TourCert
TourCert gGmbH is a non-profit organization for certification in tourism and has set itself the task of promoting ecological, social and economic corporate responsibility in tourism. TourCert advises and supports tour operators, accommodations, destinations and other tourism companies in the implementation of consistently sustainable business practices and qualifies interested parties and participants with seminars and online training.
TourCert was founded in 2009 by the partners Naturfreunde , kate - Environment and Development in Stuttgart, Tourism Watch and the University for Sustainable Development Eberswalde as a non-profit company (GbR) and converted into a non-profit GmbH in 2015 . The company headquarters are in Stuttgart.
Tourism companies that apply for certification have to prepare a sustainability report and an improvement program. With the award, the certified companies are obliged to continuously improve their sustainability performance.
The development of the certification process was funded by the German Federal Environment Foundation. In 2009 the first 15 tour operators were certified and awarded by Klaus Töpfer at the ITB .
The certification program was initially designed for small companies; today, large organizers such as Kuoni or Gebeco have also been certified.
The certification system was given the top rating "recommendable" by the German Consumer Initiative Association. TourCert is accredited by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council .
The business association Forum Anders Reisen eV has made the introduction of the TourCert system a binding standard for its members.
The test is carried out by an expert who, according to the organization, acts independently. The TourCert Certification Council, made up of representatives from business, science, the environment, development and politics, decides on the certification according to previously defined criteria. The certification is valid for two years in the first step, then a recertification takes place every 3 years.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ TourCert: Our Story , accessed on March 21, 2018.
- ↑ http://www.label-online.de/label-datenbank?label=546
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento from May 25, 2013 in the Internet Archive ).
- ↑ http://forumandersreisen.de/philosophie_csr.php
- ↑ Archived copy ( memento of January 18, 2018 in the Internet Archive ).