Madeira, an autonomous region of Portugal renowned for its enchanting landscapes and rich cultural heritage, has become a model of sustainable tourism – and the region’s EarthCheck certification confirms its status as a leading destination for conscious travellers.
A mountainous archipelago known for its deep-rooted cultural heritage, fertile volcanic soils and breathtaking natural beauty, Madeira captivates visitors with its pristine environment and unique energy. Eduardo Jesus, Regional Secretary for Tourism and Culture, captures this sentiment perfectly.
“Madeira is a magical place,” he says. “It’s the ideal place to live and the perfect destination for a holiday. When people visit, they always end up wanting to stay longer, because of the energy and exuberance of the nature that surrounds us.
For locals, of course, Madeira is more than just an ideal holiday destination – it’s home. With over 600 years of history, the island has managed to continually evolve while preserving its cultural and natural heritage.
“Tourism is crucial to Madeira,” Eduardo says. “It represents 26 per cent of the GDP, and provides direct employment to over 20,000 people, which is about 20 per cent of the active population.”
There is a growing demand for sustainable tourism experiences. Today’s travellers want to know how to better engage with local cultures and communities, and they want to be reassured that they’re having a positive impact on the destinations they visit.
Madeira has long been a pioneer in this respect. Daniel Frey, founder of Green Growth, an EarthCheck partner in Portugal, says the archipelago has a longstanding reputation for sustainability.
“Madeira’s first steps on the journey towards sustainable tourism date back several years, with key milestones such as the declaration of the Porto Santo Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO back in 2020,” he says.
Other milestones include recognition of the Laurissilva forest as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site in 1999; the municipality of Santana being named a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2011; and the creation of the largest marine reserve in Europe and the Northern Atlantic surrounding The Savage Islands in 2021.
“I have seen for many years how destination stakeholders have come together to shape their path and commitment, driving a common vision for the archipelago,” Daniel says. “This culminated in partnering with EarthCheck in early 2022 to formalise its sustainability pledge and embark on the path towards the certification of Madeira, joining the select group of EarthCheck Certified destinations.”
EarthCheck is the world’s leading scientific benchmarking, certification and advisory group for sustainable travel and tourism, and the entity responsible for certifying Madeira as a sustainable tourist destination.
Madeira entered the EarthCheck Sustainable Destinations certification program in 2021, and established its Destination Management Organisation (DMO) in January 2022. Demonstrating the strong community leadership, industry engagement and top-down, bottom-up approach that’s required to deliver strategic planning and sustainability outcomes across a destination, several stakeholders within the region have been involved in the certification process, including representatives of the regional government; representatives from the municipalities; public, associative or private entities and non-governmental organisations.
The EarthCheck destination certification process aims to foster coherence and communication across all these sectors, ensuring sustainability and responsible management sits at the heart of the destination brand. Together, these stakeholders worked with EarthCheck to develop a sustainability policy, as well as an action plan setting out Madeira’s long-term sustainability commitments.
Madeira has since earned EarthCheck Silver Certified status. Maintaining this status requires the destination to monitor, measure and make continuous improvements in the following metrics, which are aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, each year:
Eduardo Jesus says the region’s EarthCheck certification is a testament to its commitment to maintaining and protecting its sense of place, and its track record of delivering on global commitments with a localised approach.
“I believe this is the result of many practices that have been implemented over time,” he says, “which, ultimately, have given us the capacity to be recognised with EarthCheck certification.”
Filipe Oliveria, Director of AREAM, the Regional Agency for Energy and Environment of the Autonomous Region of Madeira, similarly sees EarthCheck certification as an important validation of the region’s efforts.
“This certification is essential,” he says. “It allows people on the outside to see that we’ve satisfied these criteria, in a professional and methodical way, and it gives us guidelines for our own continual improvement.”
EarthCheck CEO and founder Stewart Moore agrees the certification demonstrates Madeira’s commitment to safeguarding its environmental, cultural, social and economic wellbeing.
“EarthCheck certification confirms Madeira’s credibility as a place where genuinely sustainable experiences can be found,” he says. “EarthCheck’s independent audit verifies and authenticates what Madeira has been doing to make a difference.”
Of course, there’s not a lot of value in becoming an ideal destination for sustainable tourism if you don’t tell anybody about it – which is why Madeira has made sure to let the whole world know about its accomplishments.
The Madeira: Sustainable For All website, which launched in April 2022 and is available in both Portuguese and English, documents the region’s journey towards sustainability. The site makes a point to showcase Madeira’s EarthCheck certification, rightly presenting it as a testament of the region’s adherence to rigorous environmental, social and economic standards.
It features information about sustainable practices for tourists, encouraging visitors to engage in environmentally responsible behaviour while they’re in the archipelago. The site showcases unique experiences in the region that engage visitors with the sustainability journey; highlights various sustainable projects in Madeira, including efforts to protect natural habitats, promote local culture, and support eco-friendly businesses; and offers insights into initiatives to reduce the region’s carbon footprint, manage waste effectively, and conserve water.
The site makes the region’s sustainability policy, risk assessment and action plan, as well as previous EarthCheck reports, available to visitors. This illustrates the region’s commitment to performance outcomes across the triple bottom line (environmental, social and economic); demonstrates the authenticity and transparency that’s key to credible sustainability storytelling; and ensures the region cannot be accused of ‘greenwashing’ – the act of making misleading, exaggerated or unsubstantiated environmental claims.
A social media campaign has also been launched to highlight the island’s sustainability initiatives, and a short video has been produced that includes interviews with key industry stakeholders and visuals of the many attractions that visitors can expect to see around the archipelago. These promotional tools have been developed in conjunction with Portugal’s Institute for Planning and Development of Tourism (IPDT), an EarthCheck ambassador in Portugal, which specialises in promoting the sustainability performance of Portuguese tourism operators and destinations.
Jorge Costa, President of IPDT, says he has long been impressed by Madeira’s commitment to sustainability.
“IPDT has worked with Madeira for over 17 years, witnessing its strong commitment to competitiveness and sustainability,” he says. “Our collaboration with the regional government and various stakeholders allowed us to be part of this journey, which helped Madeira exceed global standards for environmental, social, and economic sustainability, culminating in its EarthCheck certification. This certification underscores Madeira’s dedication to responsible tourism and its vision to be a leading sustainable destination.”
By showcasing these efforts, Madeira accurately positions itself as a forward-thinking destination that appeals to conscious travellers who prioritise sustainability when seeking out their next destination, and fosters a sense of shared responsibility towards preserving the region’s natural and cultural heritage.
Madeira now aims to achieve the next level of EarthCheck certification, Gold, which can only be attained by maintaining Silver certification for five years.
The region is also working towards achieving the targets it has set for itself by 2030, which is also the deadline for the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. By that time, in keeping with the clear vision for the future and commitment to continuous improvement that the region has demonstrated so far, Madeira aims to have achieved:
Manuel Ara Oliveira, Regional Director for the Environment and Climate Change, says the region’s stakeholders understand that sustainability is an ongoing process.
“It is a process of continuous improvement,” he says. “It’s a broad commitment between all sectors of society, through which the entire population can be involved at all levels. It’s about keeping an eye on the future, while respecting the legacy that has been handed to us. We have to work on it – and we have to earn it.”
Ultimately, Madeira’s integration into the EarthCheck certification program exemplifies its dedication to the wellbeing of the community, and its unwavering vision for a sustainable future, setting a benchmark for destinations worldwide.
Learn more about how your destination can strengthen its commitment to sustainability and earn EarthCheck certification here.
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