Broads Authority awarded European accolade for work in sustainable tourism
The Broads Authority is the first English national park authority to have been awarded the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas.
The charter is awarded for five years by the Europarc Federation, the umbrella organisation of protected areas in Europe. The accolade will raise the Broads Authority’s profile in the European arena as an area devoted to sustainable tourism, give it greater credibility with potential funding partners and could lead to new ideas and improvements.
Bruce Hanson, the Broads Authority’s Head of Tourism Development, said:
”This is a major accolade for the Authority. It is recognition of the work the Authority has been doing since it was set up in 1989. It provides the impetus to build on this work and will improve our ability to raise funds from European sources and the government.”
Broads Authority staff played a leading role in developing the charter when they were part of a Europarc working group on sustainable tourism in the early 1990s. They edited and designed the Europarc study 'Loving them to death?' which makes a series of recommendations for promoting sustainable tourism.
“In those days the concept of 'sustainable tourism' was completely fresh. It was a new idea altogether,” said Bruce Hanson.
The Authority then became one of several pilot parks which took part in five years of research to develop the concept.
To achieve the charter the Broads Authority had to have a sustainable tourism strategy, an action plan and provide evidence of good work on the ground, such as the new boardwalk at Barton Broad. It also needed a partnership body representing the tourism industry, local councils, conservation and community interests, which was fulfilled by the existing Broads Tourism Forum.
The forum had a strong input in drawing up the Sustainable Tourism Strategy for the Broads, which was adopted in January this year. An independent verifier from Germany interviewed people with a wide range of interests in the Broads, as well as Authority staff, to check out the Authority’s work in sustainable tourism.
The charter certificate will be presented at the EUROPARC 2006 conference in Oxford from 20 - 24 September.
In 2004 the Broads Authority was awarded Beacon Council status for best practice in promoting sustainable tourism and was the first member of the national park family to become a Beacon Council. Businesses in the Broads will be able to apply for charter status later this year.
22/08/2006
