The Marseille Convention and Visitors Bureau is committed to a comprehensive sustainable development approach aimed at reducing the environmental impact of tourism and business events. This strategy aims to support local players in adopting more responsible practices and to raise awareness of environmental issues among visitors and conference organisers alike.
Introduced in France in 1998, the Clef Verte label is now the leading ecolabel for French tourist establishments. Each type of establishment – hotels, campsites, self-catering cottages, bed and breakfasts, youth hostels and restaurants – must meet criteria covering a range of issues, from environmental policy and living environment to environmental awareness and management of water, energy and waste. The establishments are committed to an environmental approach with the aim of constantly improving their practices. By choosing a Clef Verte-labelled establishment, you are putting your trust in a professional who implements responsible and sustainable solutions.
The programme, which began in Marseille in early 2020, will run until 2024. It will enable tourist accommodation providers to move forward in 7 key areas of sustainable development (water management, awareness-raising, responsible purchasing, etc.). Marseille is proud to play a leading role in this project, as it is the French city with the highest percentage of Green Key-labelled accommodation, thanks in particular to the Accor group’s decision to make Marseille the pilot city for the labelling of 18 hotels in the metropolitan area.
As an integral part of the Tourist Office, the Convention Bureau wanted to include Marseille in the GDS Index, which applies to the events sector and concerns the steps taken by all the socio-professional players in a destination. At the ICCA congress at the end of October 2021, Marseille achieved a score of 51%, a very respectable score for its first year and given the health situation. The Office is working with its entire ecosystem to improve its score for the next selection.
On 16 November 2021, the Office de Tourisme, des Loisirs et des Congrès officially obtained ISO 20121 certification! Begun in 2021, the process required an audit by Bureau Veritas Certification to ensure that internal procedures were in line with the principles of the standard – a matter for all employees at all levels. What does this standard consist of?
It incorporates the principles of sustainable development as a whole (social, societal and economic). The standard aims to put in place a set of procedures to identify the key sustainable development issues that apply to the company’s activity. The main operating principles are
– A management system approach tailored to the structure and the way it operates
– A participative approach with stakeholders: employees, suppliers, participants, public authorities, customers, partners, etc.
– Internal and external promotion of the responsible strategy
In France, until now, only the Bordeaux, Nancy and Rennes Tourist Offices were ISO 20121 certified.
On 6 April 2022, Marseille was awarded the “Innovative Sustainable Destination” label by Bureau Veritas, alongside 4 other pilot cities in France, as part of a drive led by France Congrès et Evénements.
Comprising 8 challenges and 26 actions, this new standard is aimed at towns and cities that want to structure their actions in favour of sustainable tourism, and to amplify the effects of their good practices by associating, through an agreement, the players in the reception and service chain (venues, events, hotels, etc.).
For Marseille and its entire industry, this label is both a tremendous opportunity and a catalyst for change, enabling us to think differently about the development of events and tourism activities.
It is also a decisive factor in the choice of Marseille as a destination by our business and leisure clientele.
In 2022, the Marseille Convention, Leisure and Visitors Bureau, along with the SUD region, wanted to promote sustainable food by supporting Marseille’s restaurant owners in their transition to the Ecotable label. Launched in June 2022, the aim of the programme is to provide logistical and financial support to 60 restaurant owners in the tourist area of Marseille. The Ecotable label will enable them to showcase their commitment and approach in terms of food, sourcing, waste and resource management, as well as ethical and social aspects, while at the same time having access to an information and advice platform to provide support for change.
More than ever, the development of a virtuous circle of sustainability for all socio-professionals and business opportunities for all is at the heart of the Tourist Office’s strategy. To achieve this, the Tourist Office’s Sustainable Development Department has produced 7 guidesentitled En route vers un tourisme durable (On the road to sustainable tourism) for each socio-professional category in the sector: accommodation, restaurants, shops, culture and heritage, water-based activities, land-based activities and events.
These best practice guides, available from January 2022, are designed to provide information on the steps and actions to be taken by businesses wishing to develop their sustainable transition, by presenting environmental, social and economic measures, introducing the various existing labels and certifications and providing information on sources of funding.
8,300 hectares and 20km of coastline: that’s the extent of the Parc National des Calanques, Europe’s first peri-urban park, stretching from Marseille to La Ciotat via Cassis. Vertiginous cliffs, wild scrubland, crystal-clear waters – there’s plenty to amaze hardened walkers and give you a powerful experience of nature. From Marseille to la Ciotat, Saint-Estève, Sormiou, Morgiou, Sugiton, En Vau, Port Pin,
Figuerolles… Names bathed in the lapping of the water, the fragrance of the sea and the warmth of the limestone rock.
Since the summer of 2020, the Calanques have been a resounding success, with increased visitor numbers during the summer months, with consequences for the Park’s protected flora and fauna. To combat this phenomenon, the PNR* was forced to restrict access to the Sugiton cove this summer. Between the beginning of July and the end of August 2022, it therefore introduced a compulsory booking system for access (the most popular cove), with a limit of 400 people per day.
The results of this operation were positive, with 2 observations: an immediate halt to the deterioration of the site and a high level of acceptance by the public, who were very understanding once the restrictions had been explained. The scheme will be repeated in 2023 and 2024.
