Effective governance provides the foundation for sustainable destination development. It ensures that responsibilities are clearly defined, decision-making processes are transparent, and all relevant stakeholders are actively involved in shaping and implementing common goals. Strong governance structures help create a shared understanding of sustainability and enable coordinated action across all levels of destination management.
In Tyrol, governance structures have evolved over time and are now institutionalized through the Tyrolean Tourism Act. This Act requires every tourism association to develop a sustainability strategy, prepare a sustainability report, and appoint a sustainability coordinator. The detailed design and implementation of these requirements, however, are defined individually by each association.
To align with the Tyrolean tourism strategy “The Tyrolean Way”, dedicated structures are needed to clarify responsibilities and ensure broad commitment at both regional and destination levels. While the specific governance arrangements remain at the discretion of each association, the participatory approach to sustainable tourism development includes the establishment of a steering group ("Sustainability Board") involving key stakeholders such as local authorities, core service providers, and members of the association’s supervisory board, as well as a working group ("Sustainability Committee") that may include management, sustainability coordination, and the operational team responsible for implementing the association’s sustainability measures.
These governance elements provide a framework for shared responsibility, collaboration, and transparency, while allowing flexibility to adapt to local contexts and needs.
Key Performance Indicators
Building on this approach, TYSTO the key issue area “Governance” focusing on three fields of action to assess and continuously strengthen sustainable destination management in Tyrol.
| Field of Action | Key Performance Indicator | Data Source |
|---|---|---|
| Coordination | Number of Sustainability Coordinators | Tyrolean Tourism Associations, Federation of Tyrolean Tourism Associations |
| Number of Sustainability Committees | ||
| Number of Sustainability Boards | ||
| Number of TYSTO Working Group meetings | MCI Tourism | |
| Strategy | Number of regional sustainability strategies | Tyrolean Tourism Associations, Federation of Tyrolean Tourism Associations |
| Number of destinations with GSTC-aligned sustainability certification | Tirol Werbung | |
| Analysis of climate change impacts on destination development | Tyrolean Tourism Associations | |
| Exchange | Number of Sustainability Coordinator exchange meetings | Tirol Werbung |
| Number of TYSTO Workshops | MCI Tourism |
Results
Initial results will be published in 2026, covering data from the 2025 reporting year. Data collection is currently ongoing.
