HOW IS CUENCA BIOSAFE AND SUSTAINABLE?
The “Cuenca Biosegura y Sostenible” (Biosafety and Sustainability) campaign positions the city
in two ways. The first relates to biosafety, in which both citizens and tourists adapt to the new
normal. The second deals with sustainability, which highlights: territorial planning,
management of green areas, water purification, waste management, recycling and active,
inclusive and ecological mobility for all its citizens.
In addition to this, the tourism industry has brought many positive changes such as: obtaining
TourCert certification (for sustainable business operations), preserving and promoting the
customs and traditions of the city’s neighborhoods, establishing nature as a source of
inspiration and relaxation, developing rural areas for tourism purposes, and other
characteristics that make Cuenca attractive to modern trends in tourism and leisure.
SUSTAINABLE DESTINATION – TOURCERT
Cuenca is now considered an eco-friendly destination thanks to its quality services focused on
sustainable practices with strategies that allow for the improvement of its ourism-related
activities; that is how in 2018 the city obtained the TourCert certification (for sustainable
destinations), for which it worked jointly with the Ministry of Tourism and various private
companies from the tourism industry.
Starting in 2020, the Fundación Municipal de Turismo para Cuenca (“Municipal Tourism
Foundation for Cuenca”) updated its Tourism Plan for Cuenca 2020-2024, in which it
developed programs and projects aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals of the city
in order to fulfill its mission and vision: to manage this destination in a sustainable manner.
Efforts have been made for Cuenca to be considered a biosecure destination. An emerging
tourism reactivation plan was carried out with the intention of establishing the desired focus
and generating new tourism-based products specifically for this destination.
Thus, through the recertification given by TourCert in 2022 and the work developed using the
tourism value chain, the goal is to contribute with the strategies adopted and with the actions
planned in the short, medium and long term focused on preserving Cuenca’s status as a
sustainable destination.
The TourCert international certification program, under the “Corporate Social Responsibility –
Certified” seal, is well-known in the German-speaking market, which is the reason why both
travelers and certified tour operators from Europe are increasingly demanding that tourist
destinations and suppliers have a certification that guarantees sustainability. A key axis of the
TourCert certification is the coordinated work between the destination’s public and private
sectors.
