Sustainable Tourism Law

SUSTAINABILITY: THE PATH FROM STOCKHOLM TO THE EUROPEAN CHARTER 657 with the quality of the visitor’s experience, just like it happens with Blue Flag 85 . As for the impacts , the continued rigorous supervision and measurement is imposed to establish a satisfying management of destinations. Entering the third topic, we can point out the essential role of corporations and seasonality as the enemyof sustainabilityandnewemployment opportunities 86 , namely in the catering sector and through the use of local products 87 . I.2.13 Declaration of Madrid Adopted by the Ministers for Tourism of the European Union, in mid-2010, the Madrid Declaration establishes a series of recommendations related to the application of a European tourism policy, from which stands out the reinforcement of its sustainable competitiveness. Entitled “Towards a socially responsible tourismmodel”, it was approved in an Informal meeting of Ministers forTourism, organized following the initiative of the Spanish EUCouncil Presidency, inMadrid, on 15 th April 2010. It all converges in the EU High-level conference on European tourism that took place the day before, focusing on a «general states» of European tourism. From the meeting stands out the commitment of the Union and Member-States towards implementing a competitive, sustainable, modern and socially responsible tourism sector. A firm prominent reference is made to the importance of the Lisbon Treaty 88 for the tourism sector, followed by an appeal to cooperation and joint efforts to build a stronger, more sustainable and more responsible tourism sector, mirroring 85 “There is a need to ensure that all eco-labels in Europe (and indeed globally) are meeting a minimum standard in what they cover – to avoid misleading consumers”. 86 “Our responsibility towards quality employment – in terms of pay and conditions – is important in its own right, relating to fundamental sustainability principles of social equity, but it is also key to the delivery of quality visitor experiences, and hence competitiveness, in the sector”. 87 As it is observed in a study from one of the world’s biggest hotel groups, and the biggest one in Portugal, the «impacts on local economy are also evident since the vast majority of our units’ suppliers (Pestana Group) are local suppliers and in some geographic areas the proportion of local suppliers in relation to the total is 100%. It’s the case of South America, in which all suppliers of our hotel units are local enterprises» (Sustainability Report 2009, p.19). 88 The entry into force of the LisbonTreaty constitutes a milestone for tourism, a fundamental sector of the European Union’s economy that contributes significantly to the GDP, generating employment and wellbeing in member-States. The Lisbon Treaty recognizes the importance of tourism by establishing, for the first time, the European Union’s specific competences on this domain, determining that decisions have to be made by the qualified majority (Title XXI Tourism, article 176B). The Lisbon treaty predicts in article 176B points a) and b), the possibility of the European Union being able to «complement the action of theMember States in the tourism sector, in particular by promoting the competitiveness of Union undertakings in that sector». Through the implementation of specific measures destined to encourage the creation of a propitious environment for the development of enterprises and encourage the cooperation among member- States, namely through the exchange of good practices, the tourism industry can indirectly contribute to “Europe 2020 – A European strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth” and reinforce the concept of European citizenship. In line with the “Europe 2020” strategy’s objectives and in particular with the objectives of the relevant initiative «An Integrated Industrial Policy for the Globalisation Era», it’s important to increase competitiveness in tourism.