According to the UNWTO (World Tourism Organization), more than 1,400 million international tourist trips are made every year around the planet. This figure reflects a constant growth, in a reality in which tourism represents 10.4% of world GDP pre-COVID, and 10% of total employment in the world.

However, with such high figures, and in continuous increase, we can also speak of overcrowding or disproportionate growth that can lead to a ecological degradation, economic dependence, low-quality tourist offer, poor use of the cultural heritage, or even problems at the social level.

Sustainable tourism does not intend to stop tourism, or promote only some specific tourism options; rather proposes a change in the mentality of the industry and of all the agents of this sector, including the tourist himself; which allows managing tourist flows efficiently and responsibly at all levels.

Its main objective is to appreciate both the benefits -to enjoy them- and the problems -to avoid them- derived from the various forms of tourism, especially in terms of social equity and the environment.

But to promote ecotourism and sustainable tourism, today it’s a priority to provide the agents involved in the sector with an adequate, consistent, and productive perspective; as well as the necessary tools to understand this reality, and to be able to carry out an effective application of the principles of sustainable tourism when structuring its tourism model, at a conceptual and operational level. And this begins by training the people involved in this activity at different levels, promoting a real paradigm shift.

STEFAN Project (Sustainable Tourism: Eco-friendly Actions Network) fosters the development of some tools that will promote ecotourism and sustainable tourism in Czech Republic, Hungary, Spain, Macedonia, and Slovenia.