycriterionfromGreenDestinations

Standard

Table1:Recommendations.Author’sowndevelopment.

VI

TABLEOFCONTENTS

PREFACE.............................................................................................................................I

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS......................................................................................................II

EXECUTIVESUMMARY......................................................................................................III

LISTOFFIGURES.............................................................................................................VIII

LISTOFTABLES...............................................................................................................VIII

LISTOFMAPS.................................................................................................................VIII

ABBREVIATIONS.............................................................................................................VIII

I.INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................................1I.IBACKGROUNDOFTHESTUDY.................................................................................................1I.II.RESEARCHGOALANDRESEARCHQUESTIONS.......................................................................3I.III.REPORTSTRUCTURE............................................................................................................4

II.THEORETICALBACKGROUND.........................................................................................5II.I.SUSTAINABILITY...................................................................................................................5II.II.SUSTAINABILITYASSESSMENT.............................................................................................7II.III.EULEGISLATION.................................................................................................................9

WasteManagement......................................................................................................................9EnvironmentAndClimateChange.................................................................................................9Security........................................................................................................................................10WaterProtectionAndManagement...........................................................................................10HumanRights..............................................................................................................................10IntellectualPropertyRights.........................................................................................................10SocialPolicy.................................................................................................................................10Energy..........................................................................................................................................10EuropeanTourism.......................................................................................................................11Culture.........................................................................................................................................11Transport.....................................................................................................................................11

II.IV.COMPLIANCE...................................................................................................................11

III.METHODOLOGY.........................................................................................................13III.I.RESEARCHAPPROACH.......................................................................................................13III.II.SAMPLING........................................................................................................................14III.III.SECONDARYDATACOLLECTION.......................................................................................14III.IV.QUESTIONNAIRES...........................................................................................................14III.V.EXPERTSANDDESTINATIONS’CORRESPONDENCE...........................................................16III.VI.INTERVIEWS....................................................................................................................17III.VII.OBSERVATIONS..............................................................................................................18III.VIII.VALIDITYANDRELIABILITY............................................................................................19III.IX.LIMITATIONS...................................................................................................................20

IV.FINDINGS...................................................................................................................21

VII

IV.I.HOWIMPORTANTISSUSTAINABILITYFORTHECOMPETITIVENESSOFTHEDESTINATIONS?................................................................................................................................................21IV.II.TOWHATEXTENTISNATIONALLEGISLATIONCONNECTEDWITHEULEGISLATION?.........24

StrongConnectionOfTwoLawSystems.....................................................................................24EULawAsaGuideline.................................................................................................................24ImportanceOfNationalLaw........................................................................................................25DifferentLevelofDependenceonEULegislation.......................................................................25Destinations’Initiatives...............................................................................................................26

IV.III.FORWHICHGREENDESTINATIONSSTANDARDCRITERIAITISNOTNECESSARYTOCHECKLOCALCOMPLIANCEFOREACHDESTINATIONDUETOTRANSPOSITIONOFEULEGISLATIONINTONATIONALLEGISLATION?................................................................................................27

Destinations’Perspective............................................................................................................27Experts’Perception.....................................................................................................................28

IV.IV.HOWFARARETHERELEVANTTRANSPOSEDLAWSANDREGULATIONSENFORCEDANDRESPECTEDINPRACTICE?.........................................................................................................30

V.CONCLUSIONSANDRECOMMENDATIONS...................................................................33V.I.CONCLUSIONS....................................................................................................................33V.II.RECOMMENDATIONS........................................................................................................35

GovernmentAuthorities..............................................................................................................35EUDestinationManagers............................................................................................................35GreenDestinations......................................................................................................................36FurtherResearch.........................................................................................................................36

REFERENCES....................................................................................................................37

APPENDICES.......................................................................................................................IAPPENDIXI–GreenDestinationsStandard.................................................................................IAPPENDIXII–SelectedCriteriaCoveredbyEULaw..................................................................XIIAPPENDIXIII-Destinations’Questionnaire..............................................................................XVAPPENDIXIV–Experts’Questionnaire....................................................................................XIXAPPENDIXV–ParticipantsoftheSurvey...............................................................................XXIIIAPPENDIXVI–Questionnaires’Results................................................................................XXIV

Experts.....................................................................................................................................XXIVDestinations...............................................................................................................................XXX

APPENDIXVII–ExpertsandDestinations’Correspondence.................................................XXXVAPPENDIXVIII–Interviews’Transcrip..............................................................................XXXVIII

VIII

LISTOFFIGURES

Figure1:Aquestionfordestinations'representatives..........................................................21

Figure2:Theimportanceofsustainabilityforthedestinations'competitiveness.Destinations'perception......................................................................................................................21

Figure3:Theimportanceofsustainabilityforthecompetitivenessofdestinations.Experts'perception......................................................................................................................22

Figure4:ApartofaquestionfromDestinations'Questionnaire..........................................27

LISTOFTABLES

Table1:Recommendations......................................................................................................V

Table2:Listofconductedinterviews.....................................................................................17

Table3:AdaptedlistofComputer-AssistedQualitativeDataAnalysisbyMilesandHuberman(1994).............................................................................................................................18

Table4:FourworldsofCompliance.AdaptedfromFalknerandTreib(2008)......................32

LISTOFMAPS

Map1:Anoverviewofexpertsanddestinationsparticipatedinfillinginthequestionnaires.........................................................................................................................................16

ABBREVIATIONS

EC - TheEuropeanCommission

ECEAT

- EuropeanCentreforEcoandAgroTourism

EU

- TheEuropeanUnion

EUCC

- Coastal&MarineUnion

IX

GGDD

- GlobalGreenDestinationsDay

GSTC

- GlobalSustainableTourismCouncil

GSTC–D

- GlobalSustainableTourismCriteriaforDestinations

UNESCO

- TheUnitedNationsEducational,ScientificandCulturalOrganisation

UNEP

- TheUnitedNationsEnvironmentalProgramme

WFD

- WaterFrameworkDirective

WTTC - WorldTravelandTourismCouncil

1

I. INTRODUCTION

I.IBACKGROUNDOFTHESTUDY

TheEUhasbecomethemoststabletourismdestinationworldwide,becauseofbeing“the

largestmarketforinternationalarrivals”aswellasenormouslybenefitingfromadomestic

andintra-Europeantravellers(Peeters,etal.,2015,p.27).Anumberofinternationalarrivals

totheEUwas457millionin2014,whichis40.3%ofinternationaltourismintheworld.Thus,

thelong-termpredictionscalltheEUthetopinternationaltourismdestination(Peeters,et

al.,2015).Besides,thetourismindustryintheEUis“thethirdlargestsocio-economicactivity

[…],afterthetradeanddistribution,andconstructionsectors”,whatillustratesasignificant

impactoftourismontheEUeconomy(Peeters,etal.,2015,p.28).Thus,tourismprovides

approximately5.2%oftotalworkforceintheEUandgeneratesmorethan5%ofthegross

domestic product (GDP) (Peeters, et al., 2015). Furthermore, according to Peeters et al.

(2015),tourisminsignificantlybeneficialforlessdevelopedregionsoftheEU.Additionally,

tourismisacrucialaspectforEUcitizens,sinceanumberofleisureandbusinesstravellersis

steadilygrowing(EuropeanCommission,2010).Therefore,Europeantourismisclearlyakey

contributor to the economy of themember states and their societies; however, such an

expansionofthisindustrytriggersvariousissues.

Itisalwaysachallengetofindtherightbalancebetweenthedevelopmentofadestination

and sustainable development such as, protection of the environment and building a

competitive economic activity (Notarstefano, 2008). Hence, tomake EU tourismnot only

competitive, but sustainable and responsible, the European Commission adopted the

Communication:“Europe,theworld’sNo.1touristdestination-anewpoliticalframework

fortourisminEurope”inJune2010(Peeters,etal.,2015).ThisCommunicationsetsoutthe

followingprioritiesforaction:

• “TostimulatecompetitivenessintheEuropeantourismsector

• Topromotethedevelopmentofsustainable,responsible,andhigh-qualitytourism

• ToconsolidateEurope'simageasacollectionofsustainable,high-qualitydestinations

2

• TomaximizethepotentialofEUfinancialpoliciesfordevelopingtourism”(European

Commission,2016).

Essentially, to be able to achieve these goals, it is essential that all actors of the tourism

industrymakeaneffortcollaboratively(EuropeanCommission,2010).

Furthermore,toenhanceandpromotesustainabledevelopmentofthetourismdestinations,

variouscertificationsprogramshavebeendevelopedgloballyandacrosstheEU.Additionally,

avital roleofthecertificationprogrammes is tomakesustainabletourismproductseasily

recognisedbyconsumersinordertomakethe“green”choice(Hamele,2002).Thus,Global

Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) initiatives are considered to be one of the most

progressiveinadopting“universalsustainabletourismprinciplesthatarewidelyrecognised

today” (Peeters, et al., 2015, p. 17). Importantly, “more than 50 organisations from the

private sector, NGO’s, destinations, Universities, etc.” are gathered together to work on

sustainable guidelines and strategies (Peeters, et al., 2015, p. 17). The environmental

concernsstimulatedthecreationofregionalandnationalenvironmentalcertificateswithin

theEU(e.g.inAustria,Germany,Denmark,England,theNetherlands,etc.)(Hamele,2002).

Moreover,accordingtoHamele(2002,p.2),agreatnumberof“internationalecolabelshave

beendevelopedandimplementedintheNordicCountries(Sweden,Finland,Denmark,etc.)”.

However, a tourism destination is a complex entity and not only environmental aspects

shouldbetakenintoaccount.Therefore,GreenDestinationsorganisationdevelopedGreen

Destinations Standard, recognised by GSTS, which includes “the following themes:

DestinationManagement,Nature&Scenery,Environment&Climate,Culture&Tradition,

SocialWell-being,Business&Hospitality”(GreenDestinations,2016).

Nevertheless,inordertomakethesustainablestrategieseffective,thecommonpolicyand

regulations within the EU are required. Since sustainable development covers economic,

socialandenvironmentalaspectsofthedestinations,therelevantregulationscanbefound

invariousfieldsoflaw.TheEUhasbeenmakingalotofeffortfromalegalpointofviewto

communicateaholisticstrategyofsustainabledevelopment.Forinstance,theenvironmental

regulationsareconsideredtobeoneofthestrongestsidesoftheEUlegislation.Suchissues

asclimatechange,biodiversity,andwatermanagementaresuccessfullytackledbyEnergy

andClimatePack,BirdsandHabitatsDirectivesandWaterDirective(Peeters,etal.,2015).

3

Besides,EUlawsalsoregulatesuchsustainabilityaspectsasWasteManagement,Security,

Human Rights, Intellectual Property Rights, Social Policy, Energy, Culture, and Transport.

However,itisofhighimportancetomention,thatthereisnoresearchdoneaboutthedirect

influenceofEUlegislationonsustainabledevelopmentofEUdestinations.

Toconclude,theEUhasbecomeoneoftheleadingdestinationsworldwide,andthetourism

industry is highly beneficial for the socio-economic environment of EU member states.

Moreover,sustainabilityisplacedinthecentreofsuccessfultourismdevelopment.Thus,the

EuropeanCommissionstrategyhasunderlinedthe importanceofnot just thecompetitive

positionoftheEUbutalsosustainableandresponsibletourismdevelopment.Inaddition,the

emerging issues provoked by tourism gave a background for a development of various

certificationprogrammes.Certificationprogrammesandawardsarewidelyspreadacrossthe

EU, assessing a level of sustainability and, therefore, promoting sustainable strategies.

Significantly,aneffectivenessofsustainablestrategies isdependentontheadequatelegal

system. Sustainability, being a cross-field concept, is regulated by different kind of laws.

Hence,theEuropeanUnionhasconstantlybeenworkingonthedevelopmentofpowerful

legislation,andamajorityofsustainabledevelopmentissuesarecoverbyEUlaw.

In order to fulfil a gap, this research is focusing on interrelations between EU legislation

systemandsustainabledevelopmentofEUdestinationsonthebasisofGreenDestinations

Standardcriteria.

I.II.RESEARCHGOALANDRESEARCHQUESTIONS

Thecentralgoalofthisstudyisformulatedas:

ToanalyseandidentifyhowEUlegislationcontributestothesustainabilityofEU

destinationsinordertosimplifytheprocessofcompliancewithGreenDestinationsStandard

criteriaandtomotivateotherdestinationstobesustainableand,therefore,more

competitive.

Thefollowingresearchquestionswillbeansweredtoachievethesettledgoal:

1. Howimportantissustainabilityforthecompetitivenessofthedestinations?

4

2. TowhatextentisnationallegislationconnectedwithEUlegislation?

3. For which Green Destinations Standard Criteria it is not necessary to check local

compliance for each destination due to the transposition of EU regulations into

nationallegislation?

Hypothesis:“AllEUdestinationsshouldcomplywithGreenDestinationsStandard

criteria,whicharecoveredbyEUlaw”.

4. Howfararetherelevanttransposedlawsandregulationsenforcedandrespectedin

practice?

I.III.REPORTSTRUCTURE

The report consists of 5 chapters. The first chapter is an ‘Introduction’ and represents a

necessarybackgroundofthestudywithresearchgoalandresearchquestions.Thesecond

chapter is ‘Theoretical Background’, which is devoted to a literature review of themost

importantandrelevanttopicsforthisresearchaswellastosummariesofEUlegislation.The

thirdchapteris‘Methodology’,describingtheentireresearchprocess.Thefourthsectionis

‘Findings’,whichrepresentstheresultsofprimarydatacollectionandanalysis.Finally,the

fifthchapterisaboutoverallconclusionsandrecommendations.

5

II. THEORETICALBACKGROUND

II.I.SUSTAINABILITY

Themostusedandwell-knowndefinitionofsustainabledevelopmentistheonegiveninthe

Brundtland Report of World Commission on Environment and Development (1987) –

“sustainable development is development that “meets the needs of the present without

compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. This report

influenced the evolution of sustainable development in tourism context (Ruhamen et al.,

2015).Sustainable tourismconceptionevolvedalongside,but,at thesame time, separate

fromaparadigmofsustainabledevelopment(Ruhamenetal.,2015).

Sustainable tourismconcepthasbeenwidelydiscussed inacademic literature for the last

decades (Hassan, 2000;Miller et al., 2010; Ruhamen et al., 2015; Schianetz et al., 2007;

Seghezzo,2009),andalotofcriticismhasbeenaddressedtowardsit(Ruhamenetal.,2015).

Thus,someacademicshavecriticizedthatthereisalackofprogressinresearchinthisfield

(Bramwell&Lane,2005;Loulanski&Loulanski,2011),therearenever-endingdebatesabout

thedefinitionofsustainabletourism(Gössling,Hall,&Weaver,2008)andthisconceptisonly

a synonym of eco-tourism (Lu & Nepal, 2009). Nevertheless, there has been significant

progressinsustainabletourismresearchwithaclearmovefromconceptualanddefinitional

paperstothose,focusingonapplyingtheoriesthroughempiricalresearch(Ruhamenetal.,

2015).

Thefollowingdefinitionofsustainabletourismisappliedforthisstudy:“Sustainabletourism

canbedefinedastourismthattakesfullaccountofitscurrentandfutureeconomic,socialand

environmentalimpacts,addressingtheneedsofvisitors,theindustry,theenvironmentand

host communities" (UNEP and UNWTO, 2005). However, in order to understand this

definition,itisimportanttodifferentiatebetweensustainabledevelopmentoftourismand

sustainabletourism(Peetersetal.,2015).“Sustainabledevelopmentoftourismdescribesa

processgenerallyatahighlevelofbothgeographicalscaleandabstractionwhichismeasured

againstlong-termeconomic,socialandenvironmentalrequirements(e.g.acertainlevelof

emissionsofCO2or theeconomicreality tomakeaprofitonbusiness,butalso tocreate

equitablewages)”and“Sustainabletourismdescribesthesustainabilityofaproduct(package

tour,tourismtransportation,accommodationordestination)”(Peeters,etal.,2015).

6

Furthermore, UNEP and UNWTO (2005) defines sustainable tourism development as

following:“Sustainabletourismdevelopmentguidelinesandmanagementpractices(that)are

applicabletoallformsoftourisminalltypesofdestinations,includingmasstourismandthe

various niche tourism segments. Sustainability principles refer to the environmental,

economic,andsocio-culturalaspectsoftourismdevelopment,andasuitablebalancemustbe

establishedbetweenthesethreedimensionstoguaranteeitslong-termsustainability.”Thus,

sustainabletourismisnotatypeoftourism,butaguidelinetofollowbyanyformoftourism,

destination,andtourismproduct(Peetersetal.,2015).

Thedefinitionsofsustainabletourismandsustainabletourismdevelopment illustratethat

sustainability in tourism context covers three dimensions: economy, environment, and

society.Thus,“economicdimensionfocusesoneconomicstructure,publicbudget,regional

aspects, consumption, labour and pricing. Environment dimension concerns are on

environmentalprotection,biodiversity,resources,energy,airandwastecontrol.Social/social

equitycaresforsettlementstructure,localculture,incomeandassets,security,mobilityand

publichealth”(Nilnoppakun&Ampavat,2016,p.264).Importantly,UNEPandUNWTO(2005)

include cultural aspect besides three ones mentioned earlier and, additionally, Spindler

(2013) also incorporates cultural conservation as well as recreation activities devoted to

tourismdestinations.

In this researchpaper, sustainabledevelopmentwillbediscussed ina scopeofa tourism

destination.Surprisingly, there isnocommonlyaccepteddefinitionof sustainable tourism

destination regarding its scope (Lee, 2001). However, it is important to underline, that

sustainabledevelopmentonadestinationlevelrequiresabroaderview,tacklingtheoverall

sustainabledevelopmentofthedestination,ratherthanfocusingonlyontourismactivities

(Lee,2001).Further,strategicplanningofsustainabilityofadestinationrequiresnationaland

local government, and public and private sectors stakeholders’ involvement (Pavia et al.,

2015).

As a reaction to irreversible effects of tourism development on social, cultural and

environmental aspects, international organizations such as World Tourism Organization

(WTO),theWorldTravelandTourismCouncil(WTTC),UNEP,UNESCOetc.broadlypromoted

sustainabletourism(EplerWood,2002;UNEPandCI,2003;WTO,2000)what,consequently,

7

causedthedevelopmentofsustainabilityconceptsandtoolsforcurrentsituationassessment

(Schianetzetal.,2007).

II.II.SUSTAINABILITYASSESSMENT

“An assessment tool is something, that typically consists of a systematic step-by-step

assessmentprocedureand/orcomputationalalgorithmthatisusedtoimplementaconcept”

(Schianetz et al., 2007, p. 372). According to Schianetz et al. (2007), tools for assessing

sustainability enable to determine the areas, which are weak and there is a need for

improvementand“whichactionsshouldorshouldnotbetakeninanattempttomakesociety

sustainable”(Devuystetal.,2001,p.9).Moreover,sustainabilityassessmenttoolsevaluate

theeffectivenessofobjectivesandimpliedstrategiesforsustainabledevelopment(Schianetz

etal.,2007).Thus,sustainabilityevaluationprocesshasbecomeamajorpartofsustainable

development.

Manydifferenttoolsformonitoring,managing,measuringandimprovingsustainabilityhave

beendeveloped(Golja&Slivar,2014;Nessetal.,2007;Strasdas,n.d.).Oneofthepossible

ways to determine the level of sustainability is certification.According toHoney&Rome

(2001,p.5)“certificationisavoluntaryprocedurethatassesses,monitors,andgiveswritten

assurance that a business, product, process, service, ormanagement system conforms to

specificrequirements.” Inotherwords“certification isaprocessofassessmenttoconfirm

that standards are met” (Patterson, 2016, p. 53). Thus, it is essential to identify what

standardsareinthesustainabilitycontext.AccordingtoPatterson(2016,p.53)“sustainability

standards – Benchmarks of or targets for minimum performance that a tour operator,

transportation provider, hotel, attraction, or other tourismorganizationmustmeet to be

consideredsustainableorenvironmentallyresponsible”.

Anexampleof sustainability standards for the tourism industry canbeGlobalSustainable

TourismCouncilDestinationCriteria(GSTC-D),whichapplicablearoundtheglobe,providing

a guideline for sustainable tourism management and development policies. Importantly,

Global Sustainable TourismCouncil (GSTC) isworldwide knownbydeveloping sustainable

criteriaforhotelandtouroperatorsandtourismdestinations.Besides,anyentity,whichhas

8

a right to develop sustainable tourism standard can apply for recognition, approval or

accreditationbyGSTC.Thereisasignificantdifferencebetweenthesethreecategories.GSTC

–Recognisedmeans,“thatthestandardalignswiththeGSTCCriteriaandthatanyadditional

clausesdonotcontradictGSTCCriteriarequirements”(GlobalSustainableTourismCouncil,

2016). GSTC – Approvedmeans, “that the standard used for certification is alignedwith

theGlobal Sustainable Tourism Criteria(GSTC-Recognised) and that the certification

procedures largely meet international standards for transparency, impartiality, and

competence” (Global Sustainable Tourism Council, 2016). Lastly, GSTC Accreditedmeans,

“thatacertificationbody(CAB)isusingaGSTC-Recognizedstandardandawardscertification

accordingtoprocessesthatcomplywithinternationalstandardsandgoodpractices”(Global

Sustainable Tourism Council, 2016). Basically, these categories are put in order from less

complextoamorecomplexprocessofevaluation,from“recognising”awritten,published

sustainabletourismstandardtoverifyingtheprocessofstandardapplicationinthefieldwith

anabilitytousetheGSTClogo.

This study focuses on certain criteria of Green Destinations Standard owned by Green

Destinations,Coastal&MarineUnion(EUCC)andEuropeanCentreforEcoandArgoTourism

(ECEAT). Green Destinations Standard is a tool for monitoring, assessing and improving

sustainabilityindestinationsandregions,whichisrecognisedbyGSTC.TheStandardapplies

100criteria,and100indicators,whichcanbeseeninAppendixI.GreenDestinationsdoes

notawardtourismdestinations,butallowsexistingcertificationprogrammes,countriesand

othereligibleentitiestouseitsStandard(GreenDestinations,2016).TheStandardiscurrently

usedbyQualityCoast,QualityDestinationcertification,andSloveniaGreenprogram.

To sumup, nowadays, sustainabledevelopment is a crucial part of any tourismbusiness.

Further, it is equally important on a destination level, what, however, requires a more

sophisticatedapproach,sinceadestinationisacomplexconcept.Awarenessofsustainable

developmentisbecominghigher,thatiswhymanysustainabilityassessmenttoolshavegot

recognitionamongdifferent stakeholders.A varietyof assessment systems is availableall

overtheworld,whatsometimescanevenbeconfusing.Nevertheless,animportantroleof

complying with sustainability criteria is devoted to regulations. Therefore, next part of

literature review will focus on European Union (EU) legislation as a contributor to a

sustainabledevelopmentofEUdestinations.

9

II.III.EULEGISLATION

Firstandforemost,itisessentialtounderstandthebasicprincipalsofEUlaw.EUlegislation

consistsofprimarylegislation,whichisthebasisforallEUactionsandsecondarylegislation,

which includes regulations, directives, decisions, etc. (European Union, 2016). Moreover,

different types of legal acts of secondary legislation have a different level of legal force.

Hence, regulations,directives,anddecisionsarebinding,andnon-binding instrumentsare

resolutions and opinions (EUR-lex, 2016). Importantly, regulations and decisions become

binding for EUmembers the same day they enter into force anddirectivesmust be first

incorporatedintonationallegislationbyEUMemberStates(EuropeanCommission,2016).

Sincesustainabilityissuchacomplexconcept,itisnotsurprising,thatregulations,covering

different aspects of sustainable development, belong to various law fields. Further,

summariesoflawfields,relevanttosustainabledevelopment,willbeintroduced.Tomake

thesummariesaresearcheruses“EUR-Lex”database,whichhasaccesstoEUlaw(directives,

regulations, decisions, etc.), official Journal of the European Union, summaries of EU

legislation,etc.Importantly,thedatabaseisdailyupdatedandisanofficialwebsiteofEUlaw.

WASTEMANAGEMENT

WastemanagementisbroadlycoveredbyEUpolicies,tacklingdifferentanglesofthisissue.

Thus, EU law ensures the proper treatment of urban waste water including collection,

treatmentandwastewaterdischarge,andtreatmentof industries’wastewater.Moreover,

EUlegislationunderlinestheimportanceofrecycling.

ENVIRONMENTANDCLIMATECHANGE

EU’s environmental policy covers not only protection of human health by improving

environmentquality,butalsofocusesonarationalusageofnaturalresources.Thereisalso

afocusonfertilesoil,seas,freshwater,cleanairandbiodiversityconservation.Furthermore,

theEUiscontributingalotofefforttoemissionsreductionbymemberstates.

10

SECURITY

AlotofinitiativesaboutsecurityissueshavebeentakenwithinEUpolicy.Thus,EUregulations

ensureahighlevelofsafetyinEUcountriesbypreventingcrime,racism,xenophobia,and

manyotherillegalactivities.

WATERPROTECTIONANDMANAGEMENT

AqualityofwaterintheEUisguaranteedbyEUWaterDirective,coveringsuchaspectsasall

formsofwaterprotection,“restoringtheecosystemsinandaroundthesebodiesofwater”

(EUR-Lex,2015),reductionofpollutioninwater,andsustainablewaterusagebyindividuals

andbusinesses.

HUMANRIGHTS

EUCharterof FundamentalRights establishes EU citizens and residents’ rights, related to

dignity,liberty,equality,solidarity,citizenship,justice,workers’socialrights,dataprotection,

bioethics,andtherighttogoodadministration.

INTELLECTUALPROPERTYRIGHTS

The EuropeanUnion has a broad policy for the protection of intellectual rights, which is

introducedintheEUActionPlanconcerningtheenforcementofintellectualpropertyrights.

SOCIALPOLICY

LegislationsystemoftheEuropeanUnionregulatesfollowingareas:promotionofahighlevel

ofemployment,equal treatmentofworkers,ahigh levelofeducationand training, social

protection,etc.

ENERGY

Some of the main goals of the EU energy policies, which are relevant to sustainable

development, are thepromotionof efficiency and energy saving andusageof renewable

sourcesofenergy.

11

EUROPEANTOURISM

Importantly, the EU developed “Agenda for a sustainable and competitive European

Tourism”,andtherearesomechallenges,whichshouldbementioned:safetyoftouristsand

localcommunitiesandaccessibilityoftouristsiteswithoutanydiscrimination.

CULTURE

EU legislation encourages to preserve cultural heritage, what is essential for sustainable

developmentofdestinations.

TRANSPORT

EU transport strategy includes the elimination of traffic growth, the promotion of public

transport, the development for reducing CO2 emissions and raising awareness of how to

decreasetheenvironmentalimpactoftransport.

As ithasbeen illustrated,EU legislationcoversdiverseareasof sustainabledevelopment,

however,itisnotenoughtojustestablishregulationstobeeffectivelysustainable.Thus,the

importance of compliance with listed laws comes next, since EU policy goals cannot be

achieved, if theMemberStatesdonoteffectivelyapplyon theground (Ballesterosetal.,

2013).

II.IV.COMPLIANCE

CompliancewithEUlegislationbytheMemberStateshasbecomeawidely-discussedissue

amongst academics aswell as practitioners (Batory, 2016; Ballesteros et al., 2013;García

Quesada, 2014; Falkner&Treib, 2008). For instance, even though, theWater Framework

Directive2000/60/EC(WFD)isconsideredasthemostambitiouspieceofEUlegislation,ithas

facedmanyimplementationproblems(Voulvoulisetal.,2017).Suchfailuresofcompliance

have a negative impact on the effectiveness of EU regulations; thus, the EU might be

consideredasasystem,whichisabletoadoptlegislationwithindifferentstates,but“unable

toensureitsapplication”(GarcíaQuesada,2014,p.332).

Furthermore, a lot of attention has been given to a reason for non-compliance within

differentEUmembers(GarcíaQuesada,2014).Oneofsuchreasonscanbedependenceon

12

howeffectivelynationalimplementationandenforcementsystemsarearranged(Falkner&

Treib,2008;GarcíaQuesada,2014).Hence,eveniftheregulationsareclearlydefined,itdoes

notensuretheirequalapplicationthroughouttheEU(GarcíaQuesada,2014).Besides,there

isatrendoflatetranspositionofEUlegislationbytheMemberStatesduetothevagueness

of theDirectives and disagreements about the interpretation of EU law between EU and

nationalauthorities(Ballesterosetal.,2013).

However, according to Börzel (2011), there is simply no evidence of EU members non-

compliance,asitisclaimedbyacademicsandtheEuropeanCommission(EC),because,firstly,

thereisnodatasupportingsuchpointofviewand,secondly,thedataprovidedbytheECis

oftenmisinterpreted.Moreover,thereisatheoryamongstacademics,thatEUlegislationcan

beseenas“asuccessstoryintermsofcompliance”(Zürn,2005,p.38).

Toconclude,therearedifferentopinionsaboutthelevelofcompliancewithEUlawaswell

as about the reasons for possible non-compliance. Nevertheless, a failure to effectively

implementEUregulationshasbeenrecentlybroadlyacknowledgedandcannotbeignored.

13

III. METHODOLOGY

Firstly, research approach and sampling will be introduced. Secondly, the researcher

describestheimplementedmethodsfollowedbyanalysisprocesses.Thirdly,thereisasection

aboutvalidityandreliability.And,lastly,thelimitationsoftheresearcharepresented.

III.I.RESEARCHAPPROACH

Thisresearchcanbemainlycharacterisedasempiricalsinceempiricalstudiesaredesignedto

gain information from ‘real world’ (Veal, 2011). However, the researcher made use of

secondarydataaswelltoprovideanecessarytheoreticalbackground.

Moreover, both qualitative and quantitative research methods were applied. Qualitative

research isusually concernedwith themeaningofwords,whereasquantitativeapproach

involvesnumericaldata(Veal,2011).Asanyresearchmethodhasitslimitations,thesetwo

arenotanexception.Hence,theapplicationofbothcompensatespotentialdisadvantages.

Furthermore,toanswerresearchquestions,acombinationofdescriptive,explanatory,and

evaluativeresearchtypeswasincorporated.Thedescriptivetypewasusedtoinvestigateand,

therefore,describesomephenomena;thisapproachisrelevanttothisstudysincethefield

ofdirectconnectionsbetweenEUlegislation,andsustainability isnotwellresearchedyet.

Secondly,explanatoryapproachtendsto“explainhoworwhythingsareastheyare”(Veal,

2011, p. 6); thus, this techniquewas implemented to explainwhy certain criteria can or

cannotbeexcludedoutofGreenDestinationsStandard.Lastly,evaluativetypeofresearchis

an“evaluationofpolicies[…]”(Veal,2011,p.6),whichideallysuitedinacontextofanalysing

howeffectiveEUpoliciesareandtheirlevelofimplementation.

In addition to above-described research types, deductive as well inductive research

approaches were utilised. The deductive process intends to confirm or to disprove

hypotheses(Veal,2011).Hence,thismethodwasusedtotestthehypothesismadeforthis

study.Inaddition,themethodofinductionwassuitablyimplementedwheretheexplanations

andconclusionswereevolvedoutofthedata,sinceininductiveresearchprocess“thedata

comefirstandtheexplanationlater”(Veal,2011,p.39).

14

III.II.SAMPLING

Criterionsamplingwaschosenasthemostappropriateforthegoalofthisresearch.According

toVeal(2011),criterionmethodimplies,thattheindividualsareselectedbasedonacertain

criterion. Thus, for one questionnaire, participants were selected due to their relevant

expertiseinsustainability,andforanotherquestionnaire,theywereselectedduetotheirjob

position.Importantly,thesamplesizewaslimitedbyanumberofavailablecontactsprovided

bythecommissioner.

III.III.SECONDARYDATACOLLECTION

Secondarydatawasconstantlyreviewedduringtheentireresearchprocess.Asaresult,the

second chapter is devoted to the theoretical background, which provides with essential

knowledge tounderstand the contextof the study. The following secondarydata sources

wereused:

- AcademicarticlesaboutsustainabilityandEUlegislation;

- Books;

- EUR–Lex–officialdatabaseofEUlaw;

- OfficialreportsoftheEuropeanParliament;

- Industries’reports;

- ReportsofInternationalConferences;

- Websitesetc.

However, the major part of this study is fairly given to the primary data collection, the

methodsofwhichareintroducedfurther.

III.IV.QUESTIONNAIRES

Twoquestionnairesweredesigned:onefordestinations’representativesandanotheronefor

thesustainabilityexperts.Astheprimarygoalwastotestthehypothesisofthethirdresearch

question, the first step was to select Green Destinations Standard criteria which are

15

potentiallycoveredbyEUlegislation.Thus,all100criteriawerethoroughlyrevisedonthe

basisofdifferentEUlawareas,whichareintroducedinchapter2.Consequently,30criteria

werechosen(seeAppendixII)andintegratedintoquestionnaires.

Significantly, if the representative number of EU destinations comply with a number of

selectedcriteriaduetoEUlegislation,thesecriteriamightbeexcludedfromtheassessment.

However,duringtheresearchprocess,preliminaryfindingsshowed,thatthereisnoneedto

separatethereasonsofcompliance.Thus,theresearchertogetherwiththecommissioner

decided,thatthecriteriawhichdestinationscomplywith“duetoEUlegislation”aswellas

“Duetonationallegislation”canbeequallyconsideredascompliantthroughouttheEU.

Additionally,thesurveyaimedtofindouthowimportantsuitabilityisforthecompetitiveness

ofdestinations.

Thequestionnairesconsistedofclosedaswellasofopenquestions.Thedestinationsand

expertswereaskedtoanswer6and4questionsrespectively(seeAppendixIII,IV).

Twoquestionnairesweredistributedviapersonale-mailsfrom13thofSeptembertill14thof

October.AllthecontactswereprovidedbyGreenDestinationsandconsistedof29experts

and28destinations.Asaresult,22expertsand23destinationsfilledinthequestionnaires.

Below,Map1 illustratesa territory coveredby this study. Further, the listofexpertsand

destinationsparticipatedinthissurveycanbefoundinAppendixV.

Somequestions(Q1,Q2,andQ3ofDestinations’questionnaireandQ1andQ2ofExperts’

questionnaire)wereanalysedinaquantitativeway,usingQualtricsplatform.Twoanalytical

processeswereused: frequencies,whichrepresentspercentagesandcounts for individual

variablesandmeans,whicharethe“averagesfornumericalvariables”(Veal,2011,p.418).

Moreover,somedestinationsselected“Notsure”answersforQ3werecontactedonceagain

tospecifythereasonfortheirchoice.Inparticular,itreferstoonlythosecriteria,whichdo

nothave“Donotcomply”answersandanumberof“Notsure”answersdonotexceed2.

Thus,3outof7contactedtwicedestinations’representativesselected“Notsure”optionfor

areasonofalackofspecificexpertise.Therefore,theiranswerswerenottakenintoaccount.

16

Open-endedquestions (Q4,Q5, andQ6ofDestinations’ questionnaire andQ3 andQ4of

Experts’ questionnaire) provided with names, countries and destinations of participants,

therefore,weresimplyusedtomaptheresearcharea.

Thedetailedquestionnaires’resultsaresituatedinAppendixVI.

III.V.EXPERTSANDDESTINATIONS’CORRESPONDENCE

Onthestageofquestionnaires’distribution,manyexpertsanddestinations’representatives

contacted the researcher back. They gave essential comments on the questionnaires and

theiranswers,aswellassomeadditionalinsights,whichthequestionnairescouldnotreveal.

Thus,6expertsand4destinationse-mailedbacktotheresearcher(seeAppendixVII).

Map1:Anoverviewofexpertsanddestinationsparticipatedinfillinginthequestionnaires.Author’sowndevelopment.

17

Most importantly, thecorrespondencewasusedasabasis tostructure interviews’ topics,

becauseparticipantsrepeatedlyreferredtothesimilarissues.Further,thedatawascoded

accordingtotheresearchquestionsinasimilarmannerastranscriptionsofinterviews.Thus,

codedinformationwasquantitativelyanalysedandinterpreted,andwasavaluableadded

valuetothefindings.

III.VI.INTERVIEWS

Interviews were conducted in order to get insight into the importance of sustainable

development,interconnectionsbetweenEUandnationallegislationsystemsandtheirfactual

implementation. The type of interviews can be characterised as semi-structured. The

researcherpreparedseveralquestionsorganisedbythetopicsinadvance,however,stayed

flexible and a particular order of asking the questions was adapted individually for each

interview.Moreover, the interviewer engaged in dialogue and added follow-upquestions

wherenecessary,oraskedtoexplainaspecificanswer.

TheinterviewsweretakenduringtheGlobalGreenDestinationDay(GGDD)on27th-28thof

September inLjubljana.Five interviewswerescheduledbeforehand,andallof themwere

conductedasplanned(seeTable2)andlastedfrom20to40minutes.Importantly,threeout

of five interviewees took part in filling the questionnaires before the Conference and,

therefore,werewell-informedabouttheresearchtopic.Nevertheless,allintervieweesgotan

e-mail several days prior to themeeting with an outline of the interview.Moreover, all

participantskindlyagreedthattheinterviewscouldberecorded.

Interviewee Position Date

BruceHanson HeadofTourismatBroadsAuthority 27.09.2016

JanAndersson HeadofbusinessoperationsInMunicipalityofÅre 28.09.2016

JessicaViscart HeadofobservationunitinBrittanyTouristBoard 28.09.2016

JoasvandenBerg SustainabilitycoordinatorinMunicipalityofNoordwijk 27.09.2016

JuanPabloPerezGomez QualityCoastRegionalCoordinator(Galicia) 27.09.2016

Table2:Listofconductedinterviews.

18

Thenextstepwas toanalysequalitativedata.Thisprocess ishighly important formaking

senseoutofgathereddata:“breakitdown,studyitscomponents,investigateitsimportance,

andinterpretitsmeaning”(Bailey,2007,p.125).MilesandHuberman(1994)createdalistof

techniquestoanalysethedata.Thelisthasbeenadaptedinawaytosuitthisstudy,anditis

representedinTable3below.

Step Action

1 Transcribingthedata

2 Coding:attachingkeywordsortagstosegmentsoftexttopermitlaterretrieval

3 Datalinking:connectingrelevantdatasegmentswitheachother,creatingnetwork

ofinformation

Steponereferstoatranscriptionoftherecordedinterviewsinatableaccordingtothetopics

whichwerepreliminarydesigned(seeAppendixVIII).Steptwoiscoding,whichisdefinedby

Bailey (2007, p.127) as “the process of organizing a large amount of data into smaller

segments[…]”.Thus,thedatawasrepeatedlyrevisedandcodedaccordingtoeachresearch

question.Further,withinthesameresearchquestionsub-themeswereidentified.Thethird

stepwastofindalinkbetweendifferentsegmentsofsub-themestorepresentfindingsina

holisticway.

III.VII.OBSERVATIONS

Withintheresearchtwoparticipantobservationstookplace.Theresearchermainlyactedas

a ‘participant as observer’ and as a ‘complete participant’ (Bailey, 2007), which is

characterisedbydeepinvolvementintheactivitiesonthefield.Moreover,theobservations

wereunstructuredwithaflexibleapproach,whatenabledtoshiftthefocuswhennecessary.

First and foremost, the researcher visitedGGDDConferenceon27th-28thof September in

Ljubljana.Thiseventwasdevotedtogreenandsustainabletourism,tacklingcurrentissues

and key aspects of sustainable development. The Conference consisted ofmore than 30

Table3:AdaptedlistofComputer-AssistedQualitativeDataAnalysisbyMilesandHuberman(1994)

19

lectures given by destinations’ representatives from all over the world and various

workshops.Importantly,oneoftheorganisingentitieswasGreenDestinationsPartnership.

Secondly,theresearcherwasinvitedtogiveashortpresentationaboutpreliminaryresultsat

an annual national QualityCoast meeting on 10th of October in Noordwijk. The meeting

includedthepresentationofcertificatesforDutchwinnersofSustainableDestinationsTop

100(2016),QualityCoastAwardsandPanelDiscussion:“Howdothecoastaldestinationsdeal

withcoastaldevelopments?”.Duringthismeeting,theresearchermanagedtointeractwith

participants,talkingabouttheresearchtopicandothersustainableactivities.Moreover,since

the commissioner was present at the meeting, the direct feedback on the results was

delivered. More than that, further research direction and possible conclusions were

discussed.

Tosumup,botheventsplayedasignificantroleinframingtheoverviewaboutsustainable

destinations,theirperceptionsandactivities,andhelpedtogainanin-depthunderstanding

ofissuesinthisarea.Furthermore,theGGDDConference,aswellasQualityCoastmeeting,

gaveopportunitiesforthenetworkingandanexchangeofcontactdetails.

III.VIII.VALIDITYANDRELIABILITY

AccordingtoVeal(2011),validityrepresentstheextenttowhichtheinformationgiveninthe

researchisastrueasitclaimedtobebytheresearcher.Toensureahighlevelofvalidityfor

this study,a triangulationmethodwasutilised.Triangulation is identifiedbyusingseveral

researchapproacheswithinonestudyinordertogetabroaderanddeeperunderstanding

(Veal,2011).Hence,triangulationwasusedinthewayofdifferentdatacollectionmethods,

suchasquestionnaires,interviews,correspondenceandobservations.

Reliabilityoftheresearchreferstotheextenttowhichtheresultsofthestudywouldbesame

if itwas conducted again later orwith different samplingmethod (Veal, 2011). It is very

difficult for social sciences tomeet this criterion because the research process is closely

connectedwithhumanbeings,andsocialenvironmentmightchangeata fastpace (Veal,

2011).Importantly,suchareaasthesustainabilitykeepsdevelopingandspreadingwithina

highernumberofEUdestinations.Moreover, legislationisconstantlybeingimproved,and

newlawsarecreatedtosatisfyneedsofchangingsociety.Factorsmentionedabovedonot

20

allowtoassume,thattheresultofthisresearchwouldbesimilarifconductedunderdifferent

conditions.

III.IX.LIMITATIONS

Thissubchapterrepresentstheacknowledgedlimitationsofconductedresearch.

Firstandforemost,notallEUcountrieswerecoveredduringtheresearchprocess.Therefore,

theresultscannotbegeneralisedtoEUlevel,rathertakenasoneofthepossiblepicturesof

investigatedissues.

Secondly,somecountrieswereresearcheddeeperthanothersduetoasignificantdifference

in a number of destinations, representing the same country. For instance, 7 destinations

representedtheNetherlands,whereastherewas1Swedishdestination.Fewerdifferences

betweenthenumbersofparticipateddestinationsfromdifferentcountrieswouldleadtoa

moreequalunderstandingofasituationwithinacountry.

21

IV.FINDINGS

The information provided in this chapter is based on primary data, gathered by the

researcher.Findingsarestructuredintheresearchquestionsorder,whicharepresentedin

introduction.Moreover,itisessentialtomention,thatwhentheresearcherreferstoterms

as “EU legislation”, “national legislation”, “regulations”, “legislation”etc.,only regulations

relevanttothisstudyaremeant.

IV.I.HOWIMPORTANTISSUSTAINABILITYFORTHECOMPETITIVENESSOFTHEDESTINATIONS?

Inordertoanswerthefirstresearchquestion,theresultsofquestionnaires,interviews,and

expertsanddestinationscorrespondenceareusedandpresentedinlistedorder.

The results of the questionnaire designed

for destinations will be presented first.

Figure 1 illustrates a question,whichwas

addressed to representatives of

destinations.

The questionnaire revealed that the vast

majority of destinations consider

sustainabilityasa“veryimportant”aswell

as an “important” factor for their

competitiveness.Thus,16(69%)and5(22%)

destinations out of 23 think, that

Figure2:Theimportanceofsustainabilityforthedestinations’competitiveness.Destinations’

perception.

Figure1:Aquestionfordestinations’representatives.

69%

22%

9%%%

22

sustainability is “very important” and

“important” respectively. Only 2

destinations (9%) believe that

sustainability has no benefits for the

competitiveness, selecting “Neutral”

option. Results mentioned above are

visualisedinFigure2.

The experts, taking part in filling in a

questionnaire, were asked the same

question, however, connected to all

destinations in general. The results showed that 14 (64%) and 7 (32%) experts out of 22

consider sustainability to be “Very important” and “Important” respectively. Additionally,

only1(4%)expertfindsustainabilityasa“Notveryimportant”factor.Listedresultscanbe

seeninFigure3.

As ithasbeenshown,themajorityofdestinationsandexpertsagree,thatsustainability is

“Very important” for the competitiveness of destinations, many of them consider

sustainability as an “Important” factor. Two destinations think that sustainability is a

“Neutral” feature when it comes to the competitiveness. None of the experts chose

“Neutral”,however,oneofthemthinkofsustainabilityas“Notveryimportant”,whichisless

positivethan“Neutral”option.Importantly,noneofthedestinations’representativesaswell

astheexpertschosea“Notatall important”answer.Hence,accordingtothemostofthe

participantsfrombothquestionnaires,sustainabilityplaysanessentialroleindestinations’

competitiveness.

Secondly, five intervieweeswereaskedhow important they findsustainability for tourism

destinations.Alltheintervieweesbelieve,that“sustainabilityisakeyfactorforthefuture”

(IntervieweeE,2016);however,differentthoughtsaresupportingthatopinion.Forinstance,

sustainabilityisadmittedtobeveryimportantwhenitcomestoenvironmentalissues.Thus,

“For our destination, it is very important. We are seriously at risk by climate change”

(IntervieweeB,2016).Moreover,IntervieweeD(2016)stated,that“ifwedon’tworkonthe

environment,wewilllosetourisminafewyears”.

64%

32%

4%

Figure3:Theimportanceofsustainabilityforthecompetitivenessofdestinations.Experts’perception.

23

Besides, it was said, that “Sustainability is more, than just focusing on green and

environment” (IntervieweeA,2016), it is important, that“firstly,original inhabitantscope

withit(tourism)and,secondly,makeaprofitoutofit”(IntervieweeA,2016).Therefore,there

is awareness, that sustainable development also covers social aspects of destinations,

precisely,thewell-beingofalocalcommunity.

However, some destinations might find it difficult to incorporate sustainable strategies,

because “Sustainability [...] is […] essential in the long-run, but it is difficult tomake the

destinationsunderstandthisinshort-run.Because,mostofthetimesthedestinationswork

almostin100%short-termbasis”(IntervieweeC,2016).Moreover,“Sometimesyouhaveto

waituntilsomethingbadhappens,sotheycanstartworkingonimprovement”(Interviewee

C,2016).

Consequently,all the interviewees,coming fromdifferentEUcountriesacknowledged the

importanceofsustainabledevelopmentfortourismdestinations.Theyalsounderlinedthat

it is essential for solving environmental problems aswell as social ones.Moreover, some

difficultiesinstrategyimplementationhavebeenidentified.

Thirdly,accordingtoExpertCorrespondenceA(2016),sustainabilitywillbecomeevenmore

importantforthecompetitivenessofdestinationsinfuture,atleastforEurope.

To conclude, the results have clearly shown, that sustainability is undeniably an essential

featureofdestinationstostaycompetitive.Sustainabledevelopmentisnotonlyaboutthe

environment,but tacklesdifferentareasofdestinations’development, therefore,evoking

variousdifficultiesonthefield.However,regardlessexistingbarriers,sustainabilitymightbe

evenamoreurgenttopicinfuturewithinallEUdestinations.

24

IV.II.TOWHATEXTENTISNATIONALLEGISLATIONCONNECTEDWITHEULEGISLATION?

ThissubchapterinvestigatestheinterconnectionsofnationalandEUlegislation.Toanswer

thisquestion,theresearcherusedexpertsanddestinations’correspondenceaswellasthe

interviews.

STRONGCONNECTIONOFTWOLAWSYSTEMS

Significantly,theimportanceofidentifyinghowcloselynationallegislationisconnectedwith

EU legislationemergedwhenquestionnaires’participantswerecontactingthe researcher,

addressingthisissue.

Thefact,thatnationallegislationisverymuchconnectedwithEUlawbecamevisiblequite

often.Inmostcases,participantsstated,thatit isnotpossibletodistinguishwhetherthey

complywithGreenDestinationsStandardcriteriaduetonationalorEUlegislationbecauseit

isusuallyamixofboth(ExpertCorrespondenceC,2016).Someparticipantssaid,thatmany

nationalandregionalregulationsarebasedonandderivedfromEUlegislation(Destinations

CorrespondenceC,2016;ExpertsCorrespondenceD,2016).Further,alltheintervieweeshad

asimilaropinionandunderlined,thattheinitiativesarecomingfrombothsides(Interviewee

A,2016)and,forinstance,UKlawiscloselyconnectedtoEUlaw(IntervieweeB,2016).

EULAWASAGUIDELINE

It has been mentioned by interviewees, that EU legislation helps destinations to be

sustainableandplaysaroleasaguideline(IntervieweeA,2016).Particularly,EUlawisvery

helpful when it comes to the major issues, like water management, environment, and

protection of natural areas (Interviewee A, 2016; Interviewee E, 2016). Interestingly,

Interviewee C (2016) considers EU law as “the best tool to ensure real environmental

protection”.However,eventhoughthegreatsignificancehasbeengiventoEUlawsystem,

the importanceofnational lawcan’tbeundermined,because“therearea lotofnational

regulationsadditionaltoEU”(IntervieweeA,2016).

25

IMPORTANCEOFNATIONALLAW

In the first place, where EU legislation introduces a broad framework, the national law

specifies the exact steps for successful implementation (Interviewee A, 2016). Secondly,

nationallawinmanycasesismuchstricter(IntervieweeC,2016).Andthirdly,accordingto

IntervieweeA (2016), “national law iswaymore important” formany otheraspects than

watermanagementandenvironment.Forexample,crimeissuesaremostlyinthehandsof

nationallawmakers (IntervieweeE,2016).Therefore,national legislation isinnoway less

importantthanEUlawand“thestrongestincentivetochangethingsismostofthetimeslocal

one”(IntervieweeA,2016).

DIFFERENTLEVELOFDEPENDENCEONEULEGISLATION

Theremainingquestions tobeanswered ishowfarnational law isdependentonEU law.

Thus,75-80%ofenvironmentallawinSpainexistsduetoEUlegislation(IntervieweeC,2016).

Moreover,iftheUKpullsoutEUlaws,somanythingsareatriskandalotofprotectionwill

be lost (Interviewee B, 2016). Furthermore, according to Interviewee B (2016), most

regulations are coming fromEU level and “we (theUK) don’t do verymuch untilwe are

forced”. Significantly, Interviewee C (2016) thinks, that for countries with a not well-

developedbodyoflaw,EUlegislationgives“agreatplatformtoworkwith”.

Oppositely,“Swedishpeoplearequiteclevertofindtheirownregulations[…]topreservethe

nature”and,moreover,theEUcanlearnfromSwedenaboutlegislationinhumanrightsarea

(IntervieweeE,2016).Inaddition,accordingtoIntervieweeA(2016),nationallegislationon

thewelfareofanimalsincircusesintheNetherlandsdevelopedwithoutEUguidance.

Further,accordingtoExpertCorrespondenceA(2016),thecountrieswithverystrongnational

regulations (e.g. Austria) regarding criteria might say that they comply due to national

legislation. Whereas, in cases with less strong national legislation (e.g. in Greece),

destinationsmightmeetcriteriaduetoEUlaw(ExpertCorrespondenceA,2016).Therefore,

insomecountries,nationallawismoredependent(suchasSpain,Greece,theUK)onEUlaw

thaninothercountries(suchasSweden,theNetherlands,Austria)and“weneedtoseein

everycountrycasebycase”(IntervieweeC,2016).

26

DESTINATIONS’INITIATIVES

Theexpertsandthedestinations’representativesstatedmanytimes,thatwhilefillinginthe

questionnaires, theymissed someoptions to choose fromwhen it comes to a reason for

compliance with Green Destinations Standard criteria. Hence, according to Destinations

CorrespondenceB(2016),Noordwijkcomplywithsomecriteria,notduetoEUornational

legislation,“butbecauseweasadestinationdoso”andmanythingsaredoneonaregional

level,whicharebeyondtherequirements(IntervieweeA,2016).ExpertCorrespondenceB

(2016)provided the information, that “some things are also arrangedon regional& local

level”.Therefore,itcanbeconcludedthatregulationsonaregionallevelcanplayabigrole

forsustainabilityofadestination.Moreover,itshows,thatmostofthetimesdestinations’

initiativescomefromthecountries,whicharelessdependentonEUlegislation,suchasthe

Netherlands.

Toconclude,theresultsillustratedthatthereisastrongconnectionbetweennationalandEU

legislationinallcountries,whichtookpartinthisresearch.However,thelevelofdependence

onEUlawdiffersfromcasetocase.Forinstance,legislationinSpain,GreeceandtheUKis

moredependentonEUlegislation,thanSwedish,AustrianandDutchlegalsystems.Further,

it was revealed, that national law plays a significant role in sustainable development of

destinations,aswellasregionalandlocal initiatives.Importantly, local initiativesaremore

oftenpresent in lessdependentonEU lawcountries. Therefore, it canbe suggested that

national law ismoreprogressive in countrieswithmore regional and local input and less

dependentonEUframework.

27

IV.III.FORWHICHGREENDESTINATIONSSTANDARDCRITERIAITISNOTNECESSARYTOCHECKLOCALCOMPLIANCEFOREACHDESTINATIONDUETO

TRANSPOSITIONOFEULEGISLATIONINTONATIONALLEGISLATION?

Toanswerthisresearchquestion,theresultsofbothquestionnaireswereused,inparticular,

thefollowingquestion:

DESTINATIONS’PERSPECTIVE

Firstly,theresultsofthequestionnaireshow,thatthereisarelativelyhighnumberof“Donot

comply”answers.Thus,11outof30criteriaarenotcompliantwithin1or2destinations.

Sincethetotalnumberofdestinationsparticipatedinthesurveywas23,even1destination,

whichdonotcomplywithcertaincriteria,issignificant.Therefore,those11criteriacannot

beconsideredascompliantthroughouttheEU.

Secondly,almostallcriteria,but5,consistof“Notsure”option;anumberofdestinations

selectedthisanswervariesfrom1to12percriterion.

Thirdly, there are only 5 criteria in total, for which destinations did not choose “Do not

comply”and“Notsure”simultaneously.Hence,onlythese5criteriacanbeconsideredas

compliantbyalldestinations.

Fourthly,thereisonlyonecriterionwhichalldestinationsagreedonandselectedthesame

option. Thus, all 23 participants comply with “Crime, safety, and health hazards are

adequately monitored and publicly reported” criterion. Significantly, they comply due to

Figure4:ApartofaquestionfromDestinations’questionnaire.

28

nationallegislation.Infact,theresultsrevealed,thatthevastmajorityofdestinations,which

complywithsomecriteria,doitduetonationallegislation.

Tosumup,ahighdegreeofthevarianceofanswersillustrates,thatitisquitecomplicatedto

generalise the results and select criteria, which are compliant amongst all participants.

Although itwas expected, that themajority of 30 criteriawould be compliant due to EU

legislation,mostof thecompliance throughout theparticipants ispresentdue tonational

legislationsystem.

EXPERTS’PERCEPTION

Firstly, the results of experts’ questionnaire illustrate, that there is much more “Do not

comply”answersthanindestinations’questionnaire.Thus,25criteriaareconsideredasnot

compliant.

Secondly,“Notsure”optionispresentinallcriteriabutone.Allcriteriaincludeeither“Donot

comply” or “Not sure” answers, or both of them simultaneously. Therefore, there is no

criterionbytheexperts’opinionwhichisconsideredcompliantthroughouttheEU.

Thirdly,theresultsshow,thatthereisnoagreementamongsttheexpertsuponanysingle

criteria.

However,theexperts,asthedestinations,whilechoosingacomplianceoption,mostofthe

timeselected“Duetonationallegislation”.

Therefore,generally,theexperts’answerswerelesspositiveasdestinations’ones.Asaresult,

there is no criterion, which all destinations of represented countries comply with.

Nevertheless,expertsbelieve, that thecompliance is achieveddue tonational legislation,

whichisinlinewithdestinations’opinion.

To conclude, both questionnaires disclosed a great level of disagreements upon each

criterion. In addition, there were unexpectedly many “Do not comply” and “Not sure”

answers.Duetostatedabovereasons,itisnotpossibletogeneraliseandselectthecriteria,

whichcouldbeexcludedoutofGreenDestinationsStandard.Hence,thetestedhypothesis

29

wasdisproved.Furthermore,nationallawisappearedtobethemainreasonforcompliance

withcriteria.

First two findings introduced that there is an awareness concerning the importance of

sustainability,thatnationalandEUlegislationarecloselyconnected,andEUlawisahelpful

guidelineforEUmemberstates.Thus,itcouldbelogicallyexpected,thatmanydestinations

shouldcomplywithGreenDestinationsStandardcriteriawhicharecoveredbyEUlegislation.

However, the results of the questionnaires are opposite from what was expected. The

questionthenarises:Whywasthehypothesisdisproved?Theanswercanbefoundinthe

nextsubchapter.

30

IV.IV.HOWFARARETHERELEVANTTRANSPOSEDLAWSANDREGULATIONSENFORCEDANDRESPECTEDINPRACTICE?

To answer this research question, qualitative analysis of experts and destinations

correspondenceandinterviewswasimplemented.

Many EU laws regulate various aspects of sustainability, however, inmany cases just the

existenceof such laws is not sufficient, andproper implementation andenforcement are

necessary(ExpertsCorrespondenceA,2016).AccordingtoIntervieweeC(2016),“Onething

isthelawandwhatiswrittenonapaper,anotherthingisrealityandwhathappensonthe

ground”. Moreover, it might take years before specific law is effectively enforced

(Interviewee A, 2016; Interviewee C, 2016), and sometimes the situation is different per

country (Interviewee A, 2016). Additionally, even when destinations comply with certain

criteriaofGreenDestinationsStandarditdoesnotmean,thatregulationsarewellenough

implemented(IntervieweeB,2016).

Interviewee E (2016) illustrates a positive example of implementation. Thus, Sweden

thoroughlyfollowseverysingleregulationcomingfromBrusselsand,therefore,mostofEU

legislationisimplementedinSwedensuccessfully.Moreover,waterqualityregulationsare

verywellenforcedintheNetherlands,what,however,isnotacaseforothercountries,for

example, for France (IntervieweeA, 2016). In fact,mostof the implementationexamples

givenbyintervieweesaredevotedtothenegativecases.

Hence, for instance, “Spainwas finedmany times fornot implementingEU lawproperly”

(IntervieweeC,2016).Moreover,accordingtoIntervieweeC(2016),environmentalNGOsin

Spain complain, that the data about recycling situation is not reliable, beingmuchmore

optimistic thanthereality is.Oneof thereasons for failuretocomplywithEU law ishigh

standardsrequiredbytheEU(IntervieweeC,2016).

Furthermore, there is a problem with implementing energy reduction regulation in the

Netherlands,sincenotallmunicipalitieseffectivelyaddressthisissue(IntervieweeA,2016).

Likewise,Azores(Portugal)facestheenforcementproblemregardingtheintroductionand

alienspeciesspread(DestinationsCorrespondenceC,2016).Morethanthat,theUKisnotas

goodinrecyclingas,forexample,Germanyis(IntervieweeB,2016).Lastly,theorganisation

31

ofpublictransportandencouragementofitsuseisnotwellenoughimplementedintheUK

duetothefundingissue(IntervieweeB,2016).

Therefore, there isadifferent levelof implementationthroughouttheEUmemberstates.

However,asithasbeenseen,differentcountrieshavedifferentissues,andtherearedifferent

weaknessesandstrengths.Besides,thesituationmayvaryfromdestinationtodestination

withinacountry,“dependingalotonthelocalmanagementcapacityanddynamics”(Experts

CorrespondenceF,2016).Forexample,accordingtoIntervieweeC(2016),somedestinations

themselvesdonothavesufficientcompetenceor“technicalabilitiestodealwithmostofthe

issues”,orthedestinationshavelimitedcapabilitiesconcerninghumanresources.Oneofthe

waystoovercomesuchabarrieriscooperationbetweennearbyorsimilardestinations,and

collaborativeworkofdifferentmunicipalities(IntervieweeC,2016).

Consequently,theimplementationissuehasbecomecentralforasuccessfulcompliancewith

GreenDestination Standard criteria. Some reasons, such as high requirements by the EU

authorities, a relatively long process before the regulations arewell implemented, direct

infringements,afundingissue,andalackofhumanandtechnicalresourceswereidentified.

Nevertheless, it should bementioned, that the list of the non-compliance reasons is not

limitedbythosefoundinthisstudyandmightincludemanyothersones.

Hence, the researcher, inspired by the findings,made a reference to the theory of “Four

WorldsofCompliance”byFalknerandTreib(2008),whichisillustratedbelowinTable4.

Table 4 introduces four different worlds of compliance within the EU, characterised by

transpositionandpracticalimplementationstages.Theworldoflawobservancebelongsto

countries where the compliance with EU law overrides domestic issues. Therefore,

transpositionofEUregulationsisusuallyintimeandcorrect,andimplementationismostof

thetimessuccessful. In theworldofdomesticpolitics,nationalconcernsareusuallymore

importantwhenthereisaconflictofinterests.Nevertheless,wherenoconflictappears,the

transpositionofEUregulationsisintimeandcorrect.Besides,“applicationandenforcement

oftranspositionlawsarenotamajorprobleminthisworld”(Falkner&Treib,2008,p.297).

CountriesfromtheworldofdeadlettersmaytransposeEUregulationsinarequiredmanner,

however, it depends on political interests among domestic actors. Moreover, the

implementation does not become effective for many reasons, such as insufficient court

32

systemsandshortcomingsinlabourinspectionsandcivilsocietysystems.Lastly,fortheworld

of transposition neglect, it is not a goal to complywith EU law. Thus, the importance of

transposition is not recognised at all due to ‘national arrogance’, and, consequently, the

transposedlawsarenotwellenforced(Falkner&Treib,2008).

WorldofLaw

Observance

Worldof

DomesticPolitics

WorldofDead

Letters

Worldof

Transposition

Neglect

Transposition

Stage

Intimeand

correct

Likelytobe

timely,ifthereis

noconflictof

interests

Politicized

transpositionInactivity

Practical

Implementation

Stage

Successful SuccessfulSystematicnon-

compliance

Shortcomingsin

enforcementand

applicationarea

frequent

phenomenon

CountriesDenmark,

Finland,Sweden

Austria,Belgium,

Germany,The

Netherlands,

Spain,theUK

Ireland,Italy,

CzechRepublic,

Hungry,Slovakia,

Slovenia

France,Greece,

Luxembourg,

Portugal

Thetheoryof“Fourworldsofcompliance”supportthefinding,thattherearedifferentlevels

oftranspositionandimplementationofEUlawsthroughouttheEU.Importantly,thistheory

canserveasaguidanceandexplainimplementationprocessesinEUmemberstates(Falkner

&Treib,2008).

Table4:FourworldsofCompliance.AdaptedfromFalknerandTreib(2008).

33

V.CONCLUSIONSANDRECOMMENDATIONS

V.I.CONCLUSIONS

1. Thefindingsofthefirstresearchquestionhaveclearlyillustrated,thatallparticipants

considerthesustainabledevelopmentoftouristdestinationsasakeyfactorforthe

competitiveness.Importantly,notonlyexpertsbutthevastmajorityofdestinations’

representatives agree, that sustainability plays an essential role. In particular, the

intervieweesstated,thatenvironmentalissuesarequiteurgentforsomedestinations

andif it isnotsustained,itwillbringsignificantproblems.Forexample,theBroads

NationalParkisathighrisktobeunderwaterduetotheclimatechange.Moreover,

somedestinationsareawareofthefactthatsustainabledevelopmentisaprincipal

approachwhen it comes to thewell-beingofa local community.Therefore,all EU

destinationsseesustainabilityasacrucialfeaturefortheircompetitiveness.

2. The second research question aimed to investigate interconnections between

nationalandEUlegislationsystems.Firstly,averystrongconnectionbetweenthese

two systems has been recognised. Many national laws are derived from EU

regulations,andit iscomplicatedtoseparatethem.Thus,manyofthedestinations

complywithGreenDestinationsStandardcriteriaduetoEUlegislationaswellasdue

toanationalone.

Secondly, EU legislation, in general, is very helpful for destinations to organise

sustainable development. Major issues, such as nature protection and water

managementarecoveredbyEUlaw,beingaguidelineforthememberstates.

Thirdly,whiletheEUintroducesalegalframework,nationalregulationsareusually

morespecificanddetailedaboutrequirementsandimplementation.Moreover,when

itcomestootherissuesthantheenvironment,nationallawismoreimportant.Hence,

nationallegislationssystemsofEUmemberstatesareinnowaylessimportantthan

EUlegislation.

Fourthly,therearedifferentlevelsofdependenceofnationallawonEUlaw.Some

countriesasSpain,Greeceand theUKaremoredependentonEU legislation than

others(e.g.Sweden,theNetherlandsandAustria).

34

Last, but not least, the research revealed, that a lot of initiatives are done by

destinationsthemselvesonregionalandlocallevels.Suchinitiativesareusuallytaken

beyondtherequirementsandmostlyinlessdependentonEUlawcountries.

3. Thequestionnaires’resultsillustratedthatthereisonlyonecriterion:“Crime,safety,

and health hazards are adequately monitored and publicly reported”, which is

compliant amongst all 23 destinations. Importantly, there is a compliance due to

nationallaw,whichisthecaseforthemajorityofcriteria.Notably,thereisahighlevel

ofvarianceamongsttheanswersofdestinations’representatives.Thus,asignificant

numberofdestinationsdonotcomplywithcertaincriteriaand/orarenotsurewhy

and/orwhethertheycomply.

Furthermore,thereisaremarkabledisagreementoncriteriacomplianceamongstthe

experts.Hence,there isnocriterionwhich isconsideredtobecompliantbyallthe

experts.Moreover, experts’ answers are generally less positive than destinations’

ones.Nevertheless,themostfrequentreasonofcomplianceisnationalregulations,

whichisinlinewithdestinations’opinion.

Consequently, it is not possible to generalise and select the criteria, which are

compliant throughout the EUdestinations. Therefore, the hypothesis, that “All EU

destinations should comply with Green Destinations Standard criteria, which are

coveredbyEUlaw”isdisproved.

4. Essentially, compliance issue is appeared to be the central one, which perfectly

explainsadisprovalofthehypothesis.EventhoughthereareplentyofEUandnational

lawsregardingthesustainabledevelopment, this factdoesnotensureaneffective

implementationandenforcementamongstall EUdestinations. Several reasons for

non-compliance with laws and, therefore, with the Green Destinations Standard

criteriawerefound:highrequirementsbytheEUauthorities,arelativelylongprocess

before the regulationsarewell implemented,direct infringements,a funding issue,

anda lackofhumanandtechnicalresources. Importantly,non-compliancereasons

vary from country to country and from destination to destination. Therefore, the

theoryof“Fourworldsofcompliance”byFalknerandTreib(2008)issuggestedbythe

researcherasoneofthepossibleexplanations.

35

V.II.RECOMMENDATIONS

Thissubchapterisbasedonthefindingsandprovideswiththeeffectiveinterventions.The

recommendationsaredividedintodifferentstakeholdergroups,andsuggestionsforfurther

researcharegiven.

GOVERNMENTAUTHORITIES

The recommendations for the government authorities are given in order to enhance the

sustainabletourismdevelopmentinacountry.

- ToensureintimetranspositionofEUlegislationintonationallegislationsystemin

ordertoadvanceanimplementationprocess.

- Tomonitortheeffectivecompliancewiththeregulations.

- To ensure appropriate enforcement of national legislation to avoid direct

infringements.

- Cooperationofdifferentmunicipalitiesisneededformoreeffectiveimplementation

ofsustainablestrategies.

- Tosupportregionalinitiativesintermsoffunding,technologyandhumanresources.

EUDESTINATIONMANAGERS

EUdestinationsshouldusethefollowingrecommendationstocomplywithEUandnational

legislation,aswellaswithGreenDestinationsStandardcriteria.

- Toenhanceorincreasetheimportanceofsustainabledestinationdevelopmentin

ordertostaycompetitive.

- Tosetupashort-termandalong-termregional/localsustainablestrategy,whichis

themostsuitableinacontextofyourdestination.

- Tocooperatewithothernearbyandsimilardestinationsinordertoovercomesuch

barriersasalackoftechnology,humanresourcesandfunding.

- Toaddresscomplexissuestothenationalorregionalgovernmentauthoritieswhen

thereisalackoffunding,technicalsupportandhumanresources.

36

GREENDESTINATIONS

ItisnotrecommendedtoexcludeanycriterionfromGreenDestinationsStandard.

FURTHERRESEARCH

Firstandforemost,furtherresearchcanincludeallEUcountries,whichmightrevealmore

insightsofthetopic.

Secondly,asimilarresearchasacasestudyonacountryoradestinationlevelwouldbevery

useful for the destination managers. The results of such research would provide with a

specificsituationinacontextofacertaincase.

Thirdly,thisresearchcanserveasabackgroundforanotherstudywithdifferentsampling.

Forexample,besidesthedestinationsandexpertsinthesustainabilityfield,lawmakersand

EUrepresentativescouldbringavaluableperspective.

37

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I

APPENDICES

APPENDIXI–GREENDESTINATIONSSTANDARD

GreenDestinationsStandardv2.12016 *Optional=notrequiredforGDstandard*Extra=mandatoryforGDstandard,notforGSTC

Sub-theme

Criterion

Option./extra*

N/A ExplanationN/A

Theme1:DESTINATIONMANAGEMENTThedestinationdemonstratesappropriatedestinationplanningandenvironmentalmanagementoftheterritory.1 COMMITMENT&

ORGANISATIONSustainabledevelopmentandmanagementofthedestinationissupportedbyanadequateorganizationalstructure.

1.1 Sustainabilitycoordinator

Apersonhasbeenassignedtheresponsibilityandauthorityfortheadequateimplementationandreportingofsustainabledestinationmanagement.

1.2 Managementstructure

Anappropriatelyfundedorganisationormanagementstructuresuitedtothesizeandscaleofthedestinationisresponsibleforcoordinatingandpromotingsustainabletourismdevelopmentandmanagement.

1.3 Vision Thedestinationhasdefined,inconsultationwithstakeholders,aVisionwhichhasintegratedsustainabilityprinciplesandispubliclycommunicated.

extra

1.4 Trainedcoordinator/team

Thepersonorteamresponsiblefordestinationdevelopmentandmanagementisadequatelytrainedonsustainability.

1.5 Tourismsectorinvolvement

Thedestinationmanagementorganisationorstructurecooperateswiththeprivateandpublicsectorinsustainabledestinationmanagement.

2 PLANNING&DEVELOPMENTTourisminthedestinationiscarefullyplanned.

2.1 Inventory Thedestinationhasapubliclyavailableandregularlyupdatedinventoryofitsassetsandattractionsincludingnaturalandculturalsites.

2.2 BaselineAssessment

ThedestinationhasconductedaBaselineAssessmentanalysingtourismimpactsonnature&scenery,environment&climate,culture&tradition,andthelocalcommunity;anddescribingthevisitorprofile.

2.3 Tourismpolicy Thedestinationhasanup-to-date,publiclyavailable,multi-yeartourismpolicyorstrategyaddressingenvironmental,aesthetic,social,cultural,economic,quality,healthandsafetyissues.

2.4 Transparencyandenforcement

Thedevelopmentofdestinationplanningisconductedincloseinclusiveconsultationwithstakeholdersandissubjecttoathoroughpublicreviewprocess.Planningregulationsanddecisionsarepubliclycommunicatedandareenforced.

2.5 Tourismactionplan

Thedestinationisimplementingasustainabletourismactionplan,includingtargets,actions,measures,responsibilitiesandtimeplanning.

II

2.6 Stakeholder

involvementThedestinationinvolvesstakeholdersintheimplementationoftheactionplanandacknowledgesthemaspartnersforsuccessfulandcontinuoussustainabilityimprovements.

Optional(ISO)

2.7 VisitorManagement

Adequatevisitormanagementisappliedtooptimisetourismimpactsonthenatural,culturalandsocialassetsofthedestination,asidentifiedintheBaselineAssessment.

2.8 Financialstrategy

Throughafinancialstrategyandplanningthedestinationaimstostrengthenitslong-termfinancialviabilityandindependence.

Optional,canberequiredbynationalcertificationprogrammes

3 MONITORING&REPORTINGSustainabilityissuesanddevelopmentsaremonitoredandreported

3.1 Indicators Relevantdestinationsustainabilityindicatorsanddevelopmentsincludingenvironmental,economic,social,cultural,tourism,andhumanrightsissuesareadequatelymonitoredandpubliclyreported;andthemonitoringsystemisperiodicallyreviewed

3.2 Reviewandevaluation

Theobjectivesandtargetsofthepolicyandactionplanareregularlymonitoredandupdated,makinguseofdocumentedprocedures.

optional(ISO)

3.3 Correctivemeasures

Incaseevaluationshowsanydiscrepancybetweenplannedobjectivesandactualperformance,thecausesareidentifiedandeffectivecorrectivemeasuresaretaken.

3.4 Communication Stakeholdersareregularlyupdatedonthedestination'ssustainabilitypolicy,activities,andresults.

optional(ISO)

3.5 Records Thedestinationestablishesandkeepsrecordsanddocumentsthatarenecessarytodemonstrateconformitytotherequirementsofitssustainabilitymanagementsystem.

extra

3.6 Managementreporting

Atleastonceayearthesustainabilityco-ordinatorreportstothehighestpoliticalbodyontheeffectoftheimplementedpoliciesandactions,andonthestatustowardsthedefinedobjectives,andformulatesrecommendationsforimprovementsandnextsteps.

extra

3.7 PublicReporting

Thekeysustainabilityresultsarereportedtothepublicatleasteverytwoyearsandareavailableonthedestination'spublicwebsite.

4 LEGAL&ETHICALCOMPLIANCEThedestinationadherestolegalandethicalrequirements.

4.1 Legalrequirementsoverview

Thedestinationmaintainsanup-to-datelistofinternational,nationalandlocallegalrequirementsapplicabletoitstourismoperations.Legalrequirementstobeconsideredincludehealth,safety,labourandenvironmentalaspects.

Optional(ISO),canberequiredbynationalcertificationprogrammes

4.2 Legalcompliance

Thedestination'sdevelopmentandmanagementactivitiescomplywithallapplicablelawsandregulations.

4.3 Ethicalcode Thedestinationhasanethicalcodeforitsmanagementandotherstaff.

III

4.4 Corruption Aguidelineagainstcorruptionandbriberyexistsandiscompliedwith.Non-compliancebythe Optional destinationoritssuppliersiscontested.Nonegativeconsequencesforstaffwho,ingoodfaith,

informrelevantauthoritiesonnoncompliance.(ISO),canberequiredbynational

certification

programmes4.5 Non- Intheeventofsanctionsimposedasaresultofnon-compliancewithlegalrequirementsand Optional compliance ethicalprinciples,thedestinationexplainsthecauseandthecorrectivemeasuresthathavebeen

taken.(ISO),canberequiredbynational

certification

programmes4.6 Fair Thedestinationcomplieswithnationallawsforpublicprocurementandrewardscontractsonthe Optional competition basisofquality,priceandsustainabilityaspects. (ISO),canbe

requiredby

national

certification

programmes

IV

Theme2:NATURE&SCENERYThedestinationiscarefullyavoidingsubstantialdamagetoitstypicalnaturalandscenicvalues,andnaturalwildlifeinandaroundthedestination

5 NATURE&CONSERVATION:Natureisenhancedandeffectivelyprotected

5.1 Natureprotection

Theprotectionofnaturalsites,habitats,species,andecosystems(incl.marineandaquatic)iseffectivelyaddressedandenforced.Naturedegradationismitigatedandwherenecessaryaddressedandreversed,orcompensated.

5.2 Naturalresourceprotection

Theprotectionofnaturalresourcesisadequatelyorganisedandenforced,andunsustainableuseisavoided.

5.3 Exoticspecies Theintroductionorspreadofinvasivealienspeciesisadequatelyaddressedandprevented. 5.4 Wildlife

protectionHarvesting,capture,display,andsaleofplantsandanimalsiseffectivelyregulatedinordertocomplywithlocalandnationalregulationsandinternationalconventionsandagreements,ensuringtheirprotectionandsustainablemanagement.

5.5 Monitoringtourismimpactsonnature

Thedestinationmonitorstheimpactoftourismonecosystems,naturalsites,speciesandtheirhabitatsasidentifiedintheBaselineAssessment(criterion2.2).

6 NATUREEXPERIENCE:Tourismisrespectfultonatureandwildlife,andsupportivetoitsprotection.

6.1 Natureexperience

Tourismisrespectfultonatureandwildlife,andsupportivetoitsprotection.Natureandwildlifeexperienceisgenuineandresponsible.

X N/Aifnature(flora;fauna)isnosuchtourismasset

6.2 Animalethics Theuseofanimalsintourismiseffectivelycontrolledinordertodecreasetheriskofunnecessarysuffering,disease,anddeath.

7 LANDSCAPE&SCENERY:Openlandscapesandscenicviewsareprotected,andlandscapedegradationisavoided

7.1 Landscape&Scenery

Naturalandruralscenicviewsareprotectedandthesenseofplaceismaintained;landscapedegradationandurbansprawlintosceniclandscapesiseffectivelyavoided.

V

Theme3:ENVIRONMENT&CLIMATEThedestinationiscarefullyavoidingsubstantialdamagetoahealthyandcleanenvironment.8 LANDUSE&

POLLUTION:Sustainablelanduseandpollutioniseffectivelyaddressed.

8.1 Environmentalrisks

Environmentalrisksareadequatelyaddressed,basedupontherisksandimpactsidentifiedintheBaselineAssessment(criterion2.2).

8.2 Airpollution Airpollutionisadequatelyaddressed,basedupontherisksandimpactsidentifiedintheBaselineAssessment(criterion2.2);impactsoftourismrelatedairpollutionareeffectivelycontrolled.

8.3 Noise Noiseisadequatelyregulatedandminimised,basedupontherisksandimpactsidentifiedintheBaselineAssessment;enterprisesandvisitorsareencouragedtominimisenoise.

8.4 Lightpollution Impactsoflightpollutiontowildlifeandtovisitorexperienceareadequatelyaddressed,basedupontherisksandimpactsidentifiedintheBaselineAssessment.

8.5 Landuse&planning

Landuseandmaritimespatialplanningissubjecttoenvironmental,economicandsocialimpactassessment,aimingtooptimisetheimpactsofdevelopmentandinfrastructureprojectsduringplanning,design,constructionanddemolition.

9 WATERMANAGEMENT:waterquality,watermanagement,andefficientwateruseareadequatelyaddressed

9.1 Watersourcing Thedestination'swaterresourcesandusageareadequatelymanagedandmonitoredanditisensuredthatwaterusebytourismenterprisesdoesnotjeopardisethewaterrequirementsofresidents

9.2 Waterqualitymonitoring

Drinkingandrecreationalwaterqualityisadequatelymonitoredandtheresultsarepubliclyavailable.

9.3 Waterqualityresponse

Thereisanadequateresponsesystemtowaterqualityproblems.

9.4 Wastewatertreatment

Wastewatertreatmentisadequatelyorganisedandrelevantregulationsareenforced,aimedtominimiseimpactstopeopleandtheenvironment;thisalsorelatestositing,maintenanceandtestingofdischargefromseptictanks.

10 SUSTAINABLEMOBILITY:Impactfromtransportationtopeople,environmentandclimateisadequatelyaddressed.

10.1 Softmobility Thedestinationhasasoftmobilitystrategytominimizehigh-impacttransportation(asidentifiedinBaselineAssessment)intouristiczones;walkingandcyclingisfacilitatedandencouraged.

X N/Aifsoftmobilitymeasuresarenoviablesolution(explainindetailwhy;andre-considerviabilityevery2yearsbasedoncurrentdevelopments)

10.2 PublicTransport

Publictransportationisadequatelyorganisedanditsuseisencouraged. X N/Aifpublictransportisnotviable(e.g.remotedestinations).

10.3 Travel&Climate

Thedestinationhasastrategyaimedatmeasuringandminimisingthecarbonfootprintconnectedtothetravelofitsvisitors.

Optional,canberequiredbynationalcertificationprogrammes

VI

10.4 Carbon

compensationThedestinationconsidersthecarbonfootprintrelatedtothetravelofitsvisitors,andpromotesappropriatemeasuresaimedataneffectivecarboncompensation.

Optional,canberequiredbynationalcertificationprogrammes

11 WASTE&RECYCLING:Separatewastecollection,recyclingandre-useofwasteisadequatelyaddressed.

11.1 Solidwastereduction

Anysolidwasteisadequatelymonitored,reduced,separatedandrecycled,andquantitativegoalsareset,especiallyregardingthereductionofplasticwaste.

11.2 Wasteseparation

Facilitiesareinplaceforanadequateseparationofmunicipalandindustrialwaste.

11.3 Wastedisposal Anyresidualsolidwastethatisnotreusedorrecycledisdisposedofsafelyandsustainably.

12 ENERGY&CLIMATECHANGERenewableenergyandreductionofgreenhousegasesarepromoted.

12.1 Energyconsumptionmonitoring

Measuresaretakentoreduceenergyconsumptioninthedestination;residentsandvisitorsareencouragedtoreduceenergyconsumptionwithoutcompromisingserviceorsafety

12.2 Reductionfossilfueldependency

Adequatemeasuresandincentivesexisttoreducerelianceonfossilfuelsandtoencouragerenewableenergytechnologies.

13 CLIMATECHANGEADAPTATION:Adaptationtoclimatechangeisgettingallnecessaryattention.

13.1 Respondingtoclimaterisks

ClimatechangeadaptationreceivesallnecessaryattentioninaccordancewiththeBaselineAssessment;thisincludesidentificationofrisksandopportunities,addressingdevelopment,siting,design,andmanagementoffacilities,enhancingtheresilienceofthedestination.

13.2 Climatechangeinformation

Residents,tourismenterprisesandvisitorsareinformedaboutclimatechange,inanappropriateway.

VII

Theme4:CULTURE&TRADITIONThedestinationiscarefullyavoidingmajordamagetoitstypicallocalvaluesandcharacter,andculturalheritageinandaroundthedestination.14 CULTURAL

HERITAGE:Culturalsitesandlandscapes,builtheritageandartefactsareeffectivelyprotected

14.1 Culturalheritageconservation

Theconservation,authenticityandaestheticpresentationofculturalresourcessuchassitesandbuiltheritage,typicalortraditionalarchitecture,towndesign,culturalsenseofplace,urbanscenicviews,andarchaeologicalsites,isadequatelyorganisedandenforcedaccordingtointernationallyrecognizedstandards.

X N/Aifdestinationhasnoculturalheritage

14.2 Protectingartefactsandfossils

Sale,trade,displayorgiftingofhistoricalandarchaeologicalartefactsisadequatelyregulatedandenforced.

X N/Aifnocultural/archaeologicalartefactsarepresent(inclsale/trade)withinthedest.

14.3 Managingtourismimpactsonculture

Tourismrelatedtoculturalsites,builtheritage,culturallyimportantlandscapes,land-useandsenseofplaceiscarefullymanagedtoavoidnegativeimpacts.Anyimpactssuchasdamage,disruptionanddegradationareadequatelymonitoredandaddressed.

15 PEOPLE&TRADITION:Tourismisrespectfulofthelivingcultureandtraditions,andsupportivetoitsprotection.

15.1 Intangibleheritage

Intangibleculturalheritageandlocallifeandculture,areadequatelyprotectedandrespected. extra X N/Aifdestinationhas no intangibleculturalheritage

15.2 Respectingauthenticity

Tourismisrespectfulofthelivingcultureandtraditions,supportivetoitsprotectionandcelebration,andnotinterferingwithitspractice.Thepracticeoftourisminobservingthelivingcultureandtraditionsisgenuineandrespectful.Whentraditionsarereplicatedtheyremaingenuineandauthentic.

Optional,canberequiredbynationalcertificationprogrammes

VIII

Theme5:SOCIALWELL-BEINGThedestinationistakinggoodcareoftheinhabitantsandvisitorsofthedestination.

16 HUMANRESPECT:Inhabitantsandvisitorsareprotectedagainstviolationsofcivilrightsandcorruption.

16.1 Propertyrights Propertyandwaterrightsareadequatelyregisteredandprotectedandarecompliantwithindigenousandcommunalrights;regulationsareenforced,andaresubjecttopublicconsultation.

16.2 Resettlement Resettlementofresidentsisonlypossiblewithpriorinformedconsentandreasonablecompensation.

16.3 Indigenousrights

Rightsofindigenousandlocalpeopletoaccessandvisitnaturalandculturalsitesareensuredbylaw,unlessthisaccesshasadverseeffectsondestinationsustainability.

16.4 Indigenous Intellectualpropertyrightsofindigenouspeople,localsandcommunitiesareeffectively X N/Aiftheresuch

intellectualproperty

protectedbylaw. rightsarenotpresentwithinthedestination

16.5 Protectionofpeople

Thedestinationtakesadequatemeasurestoprotectallpeoplelegallyandeffectivelyagainstcommercial,sexual,oranyotherformofexploitationandharassment,particularlyofchildren,adolescents,elderly,disabled,women,andminorities.

16.6 Publiccommunicationoflaws

Thelegalandeffectiveprotectionofpeopleagainstexploitationandharassmentispubliclycommunicated,andisobvioustooffenders.

16.7 Monitoringhumanrights

Thedestinationtakesadequatemeasurestomonitorrespectofuniversalhumanrights.

17 COMMUNITYPARTICIPATION:Communityparticipationandstakeholderinvolvementindestinationmanagementanddevelopmentisensured.

17.1 Inhabitantsinvolved inplanning

Theprocessofdevelopinggeneralplanningpoliciesandguidelines,andofpreparingdestinationmanagementanddevelopment,isopenandaccessibletopublicstakeholders.

17.2 Inhabitantsinformedabouttourism

Residentsareregularlyinvolvedindiscussionsonopportunities,challengesandsustainabilityoftourismdevelopment.

17.3 Stakeholdercontributions

Enterprises,visitorsandthepublicareofferedopportunitiestocontributetocommunityandsustainabilityinitiatives,asavolunteer,incashorinkind.

17.4 Inhabitantsatisfaction

Thesatisfactionofresidentswithtourismdevelopmentanddestinationmanagementisadequatelymonitoredregularly,andtheresultsarepubliclyreportedinatimelymanner.

17.5 Community Thedestinationisconsciouslysupportingintegrationofcommunitymembersinthemanagement Optional, Empowerment oftheresourceswithaviewtocreatingdestinationsstewardsbeyondtheboundariesofthe

destination.canberequiredbynational

certification

programmes

IX

18 LOCALECONOMY

Tourism'scontributiontothelocaleconomyisoptimised.

18.1 Optimisingprivatesectorcontribution

Measuresaretakentooptimiseprivatesectorcontributiontothelocaleconomy,withspecialattentionandsupporttolocalsmallandmedium-sizedenterprises.

18.2 Promotinglocalproductsandservices

Theinclusionoflocalartisans,producersandserviceprovidersinthetourismvaluechainaccordingtofairtradeprinciplesissupported;localandsustainableproductsthataresupportivetothearea’snature,culture,localidentity,andlocaleconomy,arepromoted.Thesemayincludefoodandbeverages,crafts,performancearts,agriculturalproducts,etc.

18.3 Monitoringeconomicimpacts

Thecontributionsoftourismtothedestination'seconomyareannuallymonitoredandpubliclyreported,andshouldincludevisitorexpenditure,revenueperavailableroom,employment,andinvestmentdata.

18.4 Socio-economicdevelopment

Thedestinationpromotessocio-economicdevelopmentinthecommunity Optional,canberequiredbynationalcertificationprogrammes

19 SOCIALIMPACTMANAGEMENT:Theeffectsoftourismareadequatelymanaged.

19.1 Optimisingsocialimpacts

Theimpactofvisitorstothelocalcommunityandothervisitorsisappropriatelymonitored,andmeasuresaretakentooptimisetheircontributiontothelocaleconomy.

19.2 Realestateexploitation

Theimpactofrealestatedevelopmentonthelocalcommunityisappropriatelymonitored,andmeasuresaretakentooptimisetheircontributiontothelocaleconomy.

X N/Aifnorealestateisprivatelyownedinthedest.

19.3 Seasonality Optionstocombatseasonalityareinvestigatedandimplemented,includingamechanismtoidentifyyear-roundtourismopportunities,whereappropriate—takingintoaccounttheneedsofthelocaleconomy,community,culturesandenvironment.

20 HEALTH&SAFETY:Ahealthy,safeandsecureenvironmentisensuredforinhabitantsandvisitors.

20.1 Health&safetyprevention&response

Crime,safety,andhealthhazardsareadequatelypreventedandaddressed.

20.2 Health&safetymonitoring

Crime,safety,andhealthhazardsareadequatelymonitoredandpubliclyreported.

20.3 Crisis&emergencyresponse

Thedestinationhasanappropriate,up-to-datecrisisandemergencyresponseplantoaddressnaturalandman-madedisasters(asidentifiedintheBaselineAssessment).Theplanispubliclyavailableandfunded;trainingisprovidedforstaff,visitors,andresidents.

X

Theme6:BUSINESS&HOSPITALITYThedestinationensuresinvolvementofthebusinesssectorinsustainability;appropriatedestinationinformationandmarketing;andactsasagoodhost.21 BUSINESS

INVOLVEMENT:Thetourismsectortakesitsresponsibilityforsustainabilityinthedestination

21.1 Sustainabilitystandards

InternationallyrecognisedsustainabilitystandardsconsistentwiththeGSTCCriteriafortourismenterprisesarepromotedbythedestinationorthebusinesssector.

21.2 Publicationofcertifiedenterprises

Alistofforsustainabilitycertifiedorverifiedtourismenterprisesismaintainedandpubliclyavailable.

21.3 Waterconsumption

Enterprisesareencouragedtoreduceandpubliclyreportonwaterusage.

21.4 Wastewatertreatment

Enterprisesareassistedtofindandimplementsolutionstoeffectivelytreatandreusewastewater.Localandnationalregulationsareeffectivelyenforced.

21.5 Solidwaste Enterprisesareencouragedtoreduce,reuse,andrecyclesolidwaste. 21.6 Energyand

greenhousegasEnterprisesareencouragedtoadequatelymonitor,minimise,mitigate,andpubliclyreportenergyconsumptionandgreenhousegasemissionsfromallaspectsoftheiroperation.

21.7 Equalandfairemployment

Thedestinationpromotesoccupationalsafety,fairwages,fairtrade,equalemploymentandtrainingopportunitiesinthetourismsector,andenforcestherelevantregulationsinthisfield.

21.8 Tourguidecodesofpractice

Tourguidesaretrainedtoapplyarelevantcodeofpractice,andadheretothecodeinordertooptimisetheimpactofthetour.

X N/Aifnotourguidesareactive

21.9 Productdevelopment

Thedestinationhasafunctionalproductdevelopmentstrategytoensurethecompetitivenessandfinancialsustainabilityofthedestination

Optional,canberequiredbynationalcertificationprogrammes

22 INFORMATION&MARKETING:Destinationpromotionandinformationtovisitorsisaccurate

22.1 Respectfulpromotion

Destinationpromotionisauthenticandrespectfultoresidentsandvisitors. X N/Aifdest.doesnotpublishpromotion

22.2 Accuratepromotion

Destinationpromotionisaccurateinitsdescriptionofproducts,servicesandsustainabilityclaims.

X N/Aifdest.doesnotpublishpromotion

22.3 Visitorbehaviouratsensitivesites

Guidelinesforappropriatevisitorbehaviouraredevelopedandmadeavailable,aimedtominimizeadverseimpactsonsensitivesitesandtostrengthenpositivevisitorbehaviour.Localstakeholdersareinvolvedinthedevelopmentofinformationforvisitors.

XI

andrespectful 22.4 Sustainability

informationVisitorsareadequatelyinformedaboutrelevantsustainabilityissuesinthedestinationincludingnatural,environmental,culturalandsocialissues,andincludingthetourist'sroleregardingtheseissues.

Optional,canberequiredbynationalcertificationprogrammes

22.5 Interpretiveinformation

Interpretiveinformationprovidedatnaturalandculturalsitesisaccurate,respectfultodifferentculturalvalues,developedwithcommunitycollaboration,andcommunicatedinmostrelevantlanguages.

X N/Aifnonaturalorculturalsitesorattractionsexistinthedestination

22.6 Greendestinationmarketing

Thedestinationpromotesitselfasagreendestination,aswellastheartandcultureinthedestinationfortheirrevitalization

Optional,canberequiredbynationalcertificationprogrammes

23 HOSPITALITY&SATISFACTIONThedestinationisagoodhost,caringforfeedbackfromtourists

23.1 Visitormonitoring

Thecharacteristicsandpreferencesofvisitorsaremonitoredandpubliclyreported Optional

23.2 Visitorsatisfaction

Visitorsatisfactionissystematicallymeasuredandtheresultsaretakenintoaccountfordestinationandserviceimprovements.

23.3 Sustainability Visitorsurveyscollectfeedbackonsustainabilityaspects. Optional, invisitorsurvey canbe

requiredby

national

certification

programmes23.4 Accessibility Accesstotourismsitesissupportedforindividualswithdisabilities,wherepossible,whilstnot

harmingthesitesandtheirsenseofplace.

XII

APPENDIXII–SELECTEDCRITERIACOVEREDBYEULAW

Lawfield Criteria

WasteManagement

Wastewatertreatmentisadequatelyorganisedandrelevantregulationsareenforced,aimedtominimiseimpactstopeopleandtheenvironment;thisalsorelatestositing,maintenanceandtestingofdischargefromseptictanks.

Anysolidwasteisadequatelymonitored,reduced,separatedandrecycled,andquantitativegoalsareset,especiallyregarding

thereductionofplasticwaste.

Facilitiesareinplaceforanadequateseparationofmunicipalandindustrialwaste.

Anyresidualsolidwastethatisnotreusedorrecycledisdisposedofsafelyandsustainably.

Enterprisesareassistedtofindandimplementsolutionstoeffectivelytreatandreusewastewater.Localandnationalregulationsareeffectivelyenforced.

Enterprisesareencouragedtoreduce,reuse,andrecyclesolidwaste.

EnvironmentandClimateChange

Theprotectionofnaturalsites,habitats,species,andecosystems(incl.marineandaquatic)iseffectivelyaddressedandenforced.Naturedegradationisaddressedandreversed,orcompensated.

Theprotectionofnaturalresourcesisadequatelyorganisedandenforced,andunsustainableuseisavoided.

Theintroductionorspreadofinvasivealienspeciesisadequatelyaddressedandprevented.

Thedestinationmonitorstheimpactoftourismonecosystems,naturalsites,speciesandtheirhabitatsasidentifiedinthe

BaselineAssessment.

XIII

ClimatechangeadaptationreceivesallnecessaryattentioninaccordancewiththeBaselineAssessment;thisincludesidentificationofrisksandopportunities,addressingdevelopment,siting,design,andmanagementoffacilities,enhancingthe

resilienceofthedestination.

Residents,tourismenterprisesandvisitorsareinformedaboutclimatechange,inanappropriateway.

Security

Thedestinationtakesadequatemeasurestoprotectallpeoplelegallyandeffectivelyagainstcommercial,sexual,oranyotherformofexploitationandharassment,particularlyofchildren,adolescents,women,andminorities.

Thelegalandeffectiveprotectionofpeopleagainstexploitationandharassmentispubliclycommunicated,andisobviousto

offenders.

Crime,safety,andhealthhazardsareadequatelypreventedandaddressed.

Crime,safety,andhealthhazardsareadequatelymonitoredandpubliclyreported.

WaterProtectionandManagement

Thedestination'swaterresourcesandusageareadequatelymanagedandmonitoredanditisensuredthatwaterusebytourismenterprisesdoesnotjeopardiesthewaterrequirementsofinhabitants.

Drinkingandrecreationalwaterqualityisadequatelymonitoredandtheresultsarepubliclyavailable.

Thereisanadequateresponsesystemtowaterqualityproblems.

HumanRights

Thedestinationtakesadequatemeasurestomonitorrespectofuniversalhumanrights.

Propertyandwaterrightsareadequatelyregisteredandprotectedandarecompliantwithindigenousandcommunalrights;

regulationsareenforced,andaresubjecttopublicconsultation.

Resettlementofinhabitantsisonlypossiblewithpriorinformedconsentandreasonablecompensation.

XIV

IntellectualPropertyRights

Intellectualpropertyrightsofindigenouspeople,localsandcommunitiesareeffectivelyprotectedbylaw.

SocialPolicy Thedestinationpromotesoccupationalsafety,fairwages,equalemploymentandtrainingopportunitiesinthetourismsector,andenforcestherelevantregulationsinthisfield.

Energy

Adequatemeasuresandincentivesexisttoreducerelianceonfossilfuelsandtoencouragerenewableenergytechnologies.

Enterprisesareencouragedtoadequatelymonitor,minimiseandpubliclyreportenergyconsumptionandgreenhousegasemissionsfromallaspectsoftheiroperation.

EuropeanTourism

Theprocessofdevelopinggeneralplanningpoliciesandguidelines,andofpreparingdestinationmanagementanddevelopment,isopenandaccessibletoresidents.

Rightsofindigenousandlocalpeopletoaccessandvisitnaturalandculturalsitesareensuredbylaw,unlessthisaccesshas

adverseeffectsondestinationsustainability.

Culture Sale,trade,displayorgiftingofhistoricalandarchaeologicalartefactsisadequatelyregulatedandenforced.

Transport Publictransportationisadequatelyorganisedanditsuseisencouraged.

XV

APPENDIXIII-DESTINATIONS’QUESTIONNAIRE

Dear respondent, your participation may enable us to exclude up to 30 Green Destinations Standard criteria within the EU, what means that destinations in

the EU won’t have to prove their specific compliance with them!

Q1. How important is sustainability in your opinion for the competitiveness of the destination?

Veryimportant Important Neutral Notveryimportant

Notatallimportant

Howimportantissustainabilityinyouropinionforthecompetitivenessofthe

destination?

Q2. How important is QualityCoast listing in your opinion for your destination marketing?

Veryimportant Important Neutral Notveryimportant

Notatallimportant

HowimportantisQualityCoastlistinginyouropinionforyourdestination

marketing?

XVI

Q3. Why do you comply with the following criteria?

DuetoEUlegislation

Duetonationallegislation

Notsure Donotcomply

Theprotectionofnaturalsites,habitats,species,andecosystems(incl.marineandaquatic)iseffectivelyaddressedandenforced.Nature

degradationisaddressedandreversed,orcompensated

Theprotectionofnaturalresourcesisadequatelyorganisedandenforced,andunsustainableuseisavoided

Theintroductionorspreadofinvasivealienspeciesisadequatelyaddressedandprevented

Thedestinationmonitorstheimpactoftourismonecosystems,naturalsites,speciesandtheirhabitatsasidentifiedintheBaselineAssessment

Thedestination'swaterresourcesandusageareadequatelymanagedandmonitoredanditisensuredthatwaterusebytourismenterprises

doesnotjeopardiesthewaterrequirementsofinhabitants

Drinkingandrecreationalwaterqualityisadequatelymonitoredandtheresultsarepubliclyavailable

Thereisanadequateresponsesystemtowaterqualityproblems

Wastewatertreatmentisadequatelyorganisedandrelevantregulationsareenforced,aimedtominimiseimpactstopeopleandtheenvironment;thisalsorelatestositing,maintenanceandtestingof

dischargefromseptictanks

XVII

Publictransportationisadequatelyorganisedanditsuseisencouraged Anysolidwasteisadequatelymonitored,reduced,separatedandrecycled,andquantitativegoalsareset,especiallyregardingthe

reductionofplasticwaste

Facilitiesareinplaceforanadequateseparationofmunicipalandindustrialwaste

Anyresidualsolidwastethatisnotreusedorrecycledisdisposedofsafelyandsustainably

Adequatemeasuresandincentivesexisttoreducerelianceonfossilfuelsandtoencouragerenewableenergytechnologies

ClimatechangeadaptationreceivesallnecessaryattentioninaccordancewiththeBaselineAssessment;thisincludesidentificationofrisksandopportunities,addressingdevelopment,siting,design,andmanagementoffacilities,enhancingtheresilienceofthedestination

Residents,tourismenterprisesandvisitorsareinformedaboutclimatechange,inanappropriateway

Sale,trade,displayorgiftingofhistoricalandarchaeologicalartefactsisadequatelyregulatedandenforced

Propertyandwaterrightsareadequatelyregisteredandprotectedandarecompliantwithindigenousandcommunalrights;regulationsare

enforced,andaresubjecttopublicconsultation

Resettlementofinhabitantsisonlypossiblewithpriorinformedconsentandreasonablecompensation

Rightsofindigenousandlocalpeopletoaccessandvisitnaturalandculturalsitesareensuredbylaw,unlessthisaccesshasadverseeffects

ondestinationsustainability

Intellectualpropertyrightsofindigenouspeople,localsandcommunitiesareeffectivelyprotectedbylaw

Thedestinationtakesadequatemeasurestoprotectallpeoplelegallyandeffectivelyagainstcommercial,sexual,oranyotherformofexploitationandharassment,particularlyofchildren,adolescents,

women,andminorities

XVIII

Thelegalandeffectiveprotectionofpeopleagainstexploitationandharassmentispubliclycommunicated,andisobvioustooffenders

Thedestinationtakesadequatemeasurestomonitorrespectofuniversalhumanrights

Theprocessofdevelopinggeneralplanningpoliciesandguidelines,andofpreparingdestinationmanagementanddevelopment,isopenand

accessibletoresidents

Crime,safety,andhealthhazardsareadequatelypreventedandaddressed

Crime,safety,andhealthhazardsareadequatelymonitoredandpubliclyreported

Enterprisesareassistedtofindandimplementsolutionstoeffectivelytreatandreusewastewater.Localandnationalregulationsare

effectivelyenforced

Enterprisesareencouragedtoreduce,reuse,andrecyclesolidwaste Enterprisesareencouragedtoadequatelymonitor,minimiseand

publiclyreportenergyconsumptionandgreenhousegasemissionsfromallaspectsoftheiroperation

Thedestinationpromotesoccupationalsafety,fairwages,equalemploymentandtrainingopportunitiesinthetourismsector,and

enforcestherelevantregulationsinthisfield

Q4. Your destination Q5. Your name Q6. Your job position

Thank you for taking part in this survey! Your input is highly appreciated!

If you have further questions about the survey, do not hesitate to contact me: larionovaes.1990@gmail.com

XIX

APPENDIXIV–EXPERTS’QUESTIONNAIRE

Dear respondent, your participation may enable us to exclude up to 30 Green Destinations Standard criteria within the EU, what means that destinations in

the EU won’t have to prove their specific compliance with them!

Q1. How important is sustainability in your opinion for the competitiveness of the destinations?

Very important Important Neutral Not very

important Not at all important

How important is sustainability in your opinion for the

competitiveness of the destination?

Q2. Why do you think the destinations of your country comply with the following criteria?

Due to EU legislation

Due to national legislation

Not sure Do not comply

The protection of natural sites, habitats, species, and ecosystems (incl. marine and aquatic) is effectively addressed and enforced. Nature degradation is addressed and reversed, or compensated

The protection of natural resources is adequately organised and enforced, and unsustainable use is avoided

The introduction or spread of invasive alien species is adequately addressed and prevented

The destination monitors the impact of tourism on ecosystems, natural sites, species and their habitats as identified in the Baseline

Assessment

XX

The destination's water resources and usage are adequately managed and monitored and it is ensured that water use by tourism

enterprises does not jeopardise the water requirements of inhabitants

Drinking and recreational water quality is adequately monitored and the results are publicly available

There is an adequate response system to water quality problems Waste water treatment is adequately organised and relevant

regulations are enforced, aimed to minimise impacts to people and the environment; this also relates to siting, maintenance and testing

of discharge from septic tanks

Public transportation is adequately organised and its use is encouraged

Any solid waste is adequately monitored, reduced, separated and recycled, and quantitative goals are set, especially regarding the

reduction of plastic waste

Facilities are in place for an adequate separation of municipal and industrial waste

Any residual solid waste that is not reused or recycled is disposed of safely and sustainably

Adequate measures and incentives exist to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and to encourage renewable energy technologies

Climate change adaptation receives all necessary attention in accordance with the Baseline Assessment; this includes

identification of risks and opportunities, addressing development, siting, design, and management of facilities, enhancing the

resilience of the destination

Residents, tourism enterprises and visitors are informed about climate change, in an appropriate way

Sale, trade, display or gifting of historical and archaeological artefacts is adequately regulated and enforced

XXI

Property and water rights are adequately registered and protected and are compliant with indigenous and communal rights;

regulations are enforced, and are subject to public consultation

Resettlement of inhabitants is only possible with prior informed consent and reasonable compensation

Rights of indigenous and local people to access and visit natural and cultural sites are ensured by law, unless this access has

adverse effects on destination sustainability

Intellectual property rights of indigenous people, locals and communities are effectively protected by law

The destination takes adequate measures to protect all people legally and effectively against commercial, sexual, or any other form

of exploitation and harassment, particularly of children, adolescents, women, and minorities

The legal and effective protection of people against exploitation and harassment is publicly communicated, and is obvious to

offenders

The destination takes adequate measures to monitor respect of universal human rights

The process of developing general planning policies and guidelines, and of preparing destination management and development, is

open and accessible to residents

Crime, safety, and health hazards are adequately prevented and addressed

Crime, safety, and health hazards are adequately monitored and publicly reported

Enterprises are assisted to find and implement solutions to effectively treat and reuse wastewater. Local and national

regulations are effectively enforced

Enterprises are encouraged to reduce, reuse, and recycle solid waste

XXII

Enterprises are encouraged to adequately monitor, minimise and publicly report energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions

from all aspects of their operation

The destination promotes occupational safety, fair wages, equal employment and training opportunities in the tourism sector, and

enforces the relevant regulations in this field

Q3. Your country

Q4. Your name

Thank you for taking part in this survey! Your input is highly appreciated!

If you have further questions about the survey, do not hesitate to contact me: larionovaes.1990@gmail.com

XXIII

APPENDIXV–PARTICIPANTSOFTHESURVEY

Experts

Name Country/Region

AlbertSalman TheNetherlands

HendrikvanDijk TheNetherlands

MarionHammerl Germany

SotirisMilonas Greece

ChristineClus-Auby France

MargaridaNunes Portugal

JoseMariaDeJuan Spain

AysegulCil Turkey

JuanPabloPérez Spain

KarlReiner Austria

MalouvanKempen TheNetherlands

PekkaAlhojärvi Finland

RamunasPovilanskas Lithuania

HugodeJong TheNetherlands

JanaApih Slovenia

AndresFellenberg TheNetherlands

HenriqueRamos Portugal

XeniaLoizidou Cyprus

JoséCarlosFerreira Portugal

MariaAntonaki Greece

AntonioPezzano Italy

RieksBosch CentralAsia

XXIV

Destinations

Name Destination JobPosition

MarkMinderhoud Veere(TheNetherlands) Policyexecutor

JanAndersson Åre(Sweden) Headofbusinessoperations

GlennHolm Saba(DutchCaribbean) DirectorofTourism

JoseAntonio

FernándezBouzas

AtlanticIslandsofGalicia

NationalPark(Spain)

Director

WolfgangLübben Norderney(Germany) MarketingManager

HelenaCepeda Azores(Potugal) Manager

LucíaFragata Baiona(Spain) ManagerofTourism

J.B.vandenBerg Noordwijk(theNetherlands) Sustainabilitycoordinator

AnaFernandes Sintra(Portugal) Headmanagerofcommunication

Michaelvaan

Leeuwen

Wassenaar(the

Netherlands)

Policyexecutor

Nasos

Hadjigeorgiou

PafosRegion(Cyprus) ExecutiveManager

DanielBorg Gozo(Malta) SeniorPolicyAnalyst

HansvanDuijn Katwijk(theNetherlands) AssistantforPublicSpaces

Maria

Papathanasiou

Samothraki(Greece) PlanningandDevelopment

officer

JosLittel Westvoorne(the

Netherlands)

Economy

SjondeHaan Ameland(theNetherlands) PolicyAdvisor

Elena Noja(Spain) Tourism

KikiAnagnostou Alonnisos(Greece) PresidentofTourism

Development&Promotion

Committee

MargaridaFrade TorresVerdas(Portugal) EnvironmentalEngineer

VåniaFialho Cascais(Portugal) Projectmanagement

AnaRibeiro Lagos(Portugal) HeadManager

SusanaGustavo Oeste(Portugal) Headmanager

JoëlEichler Goeree(theNetherlands) AdvisorofEconomicAffairs

XXV

APPENDIXVI–QUESTIONNAIRES’RESULTS

EXPERTS

Q1-Howimportantissustainabilityinyouropinionforthecompetitivenessofthedestinations?

Answer % Count

1 Veryimportant 63.64% 14

2 Important 31.82% 7

3 Neutral 0.00% 0

4 Notveryimportant 4.55% 1

5 Notatallimportant 0.00% 0

Total 100% 22

XXVI

Q2-Whydoyouthinkthedestinationsofyourcountrycomplywiththefollowingcriteria?

Question DuetoEUlegislation

Duetonationallegislation

Notsure Donotcomply Total

Theprotectionofnaturalsites,habitats,species,andecosystems(incl.marineandaquatic)iseffectively

addressedandenforced.Naturedegradationisaddressedandreversed,orcompensated

68.18% 15 22.73% 5 4.55% 1 4.55% 1 22

Theprotectionofnaturalresourcesisadequatelyorganisedandenforced,andunsustainableuseisavoided 40.91% 9 40.91% 9 4.55% 1 13.64% 3 22

Theintroductionorspreadofinvasivealienspeciesisadequatelyaddressedandprevented 36.36% 8 36.36% 8 22.73% 5 4.55% 1 22

Thedestinationmonitorstheimpactoftourismonecosystems,naturalsites,speciesandtheirhabitatsas

identifiedintheBaselineAssessment27.27% 6 13.64% 3 4.55% 1 54.55% 12 22

Thedestination'swaterresourcesandusageareadequatelymanagedandmonitoredanditisensuredthatwateruseby

tourismenterprisesdoesnotjeopardisethewaterrequirementsofinhabitants

40.91% 9 40.91% 9 13.64% 3 4.55% 1 22

Drinkingandrecreationalwaterqualityisadequatelymonitoredandtheresultsarepubliclyavailable 50.00% 11 31.82% 7 4.55% 1 13.64% 3 22

Thereisanadequateresponsesystemtowaterqualityproblems 36.36% 8 40.91% 9 13.64% 3 9.09% 2 22

Wastewatertreatmentisadequatelyorganisedandrelevantregulationsareenforced,aimedtominimiseimpactstopeopleandtheenvironment;thisalsorelatestositing,maintenanceandtestingofdischargefromseptictanks

36.36% 8 45.45% 10 4.55% 1 13.64% 3 22

XXVII

Publictransportationisadequatelyorganisedanditsuseisencouraged 9.09% 2 59.09% 13 22.73% 5 9.09% 2 22

Anysolidwasteisadequatelymonitored,reduced,separatedandrecycled,andquantitativegoalsareset,especiallyregardingthereductionofplasticwaste

22.73% 5 59.09% 13 9.09% 2 9.09% 2 22

Facilitiesareinplaceforanadequateseparationofmunicipalandindustrialwaste 36.36% 8 50.00% 11 9.09% 2 4.55% 1 22

Anyresidualsolidwastethatisnotreusedorrecycledisdisposedofsafelyandsustainably 36.36% 8 45.45% 10 4.55% 1 13.64% 3 22

Adequatemeasuresandincentivesexisttoreducerelianceonfossilfuelsandtoencouragerenewableenergy

technologies22.73% 5 50.00% 11 13.64% 3 13.64% 3 22

ClimatechangeadaptationreceivesallnecessaryattentioninaccordancewiththeBaselineAssessment;thisincludes

identificationofrisksandopportunities,addressingdevelopment,siting,design,andmanagementoffacilities,

enhancingtheresilienceofthedestination

36.36% 8 31.82% 7 13.64% 3 18.18% 4 22

Residents,tourismenterprisesandvisitorsareinformedaboutclimatechange,inanappropriateway 9.09% 2 9.09% 2 45.45% 10 36.36% 8 22

Sale,trade,displayorgiftingofhistoricalandarchaeologicalartefactsisadequatelyregulatedandenforced 18.18% 4 63.64% 14 9.09% 2 9.09% 2 22

Propertyandwaterrightsareadequatelyregisteredandprotectedandarecompliantwithindigenousandcommunalrights;regulationsareenforced,andaresubjecttopublic

consultation

40.91% 9 50.00% 11 9.09% 2 0.00% 0 22

Resettlementofinhabitantsisonlypossiblewithpriorinformedconsentandreasonablecompensation 22.73% 5 50.00% 11 27.27% 6 0.00% 0 22

Rightsofindigenousandlocalpeopletoaccessandvisitnaturalandculturalsitesareensuredbylaw,unlessthisaccesshasadverseeffectsondestinationsustainability

22.73% 5 50.00% 11 22.73% 5 4.55% 1 22

Intellectualpropertyrightsofindigenouspeople,localsandcommunitiesareeffectivelyprotectedbylaw 22.73% 5 40.91% 9 36.36% 8 0.00% 0 22

XXVIII

Thedestinationtakesadequatemeasurestoprotectallpeoplelegallyandeffectivelyagainstcommercial,sexual,oranyotherformofexploitationandharassment,particularly

ofchildren,adolescents,women,andminorities

36.36% 8 50.00% 11 0.00% 0 13.64% 3 22

Thelegalandeffectiveprotectionofpeopleagainstexploitationandharassmentispubliclycommunicated,and

isobvioustooffenders36.36% 8 50.00% 11 4.55% 1 9.09% 2 22

Thedestinationtakesadequatemeasurestomonitorrespectofuniversalhumanrights 45.45% 10 36.36% 8 9.09% 2 9.09% 2 22

Theprocessofdevelopinggeneralplanningpoliciesandguidelines,andofpreparingdestinationmanagementand

development,isopenandaccessibletoresidents22.73% 5 63.64% 14 13.64% 3 0.00% 0 22

Crime,safety,andhealthhazardsareadequatelypreventedandaddressed 27.27% 6 63.64% 14 9.09% 2 0.00% 0 22

Crime,safety,andhealthhazardsareadequatelymonitoredandpubliclyreported 31.82% 7 54.55% 12 9.09% 2 4.55% 1 22

Enterprisesareassistedtofindandimplementsolutionstoeffectivelytreatandreusewastewater.Localandnational

regulationsareeffectivelyenforced18.18% 4 63.64% 14 13.64% 3 4.55% 1 22

Enterprisesareencouragedtoreduce,reuse,andrecyclesolidwaste 27.27% 6 54.55% 12 13.64% 3 4.55% 1 22

Enterprisesareencouragedtoadequatelymonitor,minimiseandpubliclyreportenergyconsumptionandgreenhousegas

emissionsfromallaspectsoftheiroperation27.27% 6 40.91% 9 22.73% 5 9.09% 2 22

Thedestinationpromotesoccupationalsafety,fairwages,equalemploymentandtrainingopportunitiesinthetourismsector,andenforcestherelevantregulationsinthisfield

18.18% 4 54.55% 12 22.73% 5 4.55% 1 22

XXIX

Q3-Yourcountry

Yourcountry

Greece

Portugal

CYPRUS

Portugal

TheNetherlands

Slovenia

TheNetherlands

Lithuania

Finland

theNetherlands

Austria

Spain

Turkey

SPAIN

Portugal

France

GREECE

Germany

Netherlands

Netherlands

CentralAsia

Italy

Q4-Yourname

Yourname

MariaAntonaki

JoséCarlosFerreira

XeniaLoizidou

HenriqueRamos

AndresFellenberg

JanaApih

HugodeJong

RamunasPovilanskas

PekkaAlhojärvi

MalouvanKempen

KarlReiner

JuanPabloPérez

A.CIL

JOSEMARIADEJUAN

MargaridaNunes

ChristineClus-Auby

SOTIRISMILONAS

MarionHammerl

HendrikvanDijk

AlbertSalman

RieksBosch

Antonio

XXX

DESTINATIONS

Q1-Howimportantissustainabilityinyouropinionforthecompetitivenessofthedestination?

Answer % Count

1 Veryimportant 69.57% 16

2 Important 21.74% 5

3 Neutral 8.70% 2

4 Notveryimportant 0.00% 0

5 Notatallimportant 0.00% 0

Total 100% 23

Q2-HowimportantisQualityCoastlistinginyouropinionforyourdestinationmarketing?

Answer % Count

1 Veryimportant 30.43% 7

2 Important 65.22% 15

3 Neutral 0.00% 0

4 Notveryimportant 4.35% 1

5 Notatallimportant 0.00% 0

Total 100% 23

XXXI

Q3-Whydoyoucomplywiththefollowingcriteria?

QuestionDuetoEU

legislation

Dueto

national

legislation

Not

sure

Donot

comply Total

Theprotectionofnaturalsites,habitats,species,andecosystems(incl.

marineandaquatic)iseffectivelyaddressedandenforced.Nature

degradationisaddressedandreversed,orcompensated

47.83% 11 43.48% 10 8.70% 2 0.00% 0 23

Theprotectionofnaturalresourcesisadequatelyorganisedand

enforced,andunsustainableuseisavoided17.39% 4 73.91% 17 8.70% 2 0.00% 0 23

Theintroductionorspreadofinvasivealienspeciesisadequately

addressedandprevented21.74% 5 56.52% 13 21.74% 5 0.00% 0 23

Thedestinationmonitorstheimpactoftourismonecosystems,natural

sites,speciesandtheirhabitatsasidentifiedintheBaselineAssessment13.04% 3 43.48% 10 34.78% 8 8.70% 2 23

Thedestination'swaterresourcesandusageareadequatelymanaged

andmonitoredanditisensuredthatwaterusebytourismenterprises

doesnotjeopardisethewaterrequirementsofinhabitants

17.39% 4 73.91% 17 4.35% 1 4.35% 1 23

Drinkingandrecreationalwaterqualityisadequatelymonitoredand

theresultsarepubliclyavailable13.04% 3 82.61% 19 4.35% 1 0.00% 0 23

Thereisanadequateresponsesystemtowaterqualityproblems 13.04% 3 82.61% 19 0.00% 0 4.35% 1 23

Wastewatertreatmentisadequatelyorganisedandrelevant

regulationsareenforced,aimedtominimiseimpactstopeopleandthe

environment;thisalsorelatestositing,maintenanceandtestingof

dischargefromseptictanks

13.04% 3 73.91% 17 8.70% 2 4.35% 1 23

Publictransportationisadequatelyorganisedanditsuseisencouraged 4.35% 1 82.61% 19 8.70% 2 4.35% 1 23

Anysolidwasteisadequatelymonitored,reduced,separatedand

recycled,andquantitativegoalsareset,especiallyregardingthe

reductionofplasticwaste

17.39% 4 73.91% 17 8.70% 2 0.00% 0 23

Facilitiesareinplaceforanadequateseparationofmunicipaland

industrialwaste8.70% 2 65.22% 15 17.39% 4 8.70% 2 23

XXXII

Anyresidualsolidwastethatisnotreusedorrecycledisdisposedof

safelyandsustainably26.09% 6 60.87% 14 13.04% 3 0.00% 0 23

Adequatemeasuresandincentivesexisttoreducerelianceonfossil

fuelsandtoencouragerenewableenergytechnologies26.09% 6 52.17% 12 21.74% 5 0.00% 0 23

Climatechangeadaptationreceivesallnecessaryattentionin

accordancewiththeBaselineAssessment;thisincludesidentificationof

risksandopportunities,addressingdevelopment,siting,design,and

managementoffacilities,enhancingtheresilienceofthedestination

39.13% 9 30.43% 7 21.74% 5 8.70% 2 23

Residents,tourismenterprisesandvisitorsareinformedaboutclimate

change,inanappropriateway8.70% 2 30.43% 7 52.17% 12 8.70% 2 23

Sale,trade,displayorgiftingofhistoricalandarchaeologicalartefactsis

adequatelyregulatedandenforced13.04% 3 73.91% 17 8.70% 2 4.35% 1 23

Propertyandwaterrightsareadequatelyregisteredandprotectedand

arecompliantwithindigenousandcommunalrights;regulationsare

enforced,andaresubjecttopublicconsultation

13.04% 3 73.91% 17 13.04% 3 0.00% 0 23

Resettlementofinhabitantsisonlypossiblewithpriorinformed

consentandreasonablecompensation13.04% 3 52.17% 12 26.09% 6 8.70% 2 23

Rightsofindigenousandlocalpeopletoaccessandvisitnaturaland

culturalsitesareensuredbylaw,unlessthisaccesshasadverseeffects

ondestinationsustainability

8.70% 2 65.22% 15 21.74% 5 4.35% 1 23

Intellectualpropertyrightsofindigenouspeople,localsand

communitiesareeffectivelyprotectedbylaw17.39% 4 69.57% 16 13.04% 3 0.00% 0 23

Thedestinationtakesadequatemeasurestoprotectallpeoplelegally

andeffectivelyagainstcommercial,sexual,oranyotherformof

exploitationandharassment,particularlyofchildren,adolescents,

women,andminorities

26.09% 6 69.57% 16 4.35% 1 0.00% 0 23

Thelegalandeffectiveprotectionofpeopleagainstexploitationand

harassmentispubliclycommunicated,andisobvioustooffenders13.04% 3 73.91% 17 13.04% 3 0.00% 0 23

Thedestinationtakesadequatemeasurestomonitorrespectof

universalhumanrights26.09% 6 65.22% 15 8.70% 2 0.00% 0 23

Theprocessofdevelopinggeneralplanningpoliciesandguidelines,and

ofpreparingdestinationmanagementanddevelopment,isopenand

accessibletoresidents

4.35% 1 91.30% 21 4.35% 1 0.00% 0 23

XXXIII

Crime,safety,andhealthhazardsareadequatelypreventedand

addressed8.70% 2 91.30% 21 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 23

Crime,safety,andhealthhazardsareadequatelymonitoredand

publiclyreported0.00% 0 100.00% 23 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 23

Enterprisesareassistedtofindandimplementsolutionstoeffectively

treatandreusewastewater.Localandnationalregulationsare

effectivelyenforced

8.70% 2 73.91% 17 17.39% 4 0.00% 0 23

Enterprisesareencouragedtoreduce,reuse,andrecyclesolidwaste 17.39% 4 73.91% 17 8.70% 2 0.00% 0 23

Enterprisesareencouragedtoadequatelymonitor,minimiseand

publiclyreportenergyconsumptionandgreenhousegasemissionsfrom

allaspectsoftheiroperation

13.04% 3 56.52% 13 30.43% 7 0.00% 0 23

Thedestinationpromotesoccupationalsafety,fairwages,equal

employmentandtrainingopportunitiesinthetourismsector,and

enforcestherelevantregulationsinthisfield

8.70% 2 69.57% 16 21.74% 5 0.00% 0 23

XXXIV

Q4-Yourdestination

Yourdestination

Goeree-Overflakkee

OestePortugalRegion

Lagos

Cascais

TorresVedras

Alonnisos

Noja

Ameland

Westvoorne

Samothraki

Katwijk

Gozo

PafosRegion-Cyprus

wassenaarvoorschoten

Sintra,Portugal

GemeenteNoordwijk

Baiona

Azores

Norderney

ParqueNacionalIslasAtlanticasdeGalicia

Saba,DutchCaribbean

Åre

Veere

Q5-Yourname

Yourname

JoëlEichler

SusanaGustavo

AnaRibeiro

VâniaFialho

Margarida

KikiAnagnostou

Elena

SjondeHaan

JosLittel

PapathanasiouMaria

H.vanDuijn

Daniel

NasosHadjigeorgiou

michael

AnaFernandes

J.B.vandenBerg

LucíaFragata

HelenaCepeda

WolfgangLübben

JoseantonioFernándezbouzas

GlennHolm

JanAndersson

MarkMinderhoud

Q6-Yourjobposition

Yourjobposition

AdvisorEconomicAffairs

SeniorTechnician

superiortechnique

Projectmanagement

EnvironmentalEngineer

PresidentoftheTourismDevelopment&Promotion

Committee

Tourism

POlicyadvisor

Economy

Planning&DevelopmentOfficeSamothrakiMunicipality

Medewerkeropenbareruimte

SeniorPolicyAnalyst

ExecutiveManager

beleidsmedewerker

Superiortechnicalcommunication

sustainabilitycoordinator

TécnicaenTurismo

Technician

MarketingManagement

Director

DirectorofTourism

Headofbusinessoperationen

Beleidsmedewerker

XXXV

APPENDIXVII–EXPERTSANDDESTINATIONS’CORRESPONDENCE

ExpertsCorrespondenceA

Ithinkthat

1.Sustainabilityisimportant-andinfuturewillbecomeevenveryimportant-forthecompetitivenessofdestinations(atleastinEurope)

2.mostdestinationscomplyingwithyourlistingofcriteriadofollowbothnationalandEUlegislation-simplyduetothefacttheEUlegislationisbasedontheprinciplesofsubsidiarityandisa)supportingnational legislation, and b) strengthening/complementing national legislation of the EU memberstates.Inconsequenceonecansay:"wherethenationallegislationisverystrongregardingthecriteria(e.g. inAustria) - the compliancewith thenational legislation is theanswer to thequestionWHY,otherwise the European legislation may be the reason why (e.g. in Greece). Please note: the"legislation" alone in many cases would not be sufficient, it is always important that the "fullimplementation"ofthelegislation(prosecutionofnon-compliance)isenforced.

DestinationsCorrespondenceA

DearEkaterina,

Ihaverepliedtoyouronlinequestionnaire.

AsapublicentityweagreethatmanyofthecriteriaincludedintheapplicationarealreadyaddressedthroughEUlegislationtowhichMaltaandthereforeGozoalreadycomply.

DestinationsCorrespondenceB

DearEkaterina,

Ididfillinyoursurvey.However,sometimesIchose‘notsure’wheretheanswershouldbeyes,though

notfromnationalorEUlegislation,butbecauseweasadestinationdoso…

ExpertsCorrespondenceB

HiEkaterina,

Ihavejustfilledinthequestionnaireforyou.IhavetosaythatImissedsomeoptionsintheanswersandthereforeitwassometimesdifficulttoanswer.E.g.:

XXXVI

- sometimes it's not EITHER EUR regulations OR national regulations, but EU reg. translated intonationalreg.WhatdoIanswerthen?

-somethingsarealsoarrangedonreginoal& local level (decentralized)whichwasnotoneoftheoptions.

-somethingsarearrangedamongstotherstakeholdersinadestinationsuchasprivatecompanies,organizationsorNGO's.Thatanswerwasmissingtoo.

DestinationsCorrespondenceC

DearEkaterinaLarionova,

Iwas just fulfillingyourquestionnaireandgotthefollowingdoubt:regardingthe introductionandspreadingofalienspecies,wehavegoodlegislationbutsomeproblemsinitsenforcement.Idonotfeelcomfortablewithdonotcomplybecausewehavelegislationandwedohavesomemeasures,butI’mnotconfortablewithsayingthatbecausewehavelegislationallisOK.WhatshouldIanswerforexampleinthiscase?

Hiagain,

Ihavejustsubmittedtheform.IntheAzoreswehavenational(Portuguese)andregional(Azorean)lawformostofthethingsyoumentionedinthesurvey,butmanyofthenationalorregionallawsarebasedonEUlegislation.AsIcouldn’tselectbothIjustselectednationallegislation,butIwritetoyousoyouareconsciousofthis.

ExpertsCorrespondenceC

Iansweredthequestionaire,Ekaterina.

Forsomeitems,itisdifficulttochoosebetweenEUandNationallegislations,thereponseisamixofEUandFrlegislativetexts

ExpertsCorrespondenceD

HelloEkaterina

I filter up the survey already.Difficult to differentiatebetweenNational and EU legislation.MuchnationallegislationderivedfromEUrulesandDirectives.....

Successwithyourstudy

XXXVII

ExpertsCorrespondenceE

Bytheway,I'mhavingabitofasimilarproblemwiththesurveythanIhavewiththecriteriaingeneral.InthequestionsregardingindigenouscommunitiesorexploitationitisdifficultsometimestoanswerfromaWesternEuropeanperspective,aswedon'treallyhavethisissues.I'lltrytoanswertothebestofmyknowledge,though.

ExpertsCorrespondenceF

DearEkaterina,

I'msosorryforthisdelayonansweringbutIdidhavesomedifficultiesonansweringthesequestions,namely:

It'shardtoknowifthereasonforcomplyisduetonationalorEUregulationsasmanytimesoneisaconsequenceoftheother,so..arebothtrue.What'sthereasonfordiscriminatingboth?IsthereaconsequencetothedestinyifthereasonforcompliancecomesfromEUornationallaws?Andforthenormalcitizenishardtoknowfromwhichheadlinescomesfromwhere.Evenforme,whohasabitmoreknowledgeonthisthanthenormalcitizen,ishardtospecifyifwhathappensisduetooneorotherlegislation.

Atlast,theAzoresareaspecialplaceandhardto...comparewithothers,assomeofthequestionsarenotadequatetoourreality.ButItriedtoanswercorrectly.

Our main problem is with the water, whether on the quality for domestic consumption or thetreatment of waste waters. But even in here is also difficult to answer properly as the reality isdifferentfromislandtoisland,dependingalotonthelocalmanagementcapacityanddynamics.

Anyway,thesearejustasfewcommentsonthedifficultytoanswerproperlytothisquestionnaire,hopeitstillgoesontime.

WithmyBestRegards

DestinationsCorrespondenceD

DearEkaterina,

Thanksforgivingmethepossibilitytottakepartofthesurvey.UnfortunatelyIfounditquitehardtofill in the formadequately. In the option boxes Imissed the posibility to choose for “due to ownpolicy”,inmanycaseswearetakingmeasurementstoachievethedescribedgoalsbecausewewanttoanddescribedthat inoutmunicipalitalpolicy.Nevertheless Ihadtochoosefordon’tknow,wedon’tdoitor“wehavetodoitbynationalorEuropeanlaw”.BecauseIhadtofillinsometinginmostcasesIchoseforthenationallawoption,butinrealityitisbecausewewantit.

Hopefullyyoucanusethisfeedbacktointerpretethequestionaireintherightway.Ifthisisthereasontochangethequestionaire,Iwouldhappilyfillitinagain.

XXXVIII

APPENDIXVIII–INTERVIEWS’TRANSCRIP

Interviewee EUlegislationandNationallegislation Enforcementofrelevantregulations

Howimportantissustainabilityfortourismdestination?

A

InGeneralEUlegislationreallyhelps.WhenthereisanEUDirective on the quality of water, it really helps in theNetherlandstocomplywith it.Youmustcomplywith it,youmustadjustandadapttothisnew.Ithelps,becausesimply you must. But that is on the main and greaterissues,likewaterandprotectionofnaturalareas.Alotofpeople know when it is an EU Directive or an EUlegislation,willbehardtoavoidit.EUlegislationcomesfirstanditisbetterthanaregulationinasmallerarea.IthinkEUprevails,butstilltherearealotofnationalregulationsadditionaltoEU.EUlegislationisreallybigandimportantforsomethingslikewater,forother aspects of tourism, national law is way moreimportant.Butitchanges,forexampleafewyearsagoananimal welfare and how you use them in circuses onlysomecities in theNetherlandsagreed thatucan’thavewildanimalsincircuses,bythenitwasjustcommunitiesthemselves.So it isverystrong,coztheyareallowedtohave theirown legislation,now it isnational legislation,becauseapoliticalpartysaid;let’smakeitnational.ThatisnotEU,soitreallycomesfrombothdirections.Inthiscase,theEUdidn’tsay.WaterDirective–it’ssoclear,thatitisathingthatreallyconnectsusall,howeveraboutanimalsitisquiteisolatedthing.

Specifically, about energy – a niceexample. You’ve got the EU sayingthings about renewable energy,nationalgovernmenthasformulatedgoals for it. For instance, in theNetherlands, we want 40% ofrenewableenergyby2020.Firstthingis reduce, reduceenergy.Sowehadthatalreadyinnationallawin2010–every company in the Netherlandsshould take anymeasure that helpsto reduce energy when it has areturnable investment time over 5years. If we check how manycommunities/municipalities copewiththat(first itshouldbeenforcedin townhalls) ..maybehalf percent?And,secondly,theyhavetoenforceitin every a organization within theirboundaries.DOtheydothis?Iknow6, who try to cope with that. Sosometimesthereisalreadyalaw,butit can take years for goodimplementation.Sometimesitisdifferentpercountry– like drinking water quality, in the

Noordwijkisasmallvillage.Themainthing in the village or in a city forpeopleistocopewithallthevisitors.Sustainability is more than justfocusing on green and environment,whichisveryimportant,butstillforatourism, looking how you make asustainableofferfortourists;notjustgetthemintoyourplace,2dayslaterthey leave, but really thinking abouthow you make sure, that originalinhabitantsmakeprofitoutof itandtheydon’thaveanyproblemswithit.And youneed it, coz you see itwithsomeotherplacesintheNetherlands,also coastal places, they cope withmore problems, because so manytourists are coming and there is somuchurbanjunglesinaway,butnotin a green way, more it’s like moreconcrete. A lot of complaints frominhabitants and that is not asustainable growth model. Mainlyfrom that focus it is really reallyimportanttohavefirstly,thatoriginal

XXXIX

Aboutwater–we(Nowrdwjik)aredoingwaymore,thanitisnecessaryrightnow,soitisaregionalscale.OfcoursethereisanEUdirectiveonwater,whichisonthebackofthemind.Ifyoudidn’tdo theseadditionalcriteria,wouldyoustillcomplywiththesecriteria?–Yes,ofcourse!WhenthereisanEUlaw,youhavetocomplywithinafewyears.EUalwaysprevail,butthestrongestincentivetochangethings ismost of the times local one. Sometimes it is atranslationofEUtoNational,butIthinkthestrongestisthelocalone.EUhasaguideline,likeforwastemanagement,theydon’tsaywhenandhowmuchpercentageofwasteshouldbereduced, so national government says that and EU hasmore like a framework for that. National law is morespecific.

Netherlands it isveryverygood,cozwe have special regulations, so anydestinations in the Netherlandscomplywith it. But in France iswaydifferent. So, in that case, you can’tsayitiswholeEU,itisanationalthing

inhabitants cope with it and,secondly,makeaprofitoutofit.IntheNetherlandsmoredestinationsare becoming aware ofclimate..and..negotiation, we knowwehavetoact.Youhavetobespecialandyouhavetorenew,itisalwaysathing, because otherwise. Becomegreener and more attractive. It willchange and this day here is a niceexample of it, people come here,becausetheyknowitisimportant.ButI think there is much to be done. Itstartswithsustainableidea,butalothastobedonebeforewereallygetanidea of being sustainable. I don’twannasayitis“greenwashing”,butalotofdestinationssaytheyarequitegreen,whereastheyarenotsogreenasonewouldthink.Thereisalsoarisksaying you are already very green,when you are not. It is positivecriticism.

B

“OurnationallawissocloselymixedupwithEUlaw,itisso difficult to distinguish. But ifwepull out of the EU Ithinkmanyprotectionswillbelost”.We have both (EU and national). A lot of Europeanlegislationisinnationallegalsystemaswell.ThatispartofaproblemleavingtheEU.Our lawsaresoconnectedanditisreallycomplicated,itisgoingtotakemanymanyyearstosortitallout.EUlegislationisthetoponeanditisabigworryforusinEngland,when,assumingwedopullouttheEU,alotof

EvenifwecomplyandItickyes,doesnotmeanwe are carrying themoutwellenough.Generally, they are pretty wellenforced.Thereareonlyafewthings–we are not so good in recycling. Imeanwe are gettingbetter, butweare not as good as we should be.

For our destination it is veryimportant.We are seriously at risk by climatechange. We will probably the firstBritish National park to disappearunder the sea. Which is true, it willhappeninhundredyearstimemaybe.Currentflooddefensesisnotenough,itissogoodintheNetherlands.

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protectionwillbelost.Manyofusveryworryaboutthat.Yes,wedo those thing, in future I suspectweprobablywon’t, I don’t believe the governmentwill find enoughmoneytopayallthethingswedo.Iamveyworry,Iamnotalone,Italkedtomanypeopleinnatureconservationin Britain and during the campaign before thereferendum,weweresaying–somanythingsareatriskif we pull out EU laws. And, of course, the other sidewantedtopulloutweresaying–Ohno,itwillbealright,wewilllookafterthis,allmoneywearesendingtoEuropewewillspendonhealthserviceandnatureconservation,itwon’thappen.With most of the things you comply due to bothlegislation, do you think it is a case with many EUcountries?–Ithinkitwillbeinsomecountries,Isuspectit is inGermany,theNetherlands,someoftheSouthernEuropeancountriesaresubjecttothesameEUlaw,buttheysimplydon’tcarry themout.That’sonething, thatannoyedalotofpeopleinBritainactually,thattherearesomanyrules,whichwehavetoobey.UKlegislationisverydependentonEUlaw.MostregulationsarefirstlycomingfromEUlevel?–yes,Ithinkthat’sverytrue.Wedon’tdoverymuchuntilweareforced.

Certainly, not as good as Germany,forexample.“Public transportation is adequatelyorganizedanditsuseisencouraged”criteria–wedonotdothisaswellasweshould–fundingistheissue.Thereisadifferentlevel–butwouldyousaythatyourlevelallowsyoutocomplywithcriteria?–Yes,Ithinkso.

C

Some of the indicators deal with issues which are notpresentinEUdestinations.Forexample,somethingaboutindigenous communities- we don’t have thesecommunities.InthelatestreviewoftheQualityCoastStandard,wehavemostlyforenvironmentalpoliciesindicatorswejustsaid,ifyouareinEUyoujustcanassessyourselfasmaximum,becauseweunderstand that, if EU legislation is appliedhere, it is enough to have topmarks. And that’s really

I know more about environmentalprotection–whatwefindisthat,thestandards that EU law requires aremuchhire,thanimplementation,realsituation in the field is not inagreement with EU law even aftermany years. EU level is moreinfluential,thatNGOsandactivists(inmy region regional government

Sustainabilityintouristdestinationsissomething essential in the long-run,but it’s really difficult to make thedestinations understand this in theshort-run.Becausemostofthetimesthedestinationsworkalmostin100%short-term basis. They don’t reallyhave long-term strategy, they justwork–whatwearegoing todo this

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useful,becausethatreallymakestheevaluationprocessmucheasier. It isreallyuseful forthoseareaswhereEUlawisfullyimplementedandenvironmentalprotectionisoneofthem.Iwouldeasilysay,thatinSpain75-80%ofenvironmentalprotection law is there because of EU legislation.EnvironmentalprotectionisoneoftheareainwhichEUlegislationbenefitsallEUcountries.Forthosecountries,wherepriortheEUtheydidn’thavewell-developedbodyoflawintheseareas,EUlawgivesthemagreatplatformtoworkwith.Atthefirstmomentit’smaybegoingtobeaverystrictprocess,becauseit’smaybeabigjumpfromthepreviousrequirementsthanthecurrentonesrequiredbyEUlaw,butinthelong-runit’sthebesttooltoensurerealenvironmentalprotection.Most of the times (In Spain), if you have a nationallegislation in that topic, it means, that there is EUlegislationinthattopic,theyareverycloselyrelated.Mostof the time, national legislation is just going to be anadaptationofEUlegislation.Inlotsofthesetopics,EUlawandNational lawisbasicallythesamething.It is justanadaptionofEUlawtonationalsituation.EU law sets the minimum of what national law has tohave. Sometimes, national law ismuch stricter than EUlaw, but it always depends on a country and particularissue.Evenifnationallawisnotsostrong,woulddestinationsoftheEUcomplywiththesecriteriaduetoEUdirectives?–Itmight be an issuewhen EU law is created, countrieshave certain amountof time tobring that intonationallaw,somaybeduringthatperiodthereisnoyetnationallawornationallawhasnotbeenupdatedonthisissue.So,youhaveto lookinacasebycasebasis ineachcountry

didn’t listen to NGO about thesewage plants problems, so theywent to EU body and this is wheretheywereheard).Inthiscase,theEUlaw is the best tool if youwant thesituation to be solved. One thing isthe law and what it written on apaper, another thing is reality andwhathappensontheground.Spainwas finedmany times for notimplementingEUlawproperly(inmyregion–waterpollution).Andwehadsimilar situation with wastemanagement, coz we EU requirescertain percentageof garbage to berecycled, and there is commoncomplain of environmental NGOs,that the official data for recyclingwaste in Spain is much moreoptimistic,thanthereality.Thismightbeafieldinfuturewheretherewillbeinvestigationsandmorecomplaints.The destinations themselves do nothave the legal competences ortechnicalabilitiestodealwithmostofthese issues (criteria), they are justpart of a chain of administrations.Sometimes, destinations can’tanswer (provide) all the informationwhich is required by the indicators.Importanthowthe restof thechainofthemanagementworks,evenifthedestination does the best. It is

year, next year, in 3 years(maximum)? They are not askingthemselveswhatwergoingtodo in10 - 20 years (situation in Spain-productofpolitical culture).Becauseofthislackoflong-termplanning,itisvery difficult to involve topics likesustainability inday-to-daywork. Ia,luckywithmy destinations, they aremore aware of at least mid-termplanning,notonlyshort-termbasis,atleast they see a bit further into thefuture.Sustainabilityissomething,whentheconsequences of bad planningbecomes a reality.When people seeand experience themselves theresultsofunsustainability, it’smaybethen they decide to do somethingaboutit.Sometimesyouhavetowaituntilsomethingbadhappens,sotheycanstartworkingonimprovement.

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andineachareaiftheEUlawisfullyimplementedorinaprocesstobefullyimplemented.Thatmightbethecasewhere u can find differences between EU and nationallaw,butaftercertainamountoftime,whenthelawbodyisalreadymature,thetendencyisthattheyaregoingtobeveryclose.Maybeinaparticularareathenationallawisstricter, itdependsonacountryandtopic,butat theendoftheday,mostofthemaregoingtobereallysimilar.Intheend–Attheendofthedayweneedtoseeineverycountry case by case issue and see how differentdestinations dealwith certain issues. Cozwhat youwillhave–somedestinationsdoworkhardonit,otherseitherbecausetheycan’tordon’twantdon’tdoanythingaboutit.Iftheissueisnotanissueforthecountryingeneral,itis not going be an issue for even the most carelessdestinationinthecountry.IncaseofSpain,therearelotof indicators, that relate to exploitation of people, tohumanrights,totolerancearenotnecessarytoevaluate.Evenifitisdifficulttotakesomethingforgranted,inthiscase you can take for granted, that besides exceptionalsituations,theseissuesarenotgoingtobeimportantforEUdestinationsor forSpainor forWesterncountries ingeneral.Theseissuesarenotrelevanthere(peoplefromPortugal, France, Germany, the UK would tell you thesame), theymightbe relevant inotherplaces. Indicator(…monitorandrespectofuniversalhumanrights),ifyouaskaboutthat,allEUdestinationsaregoingtosaythatitisperfect,becausetherearenoproblemsrelatedtothis.The same with resettlement indicator. If you ask mewhetheritisEUlawornationallaw,Iwouldnotbeabletoanswer,cozitistakenforgranted,it’salreadysodeepintolive.

important when you evaluatedestinations, what are thecapabilities in terms of humanresources, in terms of technicalresources. What we always suggestthem,thattheyshouldtryasmuchaspossible;trytoseekpotentialalliesinnearby destinations or similardestination, even if they don’tparticipate in our programs, doesn’tmatter.We try to promote throughthe Quality Coast that differentmunicipalities work together,becauseitiseasiertotackleanissue.

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D

InFrancethelegislationisquitestrictaboutenvironmentand preservation of natural resources. We have manylaws, that want to improve capacity of everyone topreserve.Usuallyitisacombinationofboth(UEandNational),coznational law is dependent on EU. I am sure when it isnational,butnotsurewhenitisEU.

Idon’tknowhowwelltheregulationsareenforced.

Britanny is known by its wide coastline and landscape, ifwedon’tworkon the environment, we will loosetourism ina fewyears.Sustainabilityisimportant.

E

Ingeneral,wecansaythatEUlegislationisstandingoverthenational legislation, soevery timeSwedenwants tomakeachangeinasystemorputanotherrule/regulationinto system, theyhave todoublecheck theEU.So theydon’tdoanything,that isagainstEUregulations.That istheoneofthecriticalthingsthatmakepeoplecomplainaboutEU,thattheyfeelthatsomeonewhohasn’tbeenthere are deciding things about wild, animals. But fordevelopingtouriststhesystemwithEUcareisbothofhelpand not help for local administration and localentrepreneurs.Youcangethelpwiththisnewsystem,forexample“Natura2000”(EUregulationtodefendsensitiveareasinanattachednature)andthatisahelpofcourse,wecanuseEUasatooltotakecareofthenature.Theregulationsconcerningcriteriaarecomingfrombothsources,becauseSwedishpeoplearequiteclevertofindtheirownregulationsaswelltopreservethenatureandthat’s an ongoing discussion nationally does not botherthe EU system yet, but once you want to decidesomething…last 10-15 years people are becomingmoreandmorelikelytoinvitepeopletotheirland,thatistypeofregulationthatisunderneaththeEUcoverage.EU legislation ismostly on environment issues, crime ismorenationalproblem,humans rights arewithinEUas

Sweden is following every littleregulation which comes fromBrussels, somostof the things fromEUare implemented inSweden.Butabove that, as extra regulations,wehaveextrarulestomakesurethatnodamagesmadeonthenature.I think that most of EU countrieswould comply with the criteria,becauseEUregulationissostrong,soyou can’t make your own businessandhaveyourownrules,becausetheEUfindoutifyouaretryingtomakeityourownway.Therearecountries,thatmadetheirownruleswhentheywentintoEU,theyhaveasystemtheydon’t have to care thatmuch aboutthings and EUwas interested to getthemasmembers,soit’salwaysthenegotiation.

Sustainability is a key factor for thefuture,butfortheSwedishwearesosurethatweronthesafesidealready,sowearecomingasalate“blummer”inthissustainablework.Destinationsthathasahigherpresswithanumberof guests, and pollution, and all thebad things that you can see on thescreentoday,theyhavecomefurther,because they are forced to do it.Sweden comes a bit afterwards,becauseiftouristarrivalswilldouble,wewon’thavethesekindofproblemsthatyousawonthescreen.Wedon’thavethatkindofproblematall.Andwedon’t havenative tribeswho areputawaybecauseoftourism.We have chosen the Greendestinationcriteria,cozitisthemostgeneral one, not easy, but it ispossibletoexplainforothers.Sweden and the Northern countriesaresowell-organizedwitheverythingandmostlyitiswealthcountriesalso,so somequestions in the formdon’t

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well,but inSwedenwearestanding in front,soEUcanlearnfromSweden.

fit thesituation really;but it isnotabigproblem.If you take GSTC form (120 or socriteria)isalittlebittoomuch.Ithinkthe system is useful for manydestinations. I think the problem isthatwe have somany standards, somany forms, somany of everything,so it’s impossible for people tonavigate in this system what’s thedifferencebetweenETISandGSTCforexample.