Un auditor de la Federació EUROPARC ha visitat aquests dies la Garrotxa per conèixer sobre el terreny els projectes, accions i models de governança impulsats des de la Carta Europea de Turisme Sostenible.

La renovació de l’acreditació per al període 2026-2030 consolidaria més de dues dècades de treball col·laboratiu en favor d’un model turístic sostenible als espais naturals protegits de la Garrotxa i l’Alta Garrotxa.

These days, the La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park and the Alta Garrotxa Consortium are immersed in the process of renewing the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism (ECST) in Protected Areas for the 2026–2030 period. From Monday 11 May until Wednesday 13 May, an auditor appointed by the EUROPARC Federation —the body responsible for managing and awarding this Europe-wide certification— is visiting La Garrotxa to assess the track record of this project and the proposed actions for the 2026–2030 period, while also analysing the participation of the different territorial stakeholders involved in this renewal process.

The audit consists of a programme of visits throughout the territory to showcase initiatives developed through the ECST, such as the county-wide tourism mobility project, the public-private governance model led through Turisme Garrotxa, and the actions carried out in the field of accessibility, among others. Representatives of the entities involved in the development of the ECST (public bodies and tourism sector businesses) are taking part in the audit.

Following the visit, the auditor will prepare a report to be submitted to the EUROPARC Evaluation Committee, which will assess the application and announce the final result next autumn.

The visit began on Monday with an institutional reception at the Garrotxa County Council, where representatives from the La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park, the Alta Garrotxa Consortium, Turisme Garrotxa, DinàmiG, ADRINOC and the Government of Catalonia presented the ECST shared governance model and the main projects developed in the territory in recent years.

During the day, the auditor also visited the headquarters of Turisme Garrotxa, where the 25-year trajectory of the ECST implementation in the county was presented, together with the coordination work carried out between public administrations, the private sector and local organisations.

The first day concluded with a visit to Olot Market Square and the Olot Tourist Office, where visitor services and tourism information strategies linked to sustainability and the responsible discovery of the territory were presented.

The following day, Paulo Castro visited Espai Cràter and the Montsacopa volcano, where the work carried out to promote and interpret La Garrotxa’s volcanic heritage was presented. Later, at the Olot Foundation for Higher Education, the ECST Training Plan was introduced, aimed at strengthening the skills of tourism professionals in areas such as sustainability, accessibility and responsible management.

The day continued with a visit to the Fet al Parc project at Hostal dels Ossos, a visit to Ca l’Esquirolet —the information centre for the Natural Park and Alta Garrotxa— and a tour of the county-wide tourism mobility project “Move around La Garrotxa naturally”, which includes the intermodal parking areas and the sustainable mobility system connecting Les Preses, Olot and Santa Pau.

On Wednesday, the visit moved to the Alta Garrotxa Protected Natural Area, with a route through the Llierca Valley intermodal parking area and the Rectoria de Sadernes information and interpretation centre, where projects related to access regulation, public use management and the conservation of natural spaces were presented.

The ECST was created to improve sustainable development and tourism management in Europe’s protected areas, taking into account the needs of the environment, local communities, tourism businesses and visitors. La Garrotxa first obtained the accreditation in June 2001 —becoming the first territory in Spain to do so— and since then it has provided the framework for defining the sustainable tourism strategy in La Garrotxa.

This tool is a programme of good practices related to sustainable tourism in protected areas promoted by the EUROPARC Federation, and it aims to be the concrete expression of a contractual and voluntary commitment between protected area managers and tourism businesses to encourage tourism development in harmony with the sustainable management of the natural resources of these areas.

There are currently 94 natural areas across Europe applying the ECST, spread across 13 different countries. In Spain, there are 30 accredited areas, half of them located in Catalonia.

Turisme Garrotxa is a non-profit private association made up of representatives from both the public and private tourism sectors of La Garrotxa. In 2026, it celebrates its 30th anniversary, reaffirming its commitment to a tourism development model based on sustainability, public-private cooperation and the preservation of the county’s natural, cultural and social values.

This anniversary comes at a key moment for the territory: it coincides with the closing of a phase that consolidated a pioneering tourism model based on sustainability and shared governance, and with the beginning of a new cycle marked by the ECST Strategy for Garrotxa and Alta Garrotxa 2026–2030.