Sustainable Tourism Law

36 SUSTAINABLE TOURISM LAW with the authenticity of the history and the traditions of our population. This allows the Archipelago to assert itself, at the national and international level, as a European destination in the middle of the Atlantic. The Azores are recognized as preserved volcanic islands, with an exuberant nature, unique, of mystical nature, where the visitors are welcomed as special guests and that in safety have at their disposal a variety of activities and products, either on land or at sea. This scenery makes the Tourist Destination Azores to be strongly associated with sustainable development practices, result from a continuous strategy that has been carried out by the last Regional Governments and entities related to the tourism and environment sectors. They have always defended conciliatory policies of good environmental practices, safeguarded legally, in such a way, that we can preserve the identity, the ecosystems, and the Azoreans quality of life, never disregarding the progress of the Azores Region. For all these motives, at the end of last year, the Azores Regional Government began the process of certifying the archipelago as a sustainable tourist destination through the GSTC-Global Sustainable Tourism Council criteria and the seal of the United Nations – a goal that we want to reach in 2019. There is not an archipelago in the world with this certification and there are only nine regions in the world, from only four countries, that hold it. In case the Azores receive this distinction, it will be the first archipelago worldwide to be certified by EarthCheck. This decision represents an enormous challenge and a responsibility for the future. A future that makes the tourist feels that the Azores Archipelago is effectively a reference. A destination that follows a balanced economic development based in the respect for the environment and the culture. Moreover, that respect consists especially in the valorisation of our products, but mostly in the valorisation of people: the Azoreans and the tourists. We believe that there is already amovement, increasingly,more comprehensive, where everyone wants to be part of the process of thinking and acting based on the pillars of sustainable development. For this reason, we have no doubt that the Azores continue to work to be an example, as a Tourist Destination. Marta Guerreiro Regional Secretary for Energy, Environment and Tourism of the Azores Regional Government