The Assembly of European Regions (AER) officially launches today its web portal for sustainable quality tourism. ‘We are very pleased to be in the Comunitat Valenciana, one of the 13 leader regions* in this initiative’ stated Thomas Carlsson, Tourism Manager of the County Council of Västerbotten-S and Chairman of the Group on quality tourism of the AER. ‘European regions are incredibly diverse and concentrate on a relatively small surface a huge amount of natural, cultural and artistic treasures. It is the aim of the portal to help regions to take advantage of them wisely, by promoting the exchange of successful experiences and good practice between regions, and by strongly supporting relevant partnerships. We are convinced that sustainable quality tourism can have a positive economic impact on the regions’.

This initiative is the first of its kind since the European Commission’s consultation on renewed tourism policy guidelines in October 2005. The AER has brought its support to the definition of adequate guidelines by gathering its 255 Member Regions in several seminars. ‘Today’s opening is the result of a year long common work’ concluded Thomas Carlsson. ‘We now invite all the European Regions to join this initiative, in order to create a Europe-wide Quality Tourism Network’.

* Banska Bystrica (SK), Odessa (UA), Alba (RO), Calarasi (RO), Comunitat Valenciana (E), Fyn (DK), South West England (UK), Dambovita (RO), Vejle (DK), Noord-Brabant (NL), Västerbotten (S), Tulcea (RO), Mures (RO).

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