According to the standards established by Green Destinations organisation, which recognises coastal environmental excellence for sustainable tourism, the region has “obtained a level of compliance of 97.3 percent of the sustainability indicators under analysis”, the Azorean executive has announced.

Located in the Netherlands, Green Destinations is a non-profit organization which its main goal is to advance responsible tourism by utilising the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and internationally acknowledged principles. The organization promotes and awards sustainable travel destinations, serving over 200 locations across 60 countries.

The Azores have been recognized as a winning location in multiple editions after receiving this award for the first time in 2014. As the Azorean executive has mentioned, “The distinction now attributed to the Autonomous Region of the Azores validates the positive and consolidated evolution of the work developed through good sustainability practices, also reinforcing the positioning and leadership of the Azores in this field.”

The sustainability indicators which have been taken into consideration for the attribution of the award are related to the nature and landscape, the environment and climate, the culture and traditions, the social well-being, business and communication, and the features of the destination.

The Quality Coast award has its main focus on seaside destinations, and challenges those destinations “to promote responsible management, sustained on a continuous and sustainable basis, with the purpose of encouraging the tourism sector to adopt relevant environmental measures”, the Azorean executive explained.