NaturCert Signs Representative Office for Spain & Andorra

NaturCert announces the appointment of Grupo Natura for providing NaturCert Cert
ification in Spain & Andorra.
Athens, Greece, September 21, 2010 -- NaturCert operates through the internation
al network of NaturCert Representative Offices and subsidiaries. Each network me
mber is a separate and independent legal entity and operates locally in countrie
s around the world. NaturCert's local partners provide NaturCert programs locall
y and perform marketing and communication activities in local business language.
In Spain and Andorra, NaturCert appointed Grupo Natura, a Barcelona based sustai
nable tourism operator, created in 1989. Grupo Natura is a pioneer in wellness,
health and beauty, enotourism and gastronomy travel programs for the Spanish mar
ket and also acts as a destination management company for leading cultural desti
nations in all the country. Grupo Natura's NaturCert related activities will be
managed by the new company division named â Equipo Verdeâ which is led by Mrs.Maria Cata
a, environmental and sustainable tourism expert from Barcelona University.
Javier Dalmau, Managing Director of Grupo Natura said:"We are very proud to work
with NaturCert for the territory of Spain and Andorra. We foresee great adoptio
n of sustainability programs in the coming period from the Spanish tourism indus
try and we are here to serve this market. International tourism arrivals in Spai
n begin already to recover from the main source markets including France, UK and
Germany. Long-haul and cruise numbers are also increasing, and Madrid remains t
he entry door to Europe for Central and South America tourists with big yearly f
igures."
Spain is home to the UNWTO head office and is a leading tourism destination. Dur
ing the last years, the country has remained among the top incoming destinations
across the world but according to Euromonitor, 2009 was the worst performing ye
ar on record for the Spanish travel and tourism industry.
The ongoing crisis has paradoxically created new opportunities for the Spanish t
ourism industry for reducing its dependency from traditional source markets and
diversifying its tourism product.
Further diversification and growth is foreseen with the new high-speed train rou
tes connecting now Madrid and Barcelona as well as other popular destinations, w
hile overtaking the routes from air carriers with more flexible and lower cost f
ares. The new rail infrastructure is expected to boost the short trips and city
brakes segment.
Akis Laopodis, Managing Director of NaturCert said: "We are very happy to work w
ith Grupo Natura. We believe that our entry in Spain with Grupo Natura is going
to allow us a strong and sustainable penetration in the country. Spain is a lead
ing tourism market undoubtedly and both in Spain and abroad expectations are hig
h. The local market is in general in a better shape than it was last year and we
will see even better numbers in the coming period.â
About Grupo Natura:
Grupo Natura is a Barcelona based sustainable tourism operator, created in 1989.
Grupo Natura is a pioneer in the wellness, health and beauty, enotourism and ga
stronomy travel programs for the Spanish market and also acts as a destination m
anagement company and events organizer for natural and cultural destinations in
Spain.
About NaturCert:
NaturCert develops sustainability criteria and programs recognizing green & sust
ainable travel & tourism organizations. NaturCert operates through the internati
onal network of NaturCert Representative Offices and subsidiaries.Further to tha
t, NaturCert introduces international and local initiatives promoting sustainabi
lity and environmentally responsible as well as corporate social responsibility
(CSR) practices. The initiatives are either developed by NaturCert's own team an
d network, its partners or third parties.
Contact:
Akis Laopodis
NaturCert International
Athens, Greece
+44 20 8144 0925
pr@naturcert.com
http://www.naturcert.com