Our Sustainable Journey

The first step is already half the journey

Emilia, the land
of the slow mix

Sustainability is playing an increasingly central role in daily choices, including travel and holidays.
Today, those planning a trip look beyond price or visual appeal alone: they seek destinations and accommodation facilities capable of demonstrating a tangible commitment to the environment, the local economy, and the well-being of the communities that inhabit the region every day. This represents a profound cultural shift that is reshaping the very way we think about travel.

For this reason, in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, Visit Emilia Romagna, and the Emilia Chamber of Commerce, we have decided to embark on an ambitious path: obtaining GSTC certification, promoted by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council—the world's most authoritative body in sustainable tourism. This is not merely about meeting a set of technical requirements, but about driving a genuine transformation of the destination—one capable of combining environmental, social, economic, and cultural sustainability with the needs of those who live, work, and stay in the Visit Emilia territory.

Our Journey Towards Certification

On this page, we outline our initial steps toward achieving GSTC certification: the tools we have deployed, the analyses we have conducted, and the documentation we have produced along the way.

If you are a tourism operator, you will find practical resources and useful guidance here to further enhance the quality and sustainability of the services you offer your guests. If you are a resident, we suggest small yet meaningful ways to integrate sustainable practices into your daily life, thereby contributing to the collective well-being of the region where you live.

Achieving certification will undoubtedly represent a major milestone—the tangible recognition of a collective effort carried out over recent years. Above all, however, it marks a single stage in a long-term strategic journey: environmental, economic, social, and cultural sustainability will continue to guide the development of Emilia, the land of the slow mix, well beyond the milestone of certification, in the years to come and through the challenges that lie ahead.

Our Journey:

September 2025 - We presented the "Sustainable Emilia" project and its strategic objectives to the Steering Committee:

Achieving GSTC International Certification: Aiming to make Emilia the first large-scale destination in the world certified for sustainable tourism, creating a powerful international marketing asset.
Communication and Promotion: Launching the new "Know Emilia" (Conosci Emilia) promotional campaign.
Bike Tourism Training and Network: Delivering specialized bike tourism training and building a network of bike-friendly accommodation facilities to drive the growth of cycle tourism.

February 2026 – We presented the project to all regional stakeholder groups through three meetings held across the three Provinces of Emilia.

Parma 2025 - conferenza Emilia Sostenibile — Parma Sustainable Emilia

Piacenza 2025 - conferenza Emilia Sostenibile — Parma Sustainable Emilia

March 2026 – We established an expanded Steering Committee involving all key stakeholders for the "Sustainable Emilia" project, identifying and approving the key topics and content to be explored in local community meetings.

Following this, interviews were conducted with regional stakeholders to gather data and insights on current and future sustainability initiatives.

We engaged approximately 2,500 accommodation facilities across Emilia through a dedicated Sustainability Survey:

SUSTAINABILIY SURVEY TURISM ACCOMODATION (italian version)

April 2026 – We aimed to build this journey together with the community: through 15 participatory sessions, we engaged nearly 300 regional stakeholders—institutions, tourism operators, and residents—gathering ideas, key challenges, and concrete proposals to guide future actions.

Schedule of Local Participatory Meetings: