The Autonomous Region of Madeira has just received recognition by EarthCheck for achieving the second level of the silver seal certification as a “Sustainable Tourist Destination”, having fulfilled, once again, the demanding criteria of standards of this world-leading tourism destination certification entity, accredited by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council.

After the Region achieved the certification as a Sustainable Tourist Destination in February 2023, obtaining the first level of the silver seal certification, the second annual audit of the Autonomous Region of Madeira (Madeira and Porto Santo) took place this year between the 26th February and the 1st March. During that period, the independent auditor, EarthCheck, visited and evaluated several infrastructures in the archipelago and evaluated the entire documentation of the process to assess the alignment of the destination with the 12 key areas of action required in the field of sustainability. In this work, the entity recognised the high degree of commitment of the Region in the preservation of its cultural and natural heritage, as well as in the balanced enhancement of its environmental, social, cultural and economic dimensions.

The certification journey continues, requiring that, every year, the Region shows, in its annual audit, progress and evolution in this journey and commitment to the four pillars of sustainability, with an objective to reach the highest level of the certification, Gold, within three years (2027).

The Regional Secretary for Tourism and Culture, Eduardo Jesus, underlines the importance of the Region receiving this recognition, by EarthCheck, and states that, now, “it is necessary to continue this sustainable journey, prioritising the preservation of natural resources, involving the entire local community, complying with the measures that we committed to in the Action Plan and implementing new actions that make the Autonomous Region of Madeira an increasingly sustainable destination, reinforcing its commitment to sustainability and increasing the destination’s notoriety”.

This is a process led by the Regional Secretariat for Tourism and Culture, through the Regional Directorate of Tourism - Directorate of Tourism Qualification Services with the advisory of the Institute for Tourism Development Planning (IPDT), with EarthCheck serving as the certifying entity, accredited by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, responsible for the destination audits.

Part of this work is carried out by several local stakeholders, divided into “Working Groups” which integrate with the Destination Sustainability Management Structure (DMO). It brings together a wide range of entities, namely regional directorates, institutes, representatives of municipalities, public, associative or private entities, and also non-governmental organisations, making a total of about 90 entities.

It’s turning out to be quite a year for Madeira as they look to stage the World Travel Awards Grand Final 2024 which will take place on 24 November. The leaders and figureheads of global travel and tourism will gather in the capital Funchal to find out who amongst them has been voted the industry’s best of the best.

The red-carpet banquet will take place at Savoy Palace from Savoy Signature, and will mark the climax of WTA’s Grand Tour 2024, a global search for the world’s finest travel organisations.

During the same week, Madeira will also play host to the 11th annual World Golf Awards, part of the World Travel Awards family. The ceremony will bring together golf tourism leaders from across the world for what will mark the first World Golf Awards to take place in Madeira. The prize-giving evening at Savoy Palace will form the climax of an exclusive golfing itinerary, which will include golf at the world-class courses of Santo da Serra and Palheiro.