- ICTES and UNE elevate the document that will serve as a reference for certifying sustainability in Spanish tourism to a UNE standard.
- The UNE Standard to certify the S mark has already been presented by ICTES in ISO, so that Spain can lead tourism sustainability certification worldwide, as it already did in terms of quality with the Q mark.
Madrid, 27 June 2024 -The Spanish Institute for Tourism Quality and Sustainability (ICTES) and the Spanish Association for Standardization, UNE have presented the new standard UNE 0083:2024 Contribution of tourism organisations to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Requirements and recommendations. The aim of the initiative is to be a lever for the sustainable transformation of the tourism sector and a clear and simple reference, which can be implemented by all types of tourism organisations, and especially by small and medium-sized enterprises. Drawn up by the UNE Committee on Sustainable Tourism under the leadership of ICTES, the standard is the result of the collaboration and consensus of all the subsectors and stakeholders.
Published by UNE in June 2024, this standard was created in response to a demand from the tourism sector, which is becoming increasingly aware and responsible, and which wants to implement actions to reduce its environmental footprint, promote responsible resource management and consumption and introduce transparency processes by means of reports on contributions to the United Nations SDGs.
This initiative is aligned with Spain's 2030 Sustainable Tourism Strategy, which is the sector's roadmap to promoting growth through quality and sustainability. The tourism sector is one of the drivers of the economy, as it contributes 12% of GDP and employment in Spain, but at the same time it can generate major impacts that need to be minimised and mitigated.
By implementing this Standard, tourism organisations have the opportunity to align their strategy with the SDGs, promoting responsible tourism with the natural and socio-cultural environment, and fostering a sustainable growth of tourist destinations. In this regard, ICTES will certify with the "S" Sustainability mark, as it has been doing since 2020, in order to ensure that accreditation can be demonstrated and be recognisable, as it was at the time with the Q mark for Tourism Quality.
Aimed at all tourism organisations
The Standard is aimed at all activities and spaces connected to tourism, as well as the classic sectors such as accommodation, restaurants and travel agencies, it also applies to active tourism companies, spas, marinas and conference centres, among other areas.
In addition to raising internal awareness, through staff information and training, the Standard establishes the minimum requirements that a Sustainability Report must contain, understood as a contribution report to the SDGs. This report must document aspects such as sustainability commitment, diagnostic results, SDG prioritisation and an action plan. The Standard also includes, as an annex, numerous examples of actions to contribute to each SDG, as well as a series of indicators to measure their progress.
Leaders at international level
ICTES presented the UNE 0083 Standard to more than 80 international experts from 35 countries, who attended the Annual Meeting of the ISO/TC 228 Committee on Tourism and related services, held in Marseille (France) during June. Based on this national standard, the ICTES, with UNE, the Spanish member of ISO, has presented its proposal for the drafting of an international standard, which will be put to the vote in the coming weeks. It is another example of Spain's leadership in tourism standards, as for 20 years Spain has been leading the ISO/TC 228 International Committee, made up of more than 100 major countries and organisations such as the UN World Tourism Organisation and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC).
Miguel Mirones, president of the ICTES, said that “at the Institute we are proud of the conversion of the S mark on Tourism Sustainability into a public standard and we are sure that both the standard and the brand will become a benchmark for the tourism sector at national level". Mirones also pointed out that “apart from the UNE Standard, we have presented it at ISO, once again making us global pioneers in the field of standardisation in the tourism sector, thus achieving that the Spanish standard on tourism sustainability is the basis and reference in this area".
In the words of Alfredo Berges, UNE's chairman, “in the field of tourism, ICTES and UNE have been working together for almost a quarter of a century, a collaboration that has been very fruitful, since the ICTES has led tourism and we have provided coverage from UNE through development standards that promote the quality, competitiveness and sustainability of the sector". As Berges explained, “the path we have undertaken is to turn the ICTES document into a UNE Standard, which should eventually become an international ISO standard, recognised and accepted worldwide, thus exporting our knowledge and technology around the world".
