On June 3, Baião, the first Portuguese municipality classified as a “Sustainable Tourism Destination”, received the announcement of the revalidation of the EarthCheck “Silver Award”, an internationally recognized certification validated by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) – an entity created with the support of the United Nations Foundation, the United Nations Environment Programme, the Rainforest Alliance, and the World Tourism Organization, a benchmark for the sector, which manages global criteria and standards for sustainable travel and tourism.
“This revalidation attests to compliance with all the parameters established by the certifying body, which makes us very happy, as it is also recognition of all the work that the municipality continues to do with regard to environmental and sustainability issues, which includes the Green Team, which coordinates all the actions in this area,” said the mayor of Baião.
CERTIFICATION FOLLOWS STRICT CRITERIA
Destination certification is centered on a balance between four fundamental pillars: environmental, social, cultural and economic, in an integrated development approach in which all the territory’s assets and players must be mobilized for sustainable development.
The revalidation of the “Silver Award” was the result of a visit to the municipality by EartCheck’s international auditor on April 22 and 23, for a new assessment as part of the process. This visit, which takes place every year, is designed to assess the evolution of performance according to the criteria defined by the institution, which is a world leader in scientific benchmarking and tourism certification. As this is a process that involves continuous improvement, destinations that have made this commitment are audited based on rigorous standards that are recognized and accredited by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, which in turn is mandated by the United Nations.
In Baião, the audit assessed a series of environmental indicators, such as energy consumption, quality and rationalization of water consumption, waste recycling, chemical emissions and the destination’s safety environment and commitment to the community. This data was compared with the global average of other sustainable destinations and cross-referenced with those that have the best practices worldwide.
This year, in addition to evaluating the indicators in the program’s 12 key areas and checking that all the certification documents are compliant, with an emphasis on the Action Plan, the audit also included visits to the Santa Marinha do Zêzere Municipal Services and to a farm whose food production is based on biological processes.
At the first stop, the implementation of sustainability measures at a municipal facility was checked, including the existence of recycling bins, timer taps and LED lighting, among others.
This was followed by a visit to a family-run agricultural business. On site, the auditor was able to see examples of vegetable and fruit production, without the use of plant protection products, in an artisanal and sustainable way. In addition, the products are sold in short chains, in local stores and at gastronomic events showcasing local products.
In addition to the field trip, the auditor met at the Town Hall with the team that manages this process, the “Green Team”, during the two-day audit.
In 2019, the Municipality of Baião was awarded the “Bronze” seal and in 2021 the “Silver” seal, making it the first Portuguese municipality to be certified as a “Sustainable Tourist Destination”. It has been revalidating its status every year, which only happens after verifying compliance with all the defined criteria and demonstrating the project’s progress. The gold degree is obtained after four years of continuous accreditation of the current award, and platinum certification after ten years.
This project was initially developed by a working team known as the “Green Team”, made up of technicians from the municipality, which was later extended to other local and regional entities, namely the School Groups, the Baião Business Association, Eco Simbioses – Environmental and Cultural Association of Vale de Ovil, AMDT – Association of Douro and Tâmega Municipalities and Dolmen – Local and Regional Development, CRL, among others.
