Certification in accordance with the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas (ECST) is awarded by the EUROPARC Federation, an organization of protected natural areas in 38 European countries. The ECST has a three-phase structure with a common approach: voluntary agreements with the stakeholders involved in tourism development and their commitment to put a local sustainable tourism strategy into practice.

The first phase in Europe began in 2001, when La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park was included among the first ten protected European natural areas to receive ECST certification and became the first natural area to be certified in Spain.
 
This first phase of the ECST has enabled the protected natural area and its entire area of influence, Garrotxa County, to establish major synergies among its different stakeholders, institutions and organizations, thereby generating many opportunities for them to engage in collaborative work.
 
In the second phase, the ECST seeks the commitment, involvement and collaboration of the private tourism industry. La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park certified the first 18 companies in 2009.
 
The certification process calls for compliance with a minimum number of specific basic actions designed to guarantee that the company is committed to sustainable tourism. Finally, a collaboration agreement is signed between the company and the protected natural area stipulating the commitments undertaken by each party.
 
In the third phase, travel agencies receive certification in accordance with the ECST. Promoting this phase is one of the priorities of the EUROPARC Federation, the protected natural areas and the companies certified in the second phase. This phase makes it possible to close the circle around the protected natural area and its area of influence as a territory, along with tour operators committed to sustainable tourism and travel agencies preparing sustainable products. 
 
The main objectives are:

Travel agencies that comply with entry conditions and pass a membership process are eligible for the third phase of the ECST. Although the travel agency as a whole is eligible for membership, it can only display ECST certification for the products in its catalogue that take place in protected natural areas that have received ECST certification and have certified companies in the second phase.
 
In February 2017, two travel agencies in La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park were the first agencies in Spain to receive ECST certification. 
 
The certification process was made possible thanks to the work done by La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park and Turisme Garrotxa (permanent forum of the ECST), and the commitment shown by the two certified travel agencies, Trescàlia SC and Nit i Vol SLU.
 
In April, La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park granted ECST certification to the first tourist package created by the company Trescàlia SC “The Orchids of La Garrotxa”.

Complementary data of interest: