Couserans, a committed territory

With its remarkable nature, its breathtaking landscapes, its great biodiversity, its authenticity and its abundant heritage, the Couserans is a rich and vibrant territory, both anchored in the past and looking towards the future.

For all its riches, at a time of challenges of ecological transition, the Couserans is a region resolutely committed to the environment and sustainable development..  

The Couserans Pyrenees Tourist Office is committed alongside local authorities and tourism professionals to gain recognition for this local will and go further in the approach to sustainable and responsible tourism.  

The labels obtained by the Tourist Office and the actions carried out with its partners demonstrate this desire to commit to tourism that must meet the needs of residents, tourists, professionals and the environment. 

In line with its CSR initiatives, Destination of Excellence and labeling Green DestinationsThe Couserans Pyrénées Tourist Office is proud to integrate into its network of partners of eco-labelled local stakeholders.

A quick overview of our commitments to sustainability, quality and the environment!  

Tourism Quality and CSR Approach 

The Qualité Tourisme™ brand is the only state brand awarded to tourism professionals for the quality of their welcome and their services. 

At the end of a four-year process, obtaining the Qualité Tourisme label recognizes the professionalism of the Tourist Office teams and the quality of its services. 

With the Qualité Tourisme brand, we are committed to:  

• Offer a warm and professional welcome
• Provide clear and personalized information
• Ensure a comfortable welcome
• Promote the discovery of our Couserans destination with all its specificities 
• Promote all of our service providers
• Listen to everyone and take customer feedback into account 
• Find out more about the Quality Tourism brand

To go further in our commitments to sustainable tourism, the Tourist Office is starting a CSR approach within its structure.  

La Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is the implementation of sustainable development concepts within a company.  

Supported by the entire team and coordinated by the CSR representative, the CSR approach covers all aspects of decision-making and action at the Tourist Office:  

• Purchasing and marketing policy 
• Management and governance 
• Relationship with local partners 
• Well being at work 
• Limiting environmental impacts (energy choices, implementing eco-friendly actions, limiting pollution, etc.) 
• Public awareness  

The implementation of CSR within the Office will allow it to go further in its quality approach by paving the way towards the label “Destination of Excellence”.  

The new Destination of Excellence label, which will replace the "Qualité Tourisme" label, aims to consolidate quality across the entire range of tourism offerings. This label will, in particular, strengthen the level of'requirement for eco-responsibility'.  

Green Destination 

At the end of 2023, the Tourist Office participated in theCall for Expression of Interest Green Destinations proposed by CRTL Occitanie, in partnership with ADEME and ADN.  
Selected along with 15 other tourist offices in Occitanie, a year of support will enable the applicant to apply for certification recognized by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), the highest body dealing with sustainable tourism at the international level.  

The criteria of this label encompass all aspects of sustainable development, obtaining it will demonstrate the strong commitment of the entire Couserans destination to sustainable tourism. 

Accueil Vélo (Cyclists welcome)  

The national “Accueil Vélo” brand guarantees a quality welcome and services along cycle routes and adapted to bicycle tourists.  

With this label, we are committed to offering a personalized welcome, by providing cyclists with specific maps, advice on routes to take, as well as information on rental and repair services.  

Accueil Vélo also promotes soft mobility to discover Couserans! 

Regional Natural Park of the Ariège Pyrenees

Created in 2009, the Ariège Pyrenees Regional Natural Park covers 141 communes in the Ariège Pyrenees, renowned for the richness and diversity of their natural, cultural and human heritage. 

The perimeter of the The Ariège Pyrenees Regional Natural Park is almost entirely concentrated in the Couserans, a guarantee of the quality of our natural spaces and the promotion of our history and our know-how. 

It is a major partner of the Couserans Pyrénées Tourist Office in promoting green, responsible and sustainable tourism. 

In line with their objectives for the preservation of the environment and the local economy, the Regional Natural Parks (PNR) strive to promote the natural and cultural resources specific to each of their territories.   

In this sense, the PNRs have created the “Park Values” brand, a real sustainable development tool attributed to products and services.  

Let's talk about Couserans   

For the past two years, the Tourist Office has been organizing an annual major tourism event inviting all local stakeholders and tourism professionals.  

This event day is designed as a time for exchange and sharing around thematic presentations and workshops. All enhanced by a taste and musical break made in Couserans!  

In 2024, our major tourism event in Couserans was held in partnership with “Avenir montagnes”, an engineering system aimed at supporting mountain areas towards a sustainable tourism transition.  

More than 80 participants (socio-professionals, elected officials, technicians) were able to exchange ideas during conferences, activities and workshops on the crucial theme of sustainable tourism.  

During the workshops, this central theme was explored in different subjects such as eco-responsible events, the future of Pyrenean mountain resorts, sharing the mountains and mobility.  

In line with our commitments, the organization of these event days was done in the most eco-responsible way possible.  

Here are some examples of our “Causons Couserans” commitments: 

• Reusable wool neck warmers from the Pyrenees, like badges 
• Local food and drinks
• Water in carafes, reusable cups stamped OT Couserans Pyrénées 
• A local music group  
• Train travel for speakers, carpooling encouraged 
• Recycling is carried out on site, using bins and containers provided by the waste service of the Couserans Pyrénées community of communes. 
• A plant decoration in partnership with Mother Nature and the invasive ivy that she kindly gave us! 
• The Georges and Georgettes as cutlery, because we also have a local inventor! 
• A “relational ecology”: listening, respect and “kindness” are ensured by a framework which allows dialogue, exchange and constructive debate. 

Future Mountains 

Le plan Future Mountains is a national program aimed at providing very operational support to around sixty mountain territories (including ski resorts and spas), wishing to rethink their development strategy towards a diversified, all-season, sustainable tourist offer, respectful of biodiversity and landscapes, and efficient in natural and land resources. 

In Ariège, the Plan Avenir Montagnes is supported by the Territorial and Rural Balance Pole (PETR), a union committee bringing together 50 delegates from all local authorities in the departmentt.  

The PETR is developing a territorial project around territorial cooperation in favor of an ecological and inclusive transition. The areas of development concern territorial cohesion, the environment, energy, social cohesion, food, the economy and citizen participation.  

As a leading player in the region's tourism policy and an institutional partner, the Tourist Office actively collaborates in the Avenir Montagnes plan for the Ariège mountains.  

Digital Clean-up Day and responsible use of paper  

The tourist office team limits the sending and publishing of paper documentation, encouraging users to consult our website or a personalized travel diary. This choice to limit the use of paper throughout its operations and communications, however, has another significant environmental impact: that of digital technology.  

All digital data requires large amounts of storage on increasingly large and energy-hungry servers.  

Globally, digital technology is responsible for 4% of greenhouse gas emissions. It is estimated that by 2025, it could represent 8% of emissions.  

For the continuity and consistency of its commitments, the Tourist Office, aware of its responsibility in the impacts of digital use, participates in the Digital Clean Up Day, a global day of awareness of the environmental footprint of digital technology.   

The entire team met on March 12, 2024, where, after raising awareness about digital pollution, everyone took action by cleaning their digital data in order to limit the consumption of data servers on our scale.