Sustainability
Azores leading the way in sustainability
Azores on the right track
The Azores is a 9-island destination with natural, historical and cultural resources that make it unique. Due to this reason, initiatives to protect and preserve these resources have been favoured for more than two decades.
Sustainability is the only way to progress for tourism in the Azores. We view this commitment with a great sense of responsibility, which is why we have submitted the Azores to a rigorous sustainability certification process by EarthCheck.
The world's first sustainability-certified archipelago
The Azores are a destination for nature and experiences, focussed on the preservation of resources and the natural heritage of the archipelago.
This journey earned it the distinction of being the first archipelago in the world to be awarded the“Sustainable Tourist Destination”, seal under the EarthCheck Sustainable Destination programme.
Leading Destinations of the World 2024
“Sustainable Tourist Destination”
Awards and Recognitions
The Azores are a destination for nature and experiences, focussed on the preservation of resources and the natural heritage of the archipelago.
Landscape of the Pico Island Vineyard Culture
Azores – Graciosa, the Model Island
Sustainability Charter of the Azores
Best Adventure Tourism Destination in Europe 2024
Best Adventure Tourism Destination in Europe 2023
Best Adventure Tourism Destination in Europe 2022
Azores DMO
The Destination Management Organisation – DMO acts as a coordinator of sustainable development throughout the Azores, engaging public entities, private entities and non-governmental associations to cooperate towards a more sustainable future. With the process of certifying the Azores as a sustainable destination by EarthCheck, we are proving how we have moved from words to actions, monitoring and measuring the level of fulfilment of the commitments made to the sustainability of the Azores on an annual basis.
Certification
The certification process is demanding, with a set of strict criteria that the Azores must fulfil. The process is checked annually by external evaluations.
Azores Sustainability Charter
We want everyone to be part of it! That's why we created the Azores Sustainability Charter - a pioneering mechanism for adopting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) throughout the region.
Azores Sustainability Charter in numbers
People
Qualified in sustainability
Events
Achieved
Consultancy performed
A clear and open commitment to the sustainable development of the Azores
Although we are an internationally certified tourist destination, we know that this is an ongoing process of improvement, where we need to keep measuring, analysing the impacts and identifying the inherent risks, in order to adjust the processes and the way we perform. Only through visionary, ambitious and synergistic work - integrating all of the destination's stakeholders - will it be possible to stay on course and achieve our ambitious but tangible goal: to be the most sustainable archipelago in the world!
More information
For more information, visit the Azores on the Path to Sustainability website Açores no rumo da sustentabilidade.
