Terre di Siena - Ospiti di Valore

L’ospitalità che pensa all’ambiente, al paesaggio e alla cultura

Terre di Siena - Ospiti di Valore

Search for the organizations that have endorsed the Siena's pact for sustainability

Search for the organizations that have endorsed the Siena's pact for sustainability.









You too can become a citizen of Terre di Siena

link sustainable tourism

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The charter

A CHARTER FOR SUSTAINABLE TOURISM

Every year thousands of tourists are drawn to Siena and the surrounding area. Visitors have always been welcome in the Terre di Siena, and tourism has become one of the most important local industries, providing valuable income and employment throughout the region. However, the tourist industry also represents one of the greatest threats both to the beauty of the manmade and the natural landscape, and to the integrity of local culture.

In 2003 the Sienese Tourist Boards (APT) chose to confront the problems posed by tourism. They organised a series of discussion groups all over the Province in which the local impact of tourism could be assessed, and plans could be made for the future. About 500 people participated in these discussions over the course of a year, and every local group agreed on the urgent need to develop a strategy for sustainable tourism.

This sustainability strategy was to be founded upon two principles:

  • The necessity for a long-term economic strategy that reflects absolute respect both for the natural environment and for the social and cultural traditions of the area;
  • The recognition that tourism should be seen, above all else, as an exchange of social and cultural values.

These two principles lie at the heart of any successful tourist activity, making it both economically rewarding and culturally enriching for visitors and residents alike.

The Terre di Siena are delighted to invite their visitors to sign the Charter for Sustainable Tourism, and to become honorary citizens of the Terre di Siena:

This Charter has been signed on behalf of the residents of the Terre di Siena by the organisations that represent them, committing them to upholding the principles that it contains.
The Charter also offers visitors the opportunity of becoming honorary citizens of the Terre di Siena, taking on both the rights and the responsibilities of the full-time residents, and establishing a link with the local community that will outlast their holiday.

FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES

By signing this Charter local residents and visitors accept the following fundamental principles:

  • In order to protect the unique qualities of the Terre di Siena it is essential that we respect and defend its delicate ecosystem, its extraordinary cultural, architectural and artistic heritage, and that we seek to maintain the patterns of human activity that have developed over the centuries.
  • Tourist activities must not threaten this complex balance of culture and ecology.
  • Any tourist activity in the region will be enriched by an understanding of the unique identity of the natural landscape and a respect for the individual character and history of its many cities, towns and villages.
  • Visitors from many different cultures have always mingled in the Terre di Siena. The region will continue to welcome visitors, while preserving its own identity.
  • The region contains no less than four sites included on UNESCO's World Heritage List. The responsibility for safeguarding these sites is so great that it should not be left solely to individual city councils.
    The entire community must be made aware of the need to protect their local environment, as they are custodians answerable to the entire human race.
    Tourists have a duty to act responsibly, doing nothing that might harm our extraordinary inheritance.