Ecological labelling in tourism

Abstract

Many small island states base their tourism marketing drives on the attractiveness of their natural cultural and social environment, and the quality of the tourist product, from an ecological perspective, is therefore an essential factor contributing to the development of tourism in these states. The tourist product can be labelled so as to convey information regarding its environmental quality. This type of labelling may not only respect the tourist's right to have complete information regarding the product, but may also lead to improvements in the product itself, in the management of the institution supplying the product and in the environment of the destination where the product is offered. Although many different eco-labels and quasi eco-labels exist, this information is seldom available to potential tourists.