Tourism is an increasingly significant part of the Georgian and Moldavian economy. In looking to further develop this, Kutaisi in Georgia and Ungheni in Moldova are mindful of the need to do so in a way that is sustainable and environmentally friendly. By this is meant finding a balance between the needs of the visitor, the environment and the host community for current as well as future generations.

The purpose of this project therefore is to enable these countries to learn from the experiences and successes of their Italian partners in the North Adriatic area (Venice, in particular, has succeeded to remain car and oil free since its foundation). Using a benchmarking approach, the Italian cities will focus on helping their ENPI partners to introduce tourist destination management methodologies such as Agenda 21. Another successful tool is the ‘Veneto Quality and Environment Manifesto 2000’ which calls for signed up campsites to commit to protecting the environment by achieving ISO 14001 environmental certification.

In order to achieve this the campsites have to satisfy 70 requirements. These are  primarily aimed at saving energy, using water resources rationally, reducing traffic, and providing for separated waste collection. They will also learn to qualify for ecolabels and eco audits.

SUSTOUR project website