Sustainable Destination label

The Sustainable Destination label is a management system and tool for destinations that want to take a long-term, focused approach to making tourism more sustainable. You should primarily apply through a destination management organisation, or alternatively through a business development organisation or a similarly structured organisation with ongoing responsibility for tourism development. The commitments under the labelling scheme are long-term, so your organisation must be equipped for a long-term process in which key stakeholders work together through destination management.

The scheme provides tools and content for destination management and the governance of local tourism. It includes the following key elements:

• a standard with criteria and indicators that destinations must measure, analyse and report on. For destinations that receive cruise ships, the standard includes a set of additional indicators.
• a process, including tools, to help the destination meet the standard and, where applicable, the additional cruise requirements
• a portal where you can upload all deliverables and documentation
• approved process facilitators
• inspection procedures and final inspection

Read more about the Sustainable Destination label

You can apply for funding for both initial certification and recertification.

For first-time certification, the following activities may be eligible for funding:

• local project manager (external and/or internal)
• external process facilitator. You must use a qualified and approved process facilitator.
• external analyses, reports and services
• meetings, seminars, workshops and similar activities
• monitoring

Re-labelling may include the following activities:

• local project manager (external and/or internal)
• external process facilitator
• external analyses, reports and services
• monitoring

Costs already incurred in connection with the activities cannot be included in the basis for funding.

If you use an internal project manager (40–100%, depending on the size of the destination) and include personnel costs in the basis for the grant, the project manager must work on project activities rather than day-to-day operations. You must therefore release the internal project manager from other duties for the duration of the project.

The initial certification process takes approximately two years. The process concludes with a submission that is either approved or rejected. Once approved, the destination must submit an update every three years to renew its certification. The renewal process can take up to 12 months.

The grant amount will vary depending on the destination's size, complexity and organisation. As a general rule, you can receive up to NOK 800,000 for destinations covering one or a few municipalities, and up to NOK 1,200,000 for destinations covering many municipalities.

For recertification, the maximum grant is NOK 250,000 per recertification for destinations covering one or a small number of municipalities, and NOK 400,000 for destinations covering many municipalities.

The maximum grant rate is up to 75 per cent of the eligible costs. You must provide the remaining funding from your own resources. These funds may come from your company, the municipality and/or other external partners.

Eligibility criteria

You must ensure that your destination fully understands what the certification scheme and process involve. You must prepare a destination description and include it with your application. You must also meet the following requirements and conditions:

• You must be able to define the destination geographically so that it corresponds to the area covered by marketing and development activities.
• The destination must have a well-functioning destination management organisation that carries out shared tasks on behalf of tourism businesses. See also 'Target group'.
• A system must be in place to fund shared activities, with member and tourism businesses entering into a written agreement to make financial contributions, for example to a destination management organisation, to carry out these activities.
• The municipality or municipalities covered by the destination must be aware of the initiative and committed to playing an active role in the process (local support).
• The destination should have a tourism development plan or strategy (strategic framework) that sets a clear direction, as this requirement must be met during the project phase. A publicly available, multi-year destination strategy must be in place. It must take a broad approach to sustainability, be developed through an inclusive process, and aim to improve sustainability and visitor management. The strategy must be accompanied by an action plan that is updated annually. 

We emphasise:

• The destination's ambitions and how the project aligns with its vision and strategies.
• How realistic the project plan is.
• Whether your company has sufficient capital, expertise and capacity to carry out the project.
• That the company has an appropriate ownership structure, board and management team
• That the activity has strong support from the board and management, the business community, the municipality and other stakeholders.
• The impact of the measures on society and the environment.

Read the application guidance for the Sustainable Destination label

Submit your application via My page. Select the 'Business development and innovation' form.

You can ask one of our customer advisers for input and advice along the way. You can submit your application without contacting your customer adviser first, but we recommend discussing it with us before you apply.

We review applications on an ongoing basis.

Read the application guidance for the Sustainable Destination label

Synnøve Elisabeth Aabrekk
Nordfjordeid

synnove@segel.no
Tel: 416 22 807

Synnøve is a partner and advisor at Segel AS and has extensive experience in tourism advisory, working with individual businesses and destinations and as the head of a regional tourism organisation. She is passionate about helping the tourism industry integrate sustainability more clearly and with a longer-term perspective into all strategic development and marketing activities. As a process facilitator, Synnøve has worked with destinations including Tromsø, Lysefjorden, Suldal, Nome and Midt-Telemark Utvikling, Kristiansand, Arendal, Sognefjorden and Sauda.

Børre Berglund
Son, Bergen and Tromsø

borre@2469reiseliv.no
Tel: 900 56 869

Børre has extensive experience in strategy and master planning, including developing forward-looking, sustainable strategies and action plans. He has facilitated processes for destinations awarded the Sustainable Destination label and is passionate about turning clients' sustainability ambitions into practice. Børre has broad international experience and extensive expertise in analysis, process management, and product and attraction development.

Ståle Brandshaug
Sogndal

stale@2469reiseliv.no
Tel: 909 61 179

Ståle is a partner at 2469 Reiselivsutvikling AS and has 25 years of experience in the tourism industry. He has extensive experience in destination development, managing urban and rural destinations, strategy, business and project development. He has also been involved in master planning, tourism strategies, business networks, NCE Tourism Fjord Norway, ARENA Innovativ Fjordturisme, establishing the Research Centre for Sustainable Tourism, managing several tourism projects and serving on the boards of various companies. His experience includes helping the Sognefjord region, comprising seven municipalities and 200 businesses, achieve the Sustainable Destination label, as well as helping Visit Sognefjord gain Eco-Lighthouse certification.

Ingvill Flo
Stryn

ingvill.flo@pwc.com
Tel: 952 61 355

Ingvill is a partner at PwC with extensive experience in community, business and tourism development. She has worked on several tourism projects at destination, network and company level.

Torill Olsson
Oslo

torill@mimir.no
Tel 995 68 045

Torill is a senior partner at Mimir and was project manager for our 'Sustainable Destinations' pilot project, which led to the establishment of the certification scheme in 2013. She has worked on numerous destination development processes and strategies, and believes that linking the strategy and certification processes is essential to securing support for the work. She has facilitated the certification process for Kragerø, Valdres, Nasjonalparkriket and Senja.

Kristin Prøven
Lillehammer

kristin@mimir.no
Tel 993 08 848

Kristin is an advisor at Mimir with extensive expertise in sustainable tourism development and hands-on experience as a project manager for sustainable destinations. She was responsible for the Lillehammer region becoming the first urban region to achieve the Sustainable Destination label in 2018 and being recertified in 2021. As part of her work on sustainability, Kristin has also worked on several projects involving green mobility and local food.

Linda Merethe Ramberg
Tynset

linda@fossekall.no
Tel 928 03 694

Linda works as a business developer at the consultancy Fossekall AS and has a degree in tourism, with a focus on sustainability and digitalisation. She has 25 years of experience in business development and sustainability in the tourism industry, as well as extensive experience leading processes of all sizes. Linda was the destination manager when the Røros pilot destination first received its Sustainable Destination label.

Ingrid Solberg Sætre
Halden

ingrid@mimir.no
Tel 920 10 461

Ingrid is a senior partner at Mimir and has worked as a process facilitator for the Sustainable Destination programme since 2017. She has extensive experience in facilitating processes across a wide range of destinations, from cities such as Bergen, Bodø and Fredrikstad to mountain destinations such as Voss and Rjukan; from large visitor regions spanning several municipalities, such as Vesterålen, Nordfjord and West Telemark, to smaller destinations such as Åfjord in Fosen; and from Sámi destinations such as Kautokeino to the North Cape and other cruise destinations. As a partner and advisor at Mimir, Ingrid is committed to staying up to date in fields that are key to making Norwegian tourism more sustainable. She is highly motivated to continue supporting destinations across the country as a process facilitator in the years ahead.

Geir Tønnessen
Farsund

geir@tonnrad.no
Tel 951 03 112

Geir is the managing director of his own company, where he works as a consultant and adviser in tourism and destination development. He has qualifications in tourism and economics. He has managed tourism-related business networks, the Sustainable Destination certification process and development projects for private companies. He was the project manager for the work that led to Setesdal achieving Sustainable Destination certification.

Anja Christensen
Alta
anja@kreativindustri.no
Tel. 951 80 363

Anja has 15 years of experience working in tourism at both destination and company level. She holds a master's degree in 'Sustainable Storytelling Tourism' from UiT The Arctic University of Norway. Having previously worked with us, Anja has extensive knowledge of the destination development process and the Sustainable Destination label.