The eco-responsible direction of the corporate events sector continues. After the Lille Grand Palais and the Zénith de Lille in mid-June, Biarritz Tourism and its convention centres - Espace Bellevue, Casino Municipal, Théâtre de la Gare du Midi, Halle d'Iraty - have also just received the ISO 20121 certification. Biarritz Tourisme has been committed to an eco-responsible approach for a number of years, and its efforts towards a more virtuous activity have now been recognised by the key standard for responsible events. This award is " the result of several months of collaborative work between Biarritz Tourisme teams and its service providers" says Geneviève Fontaine, Managing Director of Biarritz Tourisme.
At a time when event organisers are increasingly pitting destinations against each other on the basis of sustainability, Biarritz is going to be able to show them the benefits of a sustainable tourism policy. concrete actions implemented in terms of waste management, the circular economy and the involvement of committed local service providers. " This positive result should not stop us theresays Geneviève Fontaine. It is a standard that imposes constant monitoring of current issues for continuous improvement."
This ISO 20121 certification now makes it possible to obtain another benchmark, the "Innovative Sustainable Destination" label. In fact, this standard is a prerequisite for receiving this distinction, which was launched two years ago by the France Congrès Évènements network, with the support of the public authorities. " With this new label, backed by the international benchmark standard ISO 20121, we are building the future of tourism in our destinations by innovating in both the business and leisure tourism markets." said David Lisnard, Chairman of France Congrès et Evénements, at the time.
This new standard is aimed at towns and cities that want to structure their actions at the local level by signing agreements with local professionals committed to sustainable tourism. This global approach, based on the principle of continuous improvement, is reflected in responsible purchasing, waste sorting and recycling, as well as the formalisation of an energy-saving plan and raising awareness of carbon offsetting. Other concrete actions taken by these innovative and sustainable destinations include the promotion of sustainable mobility and easier access for visitors with disabilities.
While Biarritz was one of the nine pilot towns for this labelSome of them can already boast this, starting with BordeauxDeauville, Marseille and Metz were the first to receive the award. Recently, other regions committed to demonstrating their commitment to sustainable tourism and eco-responsible events have been added to the list: Rennes last April, followed by La Baule and Nancy in June. Only Cannes and Nantes remain, among the destinations that initiated the project and are obviously committed to obtaining it soon.
And the list was set to grow even longer in the future, sincesome twenty cities have embarked on the same path Amiens, Angers, Caen, Dunkirk, La Rochelle, Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, Lille, Lyon, Montpellier, Nice, Saint-Etienne, Strasbourg, Tours, Troyes and Valenciennes. In two or three years' time, all the major French conference centres will be able to use this eco-responsible label.
