A “Code of Practice”, named EOS CODE, has been elaborated and was proposed to tour operators and travel agencies, which were encouraged to adopt it on a voluntary basis. The EOS CODE is a two-legged tool, simultaneously addressing competitiveness and sustainability.
Duration: 01.05.2010. - 30.04.2012.
Overall aim of the project: To raise the long term competitiveness of tourism enterprises across Europe, encouraging tour operators and travel agencies (mainly small and micro enterprises) to implement best practices in sustainability and quality.
Partners:
Two research partners:
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- University of Padova -Università degli Studi di Padova - Dipartimento di Processi Chimici dell’ Ingegneria – Italy
- ITEP (Research Institute for Tourism) - Greece.
5 national associations of tour operators and travel agencies:
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- ABTTA (Association of Bulgarian Tour Operators and Travel Agents) - Bulgaria
- UHPA (Association of Croatian Travel Agencies) - Croatia
- PIT (Polish Chamber of Tourism) - Poland
- FIAVET (Federazione Italiana Associazioni Imprese Viaggi e Turismo) - Italy
- HATTA (Hellenic Association of Travel & Tourist Agencies) – Greece - Project lead partner
1 European association of tour operators and travel agencies:
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- ECTAA (European Travel Agents’ and Tour Operators’ Associations)
Specific objectives:
- To promote cooperation through the involvement of travel agencies’ associations in five European countries and to strengthen existing networking
- To promote the active participation of actors who create knowledge, which would cooperate in defining the procedures and collecting, producing and systemizing the knowledge that will be the basis of the above mentioned “Code of Practice”;
- To identify tools and practices that can help small and micro travel agencies not only to increase consumer protection, but also to raise their quality levels and sustainability awareness, thus becoming more competitive.
- To provide for promotion of the EOS CODE as well as for distance training of the partners’ members.
The purpose of the code:
- To raise awareness of the importance of sustainability for the competitiveness of tourism enterprises;
- To encourage tourism enterprises to adopt already existing best practices in sustainability and competitiveness in general (such as for example TRAVELIFE, EMAS, Ecolabel etc.)
- To stimulate networking among signatories of the code (through the website and the handbook)
The EOS CODE project is part of the CIP (Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme), which aims to increase the competitiveness of European companies.