sustainable commitment
The city of A Coruña’s tourist activity has been managed since its creation under the legal framework of a Consortium, which encompasses A Coruña City Council, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Port Authority.
According to its Statues, adapted to what is stipulated in Law 27/2013 of December 27, on the Rationalisation and Sustainability of the Local Administration, and Law 15/2014 of September 16, on the Rationalisation of the Public Sector, by virtue of the agreement adopted on November 28, 2014, it is an entity with its own legal status for the fulfilment of its objectives, subject to the laws and its own Statues (Art. 2).
The Public Administration to which it is attached, for the purposes of what is stipulated in the 21st Additional Regulation of Law 30/1992, of November 26, on the Legal System of Public Publications and the Common Administrative Procedure, is A Coruña City Council.
Its objectives include undertaking actions aimed at attracting and consolidating tourism in A Coruña (Art. 41.b of its Statutes), promoting the holding of congresses by attracting and directly organising, or in collaboration with other entities, both national and international congresses (Art. 4.1e of its Statutes) and, in general, promoting all those activities that, in some way, have the objective of promoting and developing tourism and congresses in the city of A Coruña (Art 4.1g).
The TOURISM AND CONGRESS CONSORTIUM OF A CORUÑA recognises that Sustainability is no longer an option or attribute but rather an inescapable commitment, and that sustainable tourism can be a driving force for social and economic progress in the city of A Coruña, with great potential for helping to improve its residents’ quality of life, and safeguarding its natural, environmental, and tangible and intangible heritage.
The Consortium understands that the development of A Coruña as a sustainable destination is an integrating process that includes the destination’s public administrators, its citizens, its companies and services, and its mechanisms for promoting the destination and communicating with tourists. The ultimate goal is directing the destination’s tourist initiatives and policies at sustainable development, as well as generating synergies among local companies to favour the development of sustainable experiences and products; these should promote the respectful use of the city’s natural and cultural heritage, and convey the destination’s values and identity by means of an enriching tourist experience, placing the destination and its companies in the tourist market in a responsible way.
The CONGRESS AND TOURISM CONSORTIUM OF A CORUÑA’s sustainability policy is committed to the principles governing sustainability in the tourist sector, based on the guidelines emanating from the main international declarations and conventions on sustainable development, the World Charter for Sustainable Tourism ST+20, UNESCO, as well as the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and its 2030 Agenda.
The establishment of this Sustainability Policy involves setting out a roadmap for accelerating A Coruña’s transition to a sustainable tourism model, which is intended to be honest and ambitious in attaining the most demanding standards of sustainability in a process of ongoing improvement.
In this regard, the TOURISM AND CONGRESS OF A CORUÑA initiates in practice the transition towards sustainable tourism by introducing a management system in accordance with the requirements of the ISO/UNE 20121:2013 standard regarding Event Sustainability Management Systems, with the objective of guaranteeing that its own events are organised taking into account the sustainability issues that apply to them, as well as principles of:
