Environmental Management Certificate to The World Heritage Gateway Visitor Center
On December 9th in 2022, the Kvarken World Heritage association was awarded the EcoCompass environmental management system certificate for managing and developing environmental issues in accordance with the environmental management system. The organisation has successfully passed the EcoCompass audit and commits to compliance with the 10 EcoCompass criteria.
Environmental Certification of the World Heritage Gate
Last fall, the Kvarken World Heritage Association started to environmentally certify the association’s activities and the World Heritage Gateway Visitor Center. The certification is done in accordance with the EcoCompass Environmental Management System. The association is also involved in the regional Sustainable Tourism project, which develops the Ostrobothnia tourism industry by actively working on tourism sustainability issues.
The association’s work began by making a basic survey of the current situation, which was completed in January 2022. After that, an environmental program was drawn up for the association, which determines which environmental measures the association should prioritize in the next three years. In addition, an environmental promise was worked on, which was approved by the association’s board in May 2022.
The audit was carried out in the fall of 2022 and on December 9 in 2022, the association was awarded the EcoCompass environmental management system certificate for managing and developing environmental issues in accordance with the environmental management system.
The next goal is to apply for Sustainable Travel Finland status, the national symbol of sustainable tourism and destinations. VisitFinland gives this approval to sustainable destinations.
Environmental promise
The UNESCO world heritage sites are the natural forerunners of sustainable tourism.
The Kvarken World Heritage Association wants to develop the Kvarken Archipelago World Heritage Site into a sustainable tourist destination through the Kvarken World Heritage Visitor Center. In our operations, we strive to offer services and experiences that create health and well-being for people, good business conditions for entrepreneurs and economic well-being for the region.
- We invest in local sustainable development and cooperate with local entrepreneurs and communities to promote the local community. Local knowledge, practical experiences and cultural history are the starting point for many lasting experiences.
- Our visitor center is easy accessible and serves visitors in a variety of ways.
- We tell our visitors about the values of the world heritage site and encourage visitors to act responsibly. We collect feedback from customers to improve customer satisfaction and business.
- We promote the growth of the local economy and the creation of jobs by providing information about companies and services in the area and by encouraging tourists to stay longer at the world heritage site. Where possible, we hire local subcontractors and partners.
- We promote well-being and health by encouraging visitors to diverse cultural and nature experiences in the area.
- We organize and participate in training and cooperation meetings of operators in the region.
- We reduce the load on the environment by operating energy and material efficiently and we act as a good example in environmental matters.
- By offering our visitors locally produced, high-quality and sustainable services, we hope to contribute to the development of responsible tourism in Finland.