The Regional Secretariat for Agriculture and the Environment, through the Regional Directorate for the Environment, opens a new application period for the submission of applications to the "Priolo" Brand from April 2 to 30. This initiative is organised in partnership with the Office of the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism.

Applications may be submitted by organisations and companies operating in the municipalities of Nordeste and Povoação; their activities should be related to the areas of handicrafts, agricultural products, rural tourism, active tourism, catering industry and accommodation.

The "Priolo" Brand, which already comprises 32 members, aims to distinguish the companies that promote sustainable tourism, boosting local economy and social development.

Therefore, the accession to this brand represents the commitment of companies to the practice of sustainable practices in order to ensure the conservation of the protected territory that is the natural habitat of "priolo" (Azores bullfinch), encompassing the municipalities of Nordeste and Povoação.

The application of the Lands of "Priolo" to the award of the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism (ECST), submitted by the Regional Government, was approved in October 2012. This classification acknowledges the development of sustainable tourism and the conservation of their unique natural values, promoted under the LIFE Sustainable Laurel Forest project and the Land Management Plan of Furnas Crater Lake Hydrographic Basin.

This tool was created, assessed and certified by the EUROPARC Federation. It is primarily intended to defend a tourism practice that reconciles environmental and social aspects with economic developed in protected areas.

The European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in the Lands of "Priolo" has established partnerships with the Regional Directorates for the Environment, Forest Resources and Tourism, the Nordeste Town Hall and the Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds (SPEA).

The membership of companies to "Priolo" Brand brings several advantages, including the dissemination of companies at tourism fairs, the access to training in order to improve their environmental performance and the provision of further information on the access to EU funds.

Companies interested in joining this initiative should contact the Office of the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in the Lands of Priolo via the email [email protected] or the telephone number 296 206 700.

Further information is available at the electronic address http://www.azores.gov.pt/Gra/srrn-cets/menus/principal/marca+priolo/.