bbw signs new Partnership Project in Brazil for Local Economic Development and Sustainable Tourism

On December 1, the kick-off for the new Business Membership Organisation Partnership (KVP) between bbw and five Entrepreneurs Associations took place in the Brazilian city of Natal.

The focus of the project lies on the program DEL Turismo which supports the local economic and sustainable development of tourism in selected municipalities in the partner states of Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Norte, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, and Acre. The project is funded by the BMZ (Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development) and managed by sequa gGmbH. The final target groups of the project are formal and informal Brazilian small and medium-sized enterprises from the tourism and catering branch.

• Region South: Federação das Associações Empresariais de Santa Catarina (FACISC) Municipalities: Itá, Bombinhas, Schroeder, Treze Tilias, Orleans.
• Region North-East: Serviço Nacional de Aprendizagem Comercial Rio Grande do Norte (SENAC-RN) Municipalities: São Miguel do Gostoso, Tibau do Sul, Tibau, Parnamirim, Assú, Galinhos.
• Region North: Federação das Indústrias do Estado do Acre (FIEAC) Municipalities: Epitaciolândia, Rio Branco, Brasiléia, Cruzeiro do Sul.
• Region Mid-West: Serviço Nacional de Aprendizagem Comercial Mato Grosso do Sul (SENAC-MS) Municipalities: Corguinho, Pedro Gomes.
• Region South-East: Federação das Associações Comerciais e Empresariais de Minas Gerais (FEDERAMINAS) Municipalities: Capitólio, Diamantina, Monte Sião.

The Dutch foundation Green Destinations (www.greendestinations.org) is a strategic partner of the project. The Green Destinations program aims at preparing interested parties, which aspire international recognition and responsible tourism, for awards and certificates which are accredited by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council.

The Green Destinations certification model with 100 criteria is holistic and demanding. Not only the destination itself is assessed but also other topics associated with it, e.g. destination and sustainability management, considering culture, traditions, nature and the environment, participation and regional economic cycles, hospitality as well as the quality of the touristic services. Even for touristic key players at the destinations (e.g. hotels), Green Destinations has interesting offers: they receive presence at the Good Travel Guide Market place and can be easily awarded with the Good Travel Seal. At the kick-off in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, an agreement has been signed together with Green Destinations, which regulates a fellow certification of companies based on the Good Travel Guide model in order to declare these companies as sustainable ones.

The certification contains 30 criteria the companies have to fulfill in order to achieve the DEL-Turismo patch in the categories gold, silver and bronze. The cooperation between the DEL Turismo program and Green Destinations benefits from the synergies between the two partners for a high-quality and performing certification work in Brazil.