Welcome to the World Responsible Tourism Awards 2018 ___________________________________________________________________________________
Best for Local Economic Benefit The Best for Local Economic Benefit category awards tourism businesses have a proven track record and long-term approach including local producers in their supply chain and thus maximizing their contribution to the development of the local economy. Explained: The Best for Local Economic Benefit category is looking for tourism businesses that maximize their contribution to livelihoods in the local community and which work to purchase as much of their supplies as possible in the local economy and which may be engaged in supporting the development of new local businesses through purchasing and mentoring. The local purchasing may be by the tourism business directly or by facilitating sales to tourists or business partners. What the judges want: businesses with a demonstrable commitment to local economic development through local sourcing and employment and significant achievements in doing so. ___________________________________________________________________________________ We are looking for practices and initiatives that will inspire others and that are replicable across the industry. Our ambition is to showcase great examples of Responsible Tourism in practice and to sue them to educate others, including consumers, about what can be achieved and to challenge others to do as well or better. We recognize that achieving sustainability requires both innovation and the application of the best practices across the business or destination. We are also keen to see businesses which can report their initiatives and document their impact, both increasing positive economic, social and environmental impacts and by reducing negatives ones. Our questions are designed to find out about you and your work, so be as honest and clear as possible. We understand that you may not always be in a position to provide evidence when we ask for it, but we hope that you will try your best to give us a clear and transparent picture of what you do. We do not expect you to answer every question – but they are designed to enable you to present all the information you would like to provide. Please answer all the relevant questions. The word limits are limits, not targets; please avoid repetition. Please complete this submission form to the best of your ability and submit it by 6th August 2018 Good luck! Only those that apply can win! Email to: wrta-entries@reedexpo.co.uk
Name of your organization
Associació Marques de Pastor. El Cinquè Llac
Year the organization started
2012
Country
Catalonia - Spain
Number of guests/travellers per year – if relevant
170 travelers per year plus travelers doing El Cinquè Llac individually 1.000 overnights / year
Website
www.elcinquellac.com/en
Name of person completing the application
Mireia Font
Job Title
President and co-founder of the Association
Phone number
+34 973 661787
Email address
info@elcinquellac.com info@casaleonardo.net
1. Why do you think your organization deserves to win this award? (300 words) The Marques de Pastor association is made up of a group of rural accommodation providers and other small tourist businesses that work together to create responsible tourism products in the Pallars area of Catalonia. Learning from our first efforts working together as an association, we began looking for innovative ways to reach potential visitors who share our commitment to respect and care for the area we love around us – its nature, its distinctive places, and the heritage left here by our ancestors. This led to the centerpiece of our work to date – El Cinquè Llac, a walking (or cycling) journey that links several “casa rurals” in seven different rural settlements via historical pastoral pathways. We have long looked to The World Responsible Tourism Awards as a reference, and yet they seemed “out of reach” for us until recently. Great performance indicators, the frequent citing of our initiative as exemplary to other businesses in Catalonia and elsewhere, the local residents’ commitment in overcoming their initial reticence to then go on and take pride in their place and produce, the resources we have developed, the training that we have provided to enhance the quality of our services, the opportunity to give part of the profits back, and the qualitative improvement of our environment and surroundings, have all encouraged us to present our application.
2. Please define what your business defines as local and explain that boundary. We don’t get too wrapped up in administrative boundaries. To us “local” refers to the businesses, young people seeking new opportunities, the farming community and the many other potential partners – including much further afield – who we can work with to increase self-esteem and pride in our local area. We refer to our area as “Pallars”, which is in the Catalan Pre-Pyrenees (between 500m–1500 m. altitude), close to the French border and Andorra. This is a mountainous region where agriculture has been the main economic activity, largely to supply the area’s own demands. Hydroelectric companies came to the area at the beginning of 20th century, bringing infrastructure and some economic stability. However, the industrialization of Barcelona and very low agriculture productivity then saw significant depopulation, with a third of the community moving to industrial areas during the 1960s. Since the 1980s, tourism, especially related to winter and adventure sports, has become a significant activity towards the north of this region, sometimes to the detriment of agriculture. Some distance from the ski resorts, and in more “subtle” terrain, the El Cinquè Llac weaves through three comarcas (counties): Pallars Jussà, Pallars Sobirà and Alta Ribagorça; and links seven rural settlements: La Pobla de Segur, Baix Pallars, La Torre de Capdella, Sarroca de Bellera, Pont de Suert, Senterada and Conca de Dalt.
3. What do you consider your organization’s most significant achievements in Responsible Tourism? (600 words) Please provide evidence to support your statement. Please compile any supporting evidence into one document and attach it your email when you submit this form. ENVIRONMENT Visitors are encouraged to travel by train to the start point of their walking or cycling adventure. In 2017 over 50% of El Cinquè Llac’s guests did it. Through social pressure and promotion of this kind of tourism activity, we have motivated the train operator to increase frequency of this panoramic line, which was on the point of closure; furthermore, they have been refurbishing carriages on the historic Lleida-La Pobla de Segur railway line. We have shared best practices with each other and implemented energy efficiency, selective waste collection, and water saving systems in our accommodations. The traditional lunch bundles provide each day of the journey also minimize waste - very little plastic is used. 7% of the price of each package (around 4,500€ per year) goes towards the conservation +105 km of old rural pathways, which helps preventing uncontrolled forest growth, reducing the risk of bush fires, and limiting soil erosion. We also work with environmental groups on local biodiversity issues, helping with their bird ringing scheme. Cheeses, meats, charcuterie, honey, vegetables, bread, jam and more are sourced from local organic suppliers to create the meals we provide. El Cinquè Llac generates longer stays than usual for our area – most of the packages are 6 nights-long. This combined with the modes of transport mentioned above makes for holiday with a relatively lowcarbon footprint.
ECONOMY The local businesses involved in El Cinquè Llac continue to participate after eight years because they have seen better economic performance, partly through having guests stay during the week and outside peak season. The benefits are extended to other companies outside the association: at least 20% of the visitors who do the journey independently, i.e. they do not buy through our tour operator partner (the El Cinquè Llac route map is sold in various bookstores).
Well known in the local as well as some international travel media, El Cinquè Llac has drawn attention to Pallars as a high-quality area for natural and cultural interest (press pack: https://issuu.com/elcinquellac/docs Through focusing on distinctive local character and a high level of customization/attention to detail we believe we tend to attract responsible visitors to our destination. This has influenced and motivated other local businesses to adapt what they offer to visitors also. We involve the visitor with the places they visit, conveying the history of each casa rural and the evolution of the region. We participate in the Hiking Europe project, through which have been able to cross-sell similar rural journeys involved in the project.
SOCIAL One of our proudest achievements is getting popular support locally for a better form of tourism. We have shown that it possible to develop a sustainable form of tourism that is both economically viable and respectful of the area. Even outside tourism, some farmers have start implementing more sustainable ways of working to fit in with this ethos. By involving local people – from scholars to farmers – in the development of the route, the stories and other aspects of El Cinquè Llac, we are able to foster an authentic exchange between visitors and locals. Seeing our association offering opportunities to visitors who enjoy the richness of our heritage has resulted in greater awareness, responsibility-taking and participation by landowners in the conservation of their environment. Similarly, local family businesses have been influenced to innovate in this way too, with a benefit to their incomes and perhaps encouraging some from the younger generation to stay and work in the area. The cooperation among the Association members, their hospitality, and the local knowledge that lies behind El Cinquè Llac is highly valued by visitors as well as peers in the tourism industry.
4. How do you take responsibility? Please give us a brief overview of your organization - how it works, where it operates, who is involved, your aims and objectives, etc. (600 words) How it works? Our association, Marques de Pastor, is formed of six casa rurals (rural accommodations) and a local travel agency. Sharing similar values and ways of working, we came together to promote more responsible tourism in our local area. To achieve our goals we discuss proposals collectively, and then distribute tasks according to the skills of each one of the partners. For example, each casa rural is responsible for supervising a section of the route - the pathways and their immediate surroundings. Where does it operate? See map and Section 2. Who is involved? As well as the support of volunteer groups, we have the backing of various public and private institutions. Specifically: Consell Comarcal del Pallars Jussà, Consell Comarcal del Pallars Sobirà, Consorci LEADER, IDAPA, Ara Lleida, Agència Catalana de Turisme. Through this network we have been able to carry out the following actions: • • • • •
Adaptation of pathways for walking and hiking. Training in the rehabilitation of dry stone walls. Training in how to prepare menus and picnics in a sustainable way, with locally sourced products and with options for vegetarians and food intolerances. Training and support with communication strategies towards conveying our values, objectives and achievements, and in order to better promote the product. Development of a system for calculating CO2 emissions and promoting the voluntary contribution of tourism companies, the local population and visitors, in the conservation and valorization of rural and natural heritage through Visitor's Payback.
The local authorities support El Cinquè Llac through maintenance and signposting of the pathways. The local population has also been closely involved in El Cinquè Llac. One example is, through providing
advice to the Association in the early stages on how to recover the old cattle herding paths. These now form part of the itinerary. Several professionals from the community have worked selflessly to improve the appeal of this itinerary: Pilarín Bayés -a renowned artist-created the itinerary artwork and design; Pep Coll drafted the stages and contributed map legends; local environmental associations such as the Estació Biològica del Pallars Jussà provided input for the interpratative text; as did the geographer Rafael López-Monné. Even our customers have helped, assisting with translations of the texts and have providing photos in addition to their testimonials. Also important to note are the efforts of volunteer students from the University of Breda over two years. 150 young students participated initially, and this has now continued as part of an annual Volunteer Week in early summer - 30 people participated this year. The goals and objectives of the Marques de Pastor association are: • • • • •
To recover historical, ethnographic and natural heritage related to shepherd’s life. To transmit and communicate values related to shepherds. To enhance the old paths used by shepherds, recovering and restoring them. To foster local economies through food producers and craftspeople. To create economic or tourist activity that fosters the knowledge of heritage and ethnographic values. http://www.elcinquellac.com/en/projecte/marques-de-pastor/
5. Why do you take responsibility? (200 words) We believe in honest hard work and the human dimension of tourism. As a group, therefore, we challenge ourselves to develop and manage tourism that not only respects the values and identity of the territory, but also strengthens them. Everything we do is designed to assist in the recovery and preservation of the historical, ethnographic and natural heritage of the Pallars area, so as to contribute to the self-esteem of its inhabitants; to encourage responsibility-taking by locals and visitors to face the challenges of sustainability and promote a sense of place and love for the area; to recover and reassert the value and the new purposes of the old traditional pathways of Pallars; to boost the promotion and enjoyment of local food and crafts; and to raise awareness of the distinctive qualities of our area in the main responsible tourism forums.
6. Do you have plans for further developments in Responsible Tourism over the next 2 or 3 years that you’d like to share with us? (300 words)
This year we will launch the SUMA’T I INVOLUCRA’T (“get involved”) campaign with a website that will be hosted at www.gratitud.cat. This is about developing a method so that tourism enterprises, local people and visitors can “give back” through donations, sponsorship and volunteering to help the conservation of our rural and natural heritage. Actions will focus on: • • • •
Creating biodiversity micro reserves Establishing land custody agreements with the owners Calculating the carbon footprint of the accommodations and of visitors Compensating carbon emissions
Programs include: •
APADRINA UN CAMÍ: visitors and other interested parties contribute financially to the recovery and maintenance of the traditional paths of El Cinquè Llac's route by “adopting” a section of the path.
•
COMPENSA LA PETJADA DE CARBONI: visitors calculate the carbon footprint of their trip and during their stay, and compensate for this by putting money to actions that improve biodiversity (creation of micro reserves and management of forests).
•
SUMA’T AL VOLUNTARIAT: participation in a Volunteer Week aimed at supporting specific restoration projects such as dry-stone walling.
The purpose of these initiatives is not merely to collection funds, but also to create the social connections and awareness that will go a long way to help achieve our goals. Visitors, tourism businesses and local people will be able to come together to create responsible tourism and to mitigate the effects of climate change. We are pleased that our proposals have been robust enough to get backing from the EU LEADER Program, and that we have the chance to run these as Strategic pilot Projects that could potentially be replicated elsewhere. In English Marques de Pastor means “Shepherd’s Brand”. Our aim is to increase the appreciation of our old pastoral pathways. In addition to the plans above, we plan to create products similar to El Cinquè Llac in adjoining areas.
7. What have been the most significant challenges you have faced in increasing the local economic benefits generated by your business and how did you overcome them? (400 words) Achieving cooperation between members of the association and other relevant organizations. Within the association we work on the basis of co-responsibility. We participate in ongoing training provided by institutions involved in the area. We have held many meetings in which we have explained the objectives and development of our initiatives. Raising awareness to attract those early visitors, and among locals so they develop the self-esteem and care for their local environment required to create a "sense of place". We were able to develop interest by communicating the growth in visitor numbers to El Cinquè Llac, the economic impact achieved, the awards and recognition obtained, the work generated, and the resources invested in path restoration. Our transparency about the initiative’s results has been key. The interest shown by specialized operators, the media, and opinion leaders and guests themselves has clearly demonstrated the value of the initiative and its purpose, as well as the value inherent in our local natural and cultural environment. Coping with the management actions, communication, promotion and innovation that El Cinquè Llac has required, all while being a small association with limited resources. We sought the support of relevant institutions to provide professional technical assistance, training, monitoring, and other services. This helped us develop an effective management strategy and efficient communication. Working effectively with farmers and ranchers to share the use and enjoyment of a territory respectfully and without conflict. We made them the protagonists of the legends, traditions and customs that are part of the experience. Many hours were spent in visiting these partners personally. We also looked at which of their needs could be met through the project itself. Involving supra-local administrations in a project that “only” involves a small number of businesses. We looked for a formula with which the administrations could feel identified based on shared objectives. Small can generate significant impacts! Extending the benefits to the largest number of local agents. We made it a policy from the start to maximise the use of local products and services, valuing quality and proximity above cost.
Stepping up from a being a promotional initiative raising awareness of our environment, to actually offering experiences that focus on discovering and enjoying it. We actively sought to foster entrepreneurship, innovation and belief among local producers so that they could offer the produce we needed to “complete” the experience – products made with good judgement, local knowledge and heart!
8. What have you done to promote best practice in responsible tourism in the industry and to encourage others to follow your example? We have raised awareness about the value of the responsible tourism approach and influenced others by •
identifying specific markets that value our work, whether nearby in Catalonia and rest of Spain, or internationally: United Kingdom, Germany, Holland, France, Belgium, etc.
•
participating actively in all the forums to which we are invited, presenting papers and proposals for collaboration in areas related to responsible and sustainable tourism.
•
explaining to accommodation providers that even small businesses such as ours can develop responsible tourism and that this happens to be a very good way to improve quality and to be more competitive.
•
making it clear during the whole communication strategy (text, images, etc.) that our project is unique and linked to a distinctive area.
•
participating in European cooperation projects – the travel agency in our association has been a member of a European COSME project http://hikingeurope.net/ led by Catalan Tourism Board. HikingEurope addresses the issue of tourism diversification in European regions that have traditionally focused on mass tourism but are willing to commit to a more sustainable, responsible and high-quality alternative approach based on lesser explored areas, specifically in rural locations. This project also contributes to a better balance and cohesion in the communities by fostering local economic development in areas traditionally less exposed to international tourism.
HikingEurope has since chosen El Cinquè Llac as an example to follow in other European rural areas (roadbook, maps, promotion). Ultimately, everything we have done we have done with heart and this has made the project “contagious” – local people, visitors and various administrations have fallen in love with it. Hospitality and a love for the territory has captivated the visitors and now, unsolicited, they have begun giving money to the project.
9.
How have you measured your success? (400 words)
Despite limited resources we have from the beginning tried to measure the evolution of the process. This has also allowed us to detect what promotional/ communication actions should be left aside in order to gain a reputation in such a competitive and diverse market. Visitor statistics show that we are on the right track in terms of reducing seasonality and internationalizing, attracting visitors from cities like Barcelona. We track the following indicators: • • • • • • •
Number of visitors Overnight stays Means of transport Economic impact: turnover of each enterprise Origin of visitors Levels of satisfaction How did you get to know us?
Annex: Please refer to the appendix for recent data on these indicators. This year, as we implement the www.gratitud.cat project, we have taken the first steps required to measure the visitor's impact on energy expenditure in each of our establishments.
10. Have you previously won a World Responsible Tourism Award or an equivalent award for Responsible Tourism? If yes, please provide details of the year and in which category below. El Cinquè Llac has been awarded the following prizes and recognitions: • Premi Alimara 2017 for the promotion of sustainable tourism (CETT, Escola de Turisme of Universitat de Barcelona) • Premi al Millor Producte de Turisme Actiu 2017 (Best for Active Tourism) in Saló FITUR (Saló Internacional Turisme, Madrid-Spain); • Premi Medi Ambient 2015 of Generalitat de Catalunya (Modality Unique initiatives for the protection and improvement of the environment) • Overall winner at the I Premis de Turisme Responsable de Catalunya 2013. Still, the best recognition comes from our customers: «We are very happy with this route since it has allowed us to discover an authentic region (diverse landscapes, abandoned and well-living villages, great solitude and large open spaces), far from consumerism tourism, with delicious food and unforgettable people. » Jacques Lacroux, Espalion (France) «We can only have words of praise about El Cinquè Llac. Small details prove that behind each path there are people who are well-organized, imaginative and full of enthusiasm doing a job well done and helping boost a territory and some beloved paths. » Marga and Elisabet, Barcelona and l’Hospitalet de l’Infant (Catalonia) «We just want to tell that we really enjoyed the journey. Walking through these landscapes was a sight for sore eyes, as well as the discovery of old paths, charming villages and friendly people; we were well-treated in every single house. We keep telling our friends! Thank you for everything and keep strong with this beautiful project. » Anna and Antón, Bellver de Cerdanya, (Catalonia) More at http://www.elcinquellac.com/en/testimonis/
11. Do you have a responsible tourism policy or other specific policies related to tourism? Yes/No. If yes, please paste the url below or upload or attach to the email with your submission. Our responsible tourism policy can be found here: http://www.elcinquellac.com/en/projecte/turisme-responsable/ Details of our volunteer scheme are here: http://www.elcinquellac.com/en/volunteer/
12. Please think about other things you may have done to reduce negative and/or increase your organization’s positive impacts and tell us about them? 600 words These points are mostly addressed in section 3. Economic (200) -
-
Visitors enjoying the El Cinquè Llac itinerary account for 10% of bookings at our association’s accommodations, and 6% of overnight stays (given that they involve one night only at each accommodation). For the members of the association with a small number of rooms (four of the six casa rurals), this represents a significant addition to their other bookings. We have demonstrated that it is possible to generate visits outside of peak season and during the week by putting together an attractive and responsible hiking experience that explores an area we are actively involved in protecting. Our association is making a positive impact on the local economy through direct purchasing – 100% of the fresh produce we use is locally sourced, and it is really only for cleaning products and toilet paper that we need to source groceries outside the immediate area. Our base of local providers has grown to over 50 in number now.
Social (200) -
Training on dry stone wall restoration. Continued collaboration with the University of Breda (Holland) and extension of this initiative to other centers. Maintaining our agreements with farmers, including rolling out signage for "livestock awareness" so as to avoid disturbance. Increasing local involvement in El Cinquè Llac and other iniatitives that are currently in development.
Environmental (200) -
Optimising signposting along the itinerary. Restoration of habitats and endangered species protection through our volunteer scheme. Supporting new actions to reduce the use of contaminating products in our casa rurals. As a group we have reduced the environmental impact of our cleaning practices by sourcing certified environment-friendly products.
13. Is there anything else you would like to tell us in support of your application? (500 words) This might include web links to articles about your organization, awards you have won, or anything else not covered by the earlier questions.
We would like to submit El Cinquè Llac for inclusion in www.responsibletravel.com but this seems impossible currently since they mention: “Cycling and walking operators in Catalonia. Please note due the number of local operators we already promote in the following areas we are not taking applications for membership from any more local tour operators operating in the following areas unless the product is really different. https://www.responsibletravel.com/copy/marketing-yourtours “ We would also like to draw your attention to the range of articles in which our association and El Cinquè Llac appears. https://issuu.com/elcinquellac . It is our view that many small actions come together to make a difference in making a place a better to live in and visit. We believe El Cinquè Llac is a positive force for this in our area. Take a look at the presentation of our project on the following link: https://www.slideshare.net/MireiaFontiVidal/el-cinqu-llac-a-fiveday-hike-through-a-truly-singularpart-of-the-pyrenees-responsible-and-sustainable-tourism-run-by-local-people-107422670
14. Please supply 2-3 independent references from contacts who can testify to your organization’s achievements in Responsible Tourism. Please ask your contacts to send their references to us by 14th August. Please also provide the names and contact details of your chosen referees in the boxes below. Referee 1
Referee 2
Referee 3
Name: Constante Aranda
Name: Patrick Torrent
Name:Josep Capellà
Position: President
Position: Executive Director
Position: Director
Organization: Consell Comarcal del Pallars Jussà
Organization: Agencia Catalana de Turisme
Organization: DCB Turisme I Desenvolupament Local
Email: presidencia@pallarsjussa.cat
Email:ptorrent@gencat.cat
Email: info@decaba.com
Please email the completed application form and supporting documents for the World Responsible Tourism Award by 6th August 2018. If you have any questions or queries at all, please contact julie@c-ep.co.uk
STATISTICS www.elcinquellac.com
CUSTOMERS OF EL CINQUÈ LLAC 180 160 140 120 100 80
159
156
60
89
40 20
55
47
2013
2014
32
0
2012
2015
2016
2017
ORIGIN OF THE HIKERS
NUMBER OF VISITORS PER MONTH 40
35
30
25
2015
20
15
2016
10
2017 5
0
OVERNIGHT STAYS 1000
940
926
900 800 700 600 500
507
400
296
300
262
200 100
176
0
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
AGE 90 80 70
2015 60 50
2016
40 30
2017
20 10 0
Under the age 25-34 years of 25 old
35-44 years old
45-54 years old
55-64 years old
65-74 years old
75 years or older
SIZE OF GROUPS 40
35
30
2015 25
20
2016
15
2017 10
5
0
MEANS OF TRANSPORT 180
160
140
120
Car
100
Bus 80
Train 60
40
20
0
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
WHEN DO CUSTOMERS BOOK? 2014
2015
2016
112,5
90
67,5
45
22,5
0
Last minute - 15 days
15 days - 2 months
2 - 6 months
More than 6 months
WEBSITE VISITORS 16.000 14.047
14.000 12.287
12.000
10.991
10.000 8.438
8.000 6.677
6.000 4.000
3.654
2.000 0 2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
SPANISH WEBSITE VISITORS 12000 10000 8000 6000 4000 2000 0 2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
FOREIGN WEBISTE VISITORS 1600 1400 1200 1000
2012 2013
800
2014 600
2015 2016
400 200 0
Germany
Andorra
United States
France
Belgium
United Kingdom
Netherlands
PACKAGE PRICE € 645
2018
2017
€ 617
2016
€ 617
2015
€ 599
2014
€ 599 € 535
2013
€ 490
2012
€ 400
€ 450
€ 500
€ 550
€ 600
€ 650
€ 700
TURNOVER € 92.146
€ 100.000
€ 92.022
€ 90.000 € 80.000 € 70.000 € 60.000
€ 48.935
€ 50.000 € 40.000 € 25.438
€ 26.454
€ 30.000 € 14.845 € 20.000 € 10.000 €0
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017