This 2025, Sitges renewed its Biosphere Gold certification, an international recognition granted by the Responsible Tourism Institute (RTI) to destinations actively working on comprehensive tourism sustainability in terms of the environment, society, culture and good governance.

This year’s validation process once again highlighted various strategies the destination is implementing through the 2024–2028 Tourism Marketing Plan. The Biosphere 2025 renewal audit commended the Councillor’s Office for Tourism for embracing a responsible, sustainable and accessible approach to tourism marketing. Highlights include the Strategic Plan for Tourism Accessibility, with special recognition of the PROA software project to improve resource accessibility, and the development of a tourism decarbonisation plan thanks to the Next Generation-funded Destination Tourism Sustainability Plan.

Biosphere certification is granted to towns and cities that draw large numbers of tourists and that meet high standards in terms of environmental management, social inclusion, protection of cultural heritage and a positive economic impact for the local community. Gold-certified destinations, such as Sitges, are considered role models for tourism sustainability. “Our Biosphere Gold certification renewal reflects our collective, ongoing progress towards a more responsible, balanced tourism model, aligned with Sitges’s values. We’ll keep working to make sustainability a cornerstone of all the town’s tourism policies,” says the city councillor for tourism, Xavi Ripoll. “Progress on this responsible tourism model requires a collaborative approach involving the public and private sectors and local stakeholders.”

The Biosphere renewal confirms Sitges’s ongoing commitment to a tourism model aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, which prioritise quality of life, environmental preservation and a respectful, high-quality tourist experience.

Sitges and the Biosphere certification

Sitges first earned Biosophere certification in 2016, becoming the second Catalan destination (only after Barcelona) to do so. In 2023, thanks to the commitment of the destination and the local tourism sector, Sitges reached Biosphere Gold level, which recognises destinations with an exceptional level of sustainability excellence.

Currently, 35 Sitges resources and businesses, including hotels, restaurants, beaches, tour guides and tourist information offices, have signed on to the Biosphere commitment, reinforcing a shared strategy for a more conscientious and responsible tourism model.