Touring Nature in a few words

What is Touring Nature?

- a rural development process through sustainable tourism
- a promotional tool via the participation in the pan-European routes
- a sustainable development European Label awarded by the Assembly of
European Regions to become of destination of excellence
- a new sustainable development dynamic (sustainable energy) involving at
least 100 local professionals in your territory
- concrete and efcient actions to enhance your local labels and the quality of
your territory.

What would Touring Nature bring?

- In the future 139 500 visitors on your territory during the 4 seasons
> i.e. 4,8 millions every year of economics benets by labelled territory.

What budget is needed for a 3 years period

(renewal of the label)?
- Assessment auditing, labelling process, dues and renewal of the label:
50 500 for 3 years
- Financing of ecotourism and sustainable development actions in your
territory: 100 000 to 200 000 for 3 years.

What time does it take?

- 3 to 12 months to commit 100 local professionals in your territory
- 3 years to implement sustainable development actions before the renewal
of the label.

How take part to Touring Nature Routes

and to be awarded the Village+ label?
- Apply with the form and choose a pan-European Route for your territory.
Please contact: touringnature@wanadoo.fr
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Rural development
through sustainable tourism
At a time where the European continent is expanding with the entry of new
countries in the EU, the Assembly of European Regions (AER) believes that rural
development is key to achieve cohesion and balanced economic development in
Europe. Rural areas have reached an even greater signicance in the enlarged EU
and now account for 80% of the European territory.
Considering this situation, the AER is committed to support
The diversication of rural economies and the development of nonagricultural resources
The reconciliation of rural development with environmental interests and the
promotion of sustainable development
The discovery of rural territories by the European public
The AER sees the development of sustainable forms of tourism as a key tool
to achieving these objectives. Sustainable Tourism and Rural Development have
been set as political priorities of the AER Committee on Economy and Regional
Development, which is eager to promote them through concrete proposals of
cooperation among its member regions and to build up local partnerships with the
managers of rural areas.

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>>Rural development through sustainable tourism

Responding to tourists environmental

demand
Today, nature-related tourism is among the fastest-growing tourism market:
it is increasing by 10% to 30% per year according to European regions, while
tourism overall is growing at an annual rate of 4%. Thus, it is clear that ecotourism is no longer a niche, as general visitors preferences tend to be moving in the
direction of the ecotourists. A growing number of tourists are interested in
discovering new places and seek new experiences: they are particularly
appealed by beautiful scenery and outdoor activities, and look for local and unique
experiences. What is more, environment has become a very important concern of European visitors, who are eager to opt for greener holidays.*
These new trends constitute major opportunities for European regions. They
have the potential to develop their resources and meet the ever more-demanding visitors expectations: throughout Western, Central and Eastern Europe, our
regions have a particularly rich and diversied natural and cultural heritage,
which need to be enhanced to bring about tourist development. To make the
most of these resources, Touring Nature aims at supporting eco-friendly forms of
tourism by bringing together the regions and professionals willing to commit to
ecotourism of international quality, so as to enhance at the European level regional
labels and appealing to environment-friendly tourists.

* According to a survey conducted by the European Union, almost half of the tourists says that
environmental performance will be a crucial criterion when choosing their holiday destination
(Press release from the European Union, 15/05/2003)

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Touring Nature: an ambitious project

of sustainable tourism
Promoting regional identity through
sustainable tourism
The Touring Nature project aims at developing sustainable tourism in rural areas
throughout Western, Central and Eastern Europe. It is driven by two main concerns:
- Environmental protection and the promotion of sustainable development
strategies
- Involvement of regional authorities and stakeholders and interregional
cooperation
These core orientations are grounded on the observed trend of growing environmental expectations by European citizens and tourists and their motivation to
engage in holidays alternative to mass and seasonal tourism. Touring Nature
describes itself as an opportunity for European territories* to commit to sustainable tourism development and thereby to enhance their territorial identity and
be recognised by visitors for their positioning that distinguishes them from the
competition.
In this perspective, the AER strongly believes that a bottom-up strategy is the
best way to put together accurate projects as regional stakeholders know best
what their region has to offer. In addition, the Touring Nature project constitutes
an opportunity for the regions to pull their efforts together through interregional
cooperation as a means to set up pan-European Routes to rural tourism.
* The term territory refers to a group of villages where the politicians and the population have a
common objective: developing their rural territory in a sustainable way and enhancing their local
resources. A territory can be a natural park, a Local Action Group, a Natura 2000 area, a reserve Man and
Biosphere, a World Heritage site, a Ramsar Convention zone or all rural territory having a strong local
identity deserving to be recognized at European level. The rst labelled territory was the Regional
Development Council of Lake Tisza in Hungary (4 Counties-73 villages- 151 local professionals
committed in the labelling process). It is at the same time: a National Park (Hortobgy), a Natura
2000 area, World Heritage, Ramsar Convention and a Man and Biosphere reserve. It takes part to
the Route of Eurovelo and the Danube Basin waterways.

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>>Touring Nature: an ambitious project of sustainable tourism

Connecting rural territories

with the European tourists
The Touring Nature project aims to set up Routes of rural areas throughout
Europe, and promoting them to the European and International potential visitors.
Through the www.touringnature.com web portal, a bridge will link local professionals of tourism to the public. This will make tourism possible in territories that have
been largely undiscovered so far, by including small territories in a wider network
and provide international customers with guarantees and recognisable references.
www.touringnature.com
The web portal will give the visitors opportunity to:
- Find all information they need to explore these territories: where to stay, to
eat, to go out, what to visit, where to nd a tourism board, directory of the local
craftsmen, etc.
- Design their own customised trips, using the web portal to compare destinations and nd pan-European routes.
Village + sustainable development label
The label Village + is compulsory for the territories to become members of the
Touring Nature Routes. It is awarded by the AER and submitted to evaluation and
it has to be re-assessed every three years.
On the one hand, the labelling process commits local professionals to sustainable
development actions,
On the other hand, the label is a clear reference and guarantee that can be used
by local professionals to promote their products and services to the International
and European visitors.
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The labelling process, a reliable guarantee

for European visitors
An integrated project of sustainable tourism
Visitors are guaranteed that the territories that display the Village+ label have
engaged in extensive dynamics of developing sustainable tourism. The label is
awarded on the condition of a commitment by at least one hundred professionals*. The label rewards the involvement of the community cooperating with local/regional authorities to contribute to the collective project of developing sustainable
tourism and to implement guidelines for improvement. It entails practical actions that
will be taken on a daily basis to support sustainable development. Professionals participation is subject to control and quality monitoring.

A supportive institutional recognition

OECD: The Village + concept was originally presented to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) who chose to publish it in a workshop on
the specics of rural territories.
UNESCO: The project was presented to UNESCO - Division of Ecological Sciences
which has agreed to have its logo and 200 Man and Biosphere reserves featured alongside the 200 Regional and National Nature Parks on the European Touring Nature Map.
The aim is to encourage these protected nature areas and nearby areas that are not
protected to apply for the Village+ label and be part of the pan-European Routes to rural
ecotourism.
UNEP: After running a pilot site in Italy, the method was presented to the Tourism
Programme Coordinator of the UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) who
expressed a favourable opinion. In particular, it has evaluated positively;
the idea of involving visitors in the control/monitoring process (expert visitors),
the involvement of local professionals of tourism as a condition to the label
awarding,
the focus on sustainable development beside tourism development.
AER (NGO): in order to be operational, the labelling process and the costs of the initiative
have been adapted following a seminar about Sustainable Tourism gathering 100 tourist
managers from 17 European countries (Region of Jmtland-Sweden-2005).
* The term professional refers to anyone whose business or profession involves dealing directly or indirectly
with visitors.

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>>The labelling process, a reliable guarantee for European visitors

A rigorous methodology
The Assembly of European Regions signed a partnership agreement with Pluris
Consultants for the implementation of the label: application, methodology and
promotion of the Routes.
Before the label awarding

Pluris Consultants work together with the territory to determine the guidelines
for improvement:
- Examining the application of the territory. It validates the number of local
professionals wishing to commit to sustainable development actions to contribute
to environmental protection and ecotourism development on their territory,
- Carrying out an assessment auditing on the territory based on a perception
grid allowing to identify the territorys strengths and weaknesses from the point
of view of potential visitors,
- Providing the territory with an assessment report. This report aims at
determining the priority improvement guidelines regarding sustainable development
and ecotourism. The territory will choose one or several improvement guidelines.
The territory is given 3 years to implement them in order for the label to be
renewed.
These three steps lead to the choice of improvement guidelines, which commit
both the territory and the professionals to implementation. This commitment is
necessary for joining the Touring Nature Routes and for the ofcial attribution of the
label to be displayed on the commercial administrative and tourism documents.
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After the awarding of the label

The labelling process does not end with the label awarding. It involves a quality
monitoring process and a compulsory re-assessement of the label every three
year.
1st year: Assessment of the degree of participation of local professionals who
are involved and who use the label:
- Number of professionals who signed their commitment to the label,
- Activities of professionals,
- Type of commercial documentation presenting products and services from
local professionals that feature the label,
- Suggestions from professionals.
2nd year: Assessment of the visitors perception:
- Perception of the territory,
- Perception of professionals,
- Perception of the label and the pan-European Routes,
- Suggestions from visitors, European associations and federations recommending visits (automobile-clubs, hikers and motorhomes clubs).
3rd year: Assessment of commitment to sustainable development actions
- Initiatives of the territory authorities,
- Professionals personal initiatives.
Label renewal at the end of the 3rd year:
- Pluris audits actions in line with improvement guidelines undertaken during
the past 3 years. The territory and local professionals have to prove what actions they carried out (invoices, pictures...) and what are the outcomes. What is
important is the efciency of the actions and not the amount of investments.
- New improvement guidelines for the next 3 years are submitted to the territory by Pluris on the basis of 3 reports: participation/perception/ commitment,
- Pluris assesses the new territorys and professionals involvement for sustainable.
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A strong communication strategy

Each labelled territory Village+ joins the other labelled territories between 2007 and 2013
in the Pan-European Routes to rural ecotourism named Touring Nature, promoted to
international clientele. Each territory becomes member by an annual dues. This dues allows
to:
Using of the Village+ sustainable development European label within the
territory :
- Road signs
- Tourist signs
- Tourist brochures
- Administrative documents
Displaying of the territory in the Touring Nature map to be part of a pan-European
Route to rural ecotourism
Enhancing of the natural and cultural heritage and activities/leisure of the territory in
the web portal touringnature.com
Promotion of the web portal of the Pan-European Routes to rural ecotourism and of
the territories members. This allows each territory to benet from the press relations and
the relations with the main European clubs of the targeted visitors
A personalized Diploma for each professional involved in the label with his name,
activity, address and signature committing him to sustainable development actions, i.e. 100
to 200 local professionals of the territory who can display their diploma on:
- their point of sales
- their commercial brochures
- their products
Enhancing in the web portal touringnature.com of each local professional through a
promotional space with a picture, a presentation of his activity and the contact details
Setting up on line of free customized trips by the users of the web portal, made of the
promotional spaces of the professionals they selected
Using of a personalized login by each territory to access to the web portal in order to
update the professionals offer (products, services, prices) according to seasons
These actions allow the heads of the territory to work permanently in synergy with local
professionals to a sustainable ecotourism.
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Touring Nature
The important figures
Estimate of the potential benets when 100 territories are labelled. This estimate
has been done with visitors travelling in cars or motorhomes only. It is necessary
to add the other targeted visitors: hikers, riders, associations, groups, schools,
disabled, companies, elderly people...
u 31 millions of vehicles in Europe
Calculation basis: - European park of motorhomes: 1 million
- European Automobile-Club and Touring Clubs members: 30 millions

u i.e. 77,5 millions of visitors in Europe

Calculation basis: average of person by vehicle for trips and leisure: 2, 5 persons

u 1 550 000 visitors attracted by the pan-European Routes to rural ecotourism

Calculation basis: estimate of the attraction of the Touring Nature Routes: 2% of these
visitors

u i.e. 4 650 000 nights in the territories of the pan-European Routes

Calculation basis: average of nights by visitor and by territory: 3 nights by territory

u i.e. 13 950 000 nights per year in the territories of the pan-European Routes
Calculation basis: average of territories visited by visitor and by year: 3 territories visited

u 488 250 000 by year of potential economic benets in the territories of the
pan-European Routes
Calculation basis: expense by visitor and by day: 35 (TN-Sofres)

u 4 882 500 by year and by territory of potential economic benets

Calculation basis: number of territories needed to have a network effect: 100 territories

u 139 500 visitors by year and by territory during the 4 seasons

Calculation basis: expense by visitor and by day: 35 (TN-Sofres)

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Budget to gain the Village+ label and take

part to the pan-European Routes

- Educational project which actively involves local professionals in

sustainable development
- Permanent evaluation tool to assess the territorys quality from the
visitors point of view
- Membership of the labelled territory to the pan-European Routes

WITHOUT
coaching

WITH
coaching **

Realized by the
territory

77 000

10 000

10 000

12 500

12 500

Realized by the
territory

6 000

12 500

12 500

Realized by the
territory

8 000

12 500

12 500

Realized by the
territory

6 000

3 000

8 000

Year 1
Commitment of 100 local professionals and coaching (see pages 7 to 9)
Ofcial diploma of the label of the territory - 4 copies format
60 x 80 cm - and Diploma of the commitment of the professionals 100 personalized copies format 29,7 x 42 cm Assessment auditing on the territory - 3 days - 4 experts - (see page 10)
Report of the assessment auditing
Annual dues of the territory to the Village+ label and the Touring
Nature Routes * (see page 12)
Monitoring Report: Assessment of participation of professionals in new
improvement guidelines - after each label renewal (see page 11)
Year 2
Annual dues of the territory to the Village+ label and the Touring
Nature Routes * (see page 12)
Monitoring Report: Assessment of visitors perception of the territory
(see page 11)
Year 3
Annual dues of the territory to the Village+ label and the Touring
Nature Routes * (see page 12)
Monitoring Report: Assessment of the territorys and professionals
involvement in sustainable development actions during the previous
3 years (see page 11)
Renewal of the label (see page 11)

Amounts to transfer in the framework of a 3-year convention to Pluris Consultants, executive partner of the initiative: (basis: index Syntec 2007), WITHOUT
Value Added Taxe and without travel and accommodation expenses
* The annual dues is made of 3 500 to enhance the territory and 9 000 (package price) to enhance 100 to 200 local professionals allowing the territory
to gain the Village+ label thanks to their commitment to sustainable development and ecotourism, i.e. an average of 60 by professional.
**After the approval of your application, Pluris will coach your territory through the process of acquiring the Village+ label. The labelling process
(12 months instead of 3 months with the Option 1) is not only about imposing environmental criteria. It is meant to back your territory in the process
of setting up of a solid tourist development project. It involves about 6 meetings on your territory for training on sustainable tourism and coordination
of regional authorities and tourism professionals to determine a tourism strategy adapted to your territorys resources and dene improvement guidelines. Among other things, Pluris will help you making the information material (commercial documentation for products and services, guide-map, signposts) will gather test groups representing a sample of visitors to ensure that your territorys project and communication strategy meet the tourists
expectations. NB: Your territory can take one or several supply of the Option 2.
Note: Your territory should be able to gain for itself regional and/or Community fundings (Leader+, interreg...) allowing it to nance notably the following
actions for 3 years: e.g.: ofcial ceremony of the Label awarding (cocktail, press conference, press books, fees for the auditing organisation), training for
local professionals to renewable energy and sustainable development, creation of the guide map of your territory in collaboration with local professionals,
printing of 30 000 guide maps in 4 languages and sending to 500 European clubs of visitors, signposting in your territory, implementation of one or several
improvement guidelines by your territory (e.g.: educational signs of natural and cultural heritage, displaying of the energetics report of public buildings):
total estimate for 3 years : between 100 000 and 200 000 .

More information, please contact: touringnature@wanadoo.fr

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We invite all European

regional and local authorities
to apply to Touring Nature
and we do hope to label your
territories in the near future

The AER, Assembly of European Regions (www.a-e-r.org) is the political

organisation of Regions in Europe and their spokesman at European and
international level. Its vocation is to defend the Regions interests in the political process and develop interregional cooperation. AER brings together
250 Regions from 30 European Countries, members and non members of
the EU, and 14 interregional Organisations.
> Aer-General secretariat - 6 rue Oberlin - 67000 Strasbourg - France
www.a-e-r.org - Tel: +33 3 88 22 07 07 - Email: e.delangle@a-e-r.org
Brussels Ofce: 2 place Sainctelette -1080 Bruxelles - Belgium
Tel: + 32 2 421 85 12 - Email: s.cools@a-e-r.rog

Pierre GUERRY
Executive Director of
Touring Nature
and manager of Pluris
Consultants
Region Rhne-Alpes
(France)
p.guerry@wanadoo.fr

By taking part in the panEuropean Routes to rural

ecotourism, you will make
the quality of your territory
recognized at European
level.

Pluris has been consultant to the OECD to propose economic opportunities favouring rural development and enhancing territorial
specicities through local products and ecotourism. The company
signed a partnership agreement with the AER to propose to the
Regions to set up a European network of ecotourism favouring employment in rural territories in all seasons.
> Pluris Consultants - Inovalle - BP 176 - F- 38244 Meylan
www.touringnature.com - Tel: + 33 4 76 41 91 82
Email: touringnature@wanadoo.fr

Photos: Hungarian Tourism Company archives, Heves County, Lake Tisza and other European territories. Printed in France using vegetal ink and recycled paper. Realisation SGP. Design STIM

Thomas CARLSSON
President of the Working
Group Sustainable Tourism
at the Assembly of European
Regions and Tourist Manager
- Region of Vsterbotten
(Sweden)
Thomas.Carlsson@vll.se