Galicia, a reference inWhat does a company have to comply with to be part of Galicia Sustainable Destination?
Here we explain the requirements that your company must meet to be part of the Galicia Destino Sostible Club.
All entities requesting membership must comply with the following
- Be a for-profit entity.
- Be registered in the Registry of Tourist Companies and Activities of the Xunta de Galicia.
Below, we indicate the two existing ways to comply with sustainability requirements:
Enabling
All companies that meet at least one of the qualifying requirements, that is, that are already in possession of some official environmental or sustainability certification, may join directly, sending the corresponding accreditation through the web form.
Mandatory and valuable
Those companies that meet all the mandatory requirements and at least 33% of those that can be assessed may also join through the binding responsible declaration of the web form.
Restaurants
Accommodations
Travel agency
Complementary tourism companies
How can I join?
Request membership
- Fill out the membership form
- Provide documentation that certifies compliance with the qualifying requirements
- Sign the binding responsible declaration of compliance with requirements and acceptance of obligations
Review of compliance with requirements
The Galicia Destino Sostible team will analyze your membership application and, if necessary, will contact you to request documentation that proves that you meet the requirements that you have indicated in the form.
Once all the documentation has been obtained, your candidacy will be analyzed by the Committee, which will be the one who validates your company’s membership in the club.
Validation and acceptance
Once the request has been validated and accepted, you will receive by email the keys to access the private area.
You will be given a brief guide explaining how you can create a sustainable tourist experience for the end customer.
Enjoy the benefits
You will be able to create and manage your own sustainable tourism experiences with the support of our technical team; and benefit from the rest of the advantages of being part of Galicia Destino Sostible.
Monitoring of member companies
From the club we want to generate trust both in end clients and in companies that are part of or are interested in being part of Galicia Destino Sostible.
For this reason, an audit of a representative number of member companies will be carried out every two years. The objective of this audit is to ensure that the sustainability requirements indicated upon joining continue to be met and that there is continuous improvement of the company’s sustainability values.
Frequent questions
A club that acts as a hub integrating all sustainable tourist attractions in Galicia, connecting tourists to companies and facilitating the search process for travellers interested in getting to know the destination, guaranteeing the protection of the environment and its cultural and natural heritage, while boosting the local economy.
All the tourist attractions integrated in Galician Sustainable Destination complies with the quality and sustainability criteria and requirements demanded of the member companies. Therefore, Galician Sustainable Destination acts as a guarantee of quality and sustainability.
The company or activity must be located in Galicia and the operator of the offer must be willing to make responsible commitment to quality and sustainability, contributing to the fulfilment of the Sustainable Development Goals set by Europe in its Agenda 2030. These requirements are related to the efficient management of energy and natural resources, the use of renewable energy sources, the reduction of the carbon footprint, respect for the environment and the biodiversity of the region, hiring of local staff, responsible consumption and the purchase of local products, contribution to the circular economy, protection of the culture and historical heritage of the region, etc.
The Galician Sustainable Destination Product Club has two levels of organisation, one managerial and the other operational. The operational level, formed by the Galician Tourism Cluster, is responsible for checking and validating the information provided by the company applying for membership.
The Galician Tourism Cluster may, during the membership process or afterwards, audit the applying or member companies to verify that they are actually complying with the requirements.
Joining Galician Sustainable Destination implies a commitment to a different tourism model based on sustainability. However, membership of the Club does not mean that entrepreneurs should renounce tourist products that are already in operation, especially if they are highly consolidated and profitable from a socio-economic point of view.
Nor does membership of the Club imply exclusivity. In other words, each entrepreneur will be able to develop their own strategies to participate in other product clubs or sell their products by other means.
Currently, membership of Galician Sustainable Destination is free of charge. . Membership of the Club not only does not entail a cost for the entrepreneur, but also facilitates access to public funding for the creation of sustainable tourist products in Galicia, as well as technical support and training.
However, upon joining the Club, members of Galician Sustainable Destination undertake to participate in the financing of the Club by means of the fees or procedures that may be established. This means that if in the future membership of Galician Sustainable Destination involves the payment of an annual or monthly fee, the member companies that wish to keep their Club membership would have to pay it.
Once membership of the Club has been approved, the operator will receive an email with the access codes to the website’s private area, through which they will be able to add sustainable tourist products to the corresponding section. The operator will also receive a guide for the configuration of sustainable tourist products, which will specify product features as well as a template to standardise the transfer of information and facilitate content uploads.
Companies that do not complete the annual renewal process in time will be automatically removed from the Club. In addition, members may actively request not to have their Club membership renewed.
