It is an important goal that was achieved after intensive groundwork: The Sauerland and Siegen-Wittgenstein are "Sustainable Destinations". Sauerland-Tourismus e. V. and Touristikverband Siegen-Wittgenstein e. V. have now jointly accepted their certification certificates during a ceremony at NaturHotel Steinbergs Wildewiese. These were awarded by the renowned certification institute "TourCert". At the same time, numerous "Sustainable Destination Partner Businesses" also received their awards. This jointly achieved goal in the network is also the beginning of an ongoing journey: sustainability will be an ongoing task in the Sauerland and Siegen-Wittgenstein in the future.
And a lot has already happened in both regions, not least as part of the certification process, which has a lasting effect and at the same time combines economic, ecological and social aspects. Making all of this visible and continuously expanding it is now an integral part of the tourism work of both destinations. As "Sustainable Destinations", the two regions - represented by their tourism associations - have committed themselves to constantly scrutinizing and initiating improvements in the areas of customer information, working conditions, environmental protection, public welfare, human rights and fair business relationships. In the extensive certification process, the first step was to determine the status quo of all facets of sustainability, collect numerous surveys and self-checks and meticulously evaluate them in strategy workshops. This resulted in concrete improvement programs and detailed sustainability reports. These provide the basis for further sustainability work in Sauerland and Siegen-Wittgenstein, which is overseen by the two sustainability officers Anna Galon and Jule Kampen as well as a specially established sustainability advisory board.
The renowned certification institute "TourCert" - in the person of TourCert partner Angela Giraldo - accompanied the process with its expertise, and at the end the work of the regions and their partner companies was assessed by two external auditors. "The auditors particularly praised the fact that we, as two tourism regions, work together as partners, network and support each other," emphasizes Jule Kampen. And Anna Galon adds: "Our sustainability reports were rated as thorough and informative. We also took a self-critical look at where we see real challenges and specifically included these in our improvement program. We also received good feedback for this."
Impetus for the partner network
The central element of the certification process on both sides was initially the establishment of a partner network with committed businesses, including accommodation providers, restaurants, excursion destinations and tourist information offices. This network includes businesses with recognized environmental and sustainability seals, and many businesses in the Sauerland and Siegen-Wittgenstein have taken the opportunity to participate in the "TourCert Qualified" qualification measure, which gave them an introduction to the topic and encouraged them to make a lasting commitment through concrete and individual improvement measures. All of them are "Sustainable Destination Partners", leading by example, acting as multipliers and making sustainability a tangible experience on site: for example, by conserving resources, showing their guests sustainable experiences and mobility alternatives when advising them, enabling responsible and regional consumption and treating all employees with respect and fairness.
But the partner network should and will continue to grow. At the final and certification event, the participants therefore not only celebrated the interim success, but also discussed the future of the network and the shared understanding of sustainability. In the active part, the wishes of the partner companies for the network were collected, but also open questions and food for thought from the plenum were collected. At the same time, a collection of topics for future work was drawn up and there was also plenty of opportunity to exchange ideas with each other.
For further questions, please contact the sustainability officer of the Siegen-Wittgenstein Tourism Association, Jule Kampen, telephone 0271 333-1017, and the sustainability officer of Sauerland-Tourismus e. V., Anna Galon, telephone 02974 9698-50.
Information is also available at:
www.sauerland.com/de/unsere-region/nachhaltigkeit-im-sauerland
tv.siegen-wittgenstein.info/partner-company
Attached you will find a list of partner businesses in both regions.
Contact for the press:
Anna Galon, Sauerland-Tourismus e. V.
Johannes-Hummel-Weg 1, 57392 Schmallenberg
Tel.: 02974-969850, e-mail: anna.galon@sauerland.com