The municipal association is applying to obtain the Biosphere seal, a system for measuring sustainability, with the aim of functioning as a tool for continuous improvement.
The municipal association of Urola Kosta has signed the letter of commitment for the sustainable tourism strategy, through the Biosphere seal, a certificate that indicates the real level of sustainability of the destination.
The Biosphere process for destinations, of the Responsible Tourism Institute (ITR), is a system for measuring sustainability, with the aim of functioning as a tool for continuous improvement and thus recognising the commitment and commitment of the destinations, companies and tourist services.
Urola Kosta and the five municipalities - Aia, Orio, Getaria, Zarautz and Zumaia - that make up the region, make up a territory that is deeply rooted in and linked to nature.
As the president Lourdes Salsamendi explained at FITUR, the International Tourism Fair, "in this composition of sea and mountains, each of the 5 municipalities in our territory has its own unique and distinctive character, but they are all tremendously cohesive and united by their natural resources".
Urola Kosta is a territory with great potential for tourism. Tourism linked to the sea and the mountains; to natural resources; sustainable tourism, after all. "Many things unite us, such as, for example, the St. James' Way along the coast that passes through the 5 towns and Elkano itself, which is linked to different municipalities in Urola Kosta. For all these reasons, we conceive the development of tourism in a sustainable way in its three areas: economic, social and environmental. This is, moreover, a common commitment of the five municipalities that make up the territory and that is why we are working together in this area, in the same direction and with the same objective: to build a region with a tourism strategy based on sustainability".
Being part of the Biosphere community is therefore strategic for Urola Kosta: "we are concerned about the present, but we are also firmly committed to the future. In order to be or continue to be a sustainable tourist destination, we will continue to work to achieve our sustainable objectives, from the perspective of the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) and the Basque language, and with the aim of offering the world a unique, magical and, above all, sustainable destination" Salsamendi remarked.
