QualityCoast aims to establish a world
wide network of coastal communities that share the same
values and practices on sustainable development holistically
integrating their natural, cultural and social values and
that at the same time maintain high standards in the quality
of their tourism. It has been developed in a European Union
project by 21 partners from 11 countries under the lead
of the Coastal & Marine Union (EUCC) - one of the largest
coastal expert networks in the world.
QualityCoast provides new ways of cooperation between coastal
communities. The communities will join a network of like-minded
communities and be able to share their experiences and exchange
best practices in order to improve sustainability in the
fields of nature, environment and socio-economics. Furthermore,
their performance in these fields can be connected to international
tourism marketing through the QualityCoast Award.
QualityCoast has been developed by and for coastal communities:
cities, towns and islands, at the level of municipalities,
provinces and regions. Small adjacent communities can participate
together in order to work more cost effectively; they can
also apply for the QualityCoast Award together (e.g. islands
with more than one municipality or a coherent group of municipalities
considering and promoting themselves as a single unit).
In such case the applicants need to show their common policies
toward sustainable development of the territory.
QualityCoast supports both the Blue Flag and the Green
Key Programme: the Blue Flag programme specifically applies
to beaches and marinas whilst the Green Key applies to accommodation.
QualityCoast is, therefore, complementary to these but it
aims at recognising efforts toward sustainability in the
whole territory of the coastal destination: towns, small
regions and islands. Non-compliance to the Blue Flag and
Green Key criteria does not rule out eligibility for QualityCoast.
|
