Sustainable Tourism Destination

The Azores are the World’s First Leading Sustainable Tourism Destination

Sustainability and preservation have always been a priority here in the Azores, but as of Dec. 2019, the Azores has been officially recognized as the world's first archipelago to be certified under the EarthCheck Sustainable Destination program making it one of the most sustainable tourism destinations in the world. 

While a significant milestone, this is just the first step on the long sustainability journey towards becoming an even more eco-friendly destination. The Azores government, in partnership with the community and the tourism industry, has made a commitment to preserve its natural landscapes, rich culture and marine ecosystems. The locals appreciate and respect the nature of these islands and want to preserve them just as much as they want to share them with the world. In fact, several companies have also signed the “Cartilha da Sustentabilidade”,  where they committed to change at least three old habits per year replacing them with more sustainable ones.

This commitment to sustainability and destination management is especially significant at a time when many destinations in Europe have recognized the need to manage over-tourism. The EarthCheck Sustainable Destinations Program provides a scientific framework to measure and monitor environmental and social impact, and to track destination performance against both the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the GSTC Destination criteria and EarthCheck’s own Destination Standard, which is currently being used across four continents and eight countries. For more information about Earth Check certification process click here.