Gardaland Campsites Pursue ISO 14001 Certification to Boost Eco-Friendly Tourism

Environmental Quality Certification for Gardaland campsites. This is the goal shared by the 60 companies in the sector spread across 12 municipalities between Peschiera and Malcesine, which will begin to see initial results at the start of the upcoming season.

The Assogardacamping, representing the accommodations for outdoor tourism, has launched, in collaboration with the ecology and tourism departments of the Province, an ambitious environmental quality program, with its framework entrusted to the technicians of Sogesca.

Analysis and Development of Environmental Policy

The strengths and weaknesses of the campsites were analyzed last July, while in January, a coordination group of about ten entrepreneurs will begin to define the environmental policy to be developed.

This summer, customers will be involved in initiatives to care for the environment, and once the process is complete, the campsites will be able to obtain the Iso 14001 environmental certification.

The operation costs 33 million lire, of which 19.2 million lire were allocated by the Province.

Environmental Impact and Tourist Awareness

“Achieving objectives such as reducing water and energy consumption, optimal waste management, decreasing automobile use, and caring for the environment is fundamental to the tourist policy of the lake, especially since the clientele comes from European countries where ecological awareness is highly developed,” stated the tourism assessor Davide Bendinelli during the initiative’s presentation.

Adapting to the management methods outlined by the Uni En Iso 14001 directive also addresses significant environmental impact issues, considering that 60 out of 63 campsites in the Verona area are located on the lake, and that campsites alone account for nearly 50 percent of tourist presence.

Some of these campsites have capacities approaching five thousand guests and generate resource consumption and waste disposal levels comparable to those of a small town.