Garda Trentino is a complex tourist destination, made up of several territorial areas each with its own offer and identity. Sustainability has been part of the destination’s core values since 2021, but it is through the GSTC pathway – promoted by Trentino Marketing and developed with the technical support of Etifor – that this commitment has taken on a concrete, measurable structure, culminating in the recent GSTC certification.
We spoke with Daniele Tonelli, Destination Management & Corporate Communication, and Natasha Bontadi, Key Account Sustainability at Garda Dolomiti S.p.A., who told us about the journey from the inside.
How did you welcome the pathway proposed by Trentino Marketing and Etifor?
We welcomed it with great enthusiasm, but also with an awareness of the challenge ahead. Garda Trentino is a complex destination, with several territorial areas each defined by distinct tourism offerings: we knew sustainability couldn’t just be a slogan, it had to become part of the destination’s strategic vision.
It has been part of our core positioning since 2021, and the GSTC pathway gave it greater concreteness.
Trentino Marketing’s push placed us within a coherent province-wide vision, while Etifor’s technical support gave us the methodological confidence to get started. We understood right away that this wasn’t about winning a “badge,” but about consolidating a structural transformation of our role as a DMO (APT).
What aspect of the journey surprised you the most?
The biggest surprise was discovering our own “hidden sustainability,” together with how cross-cutting the GSTC criteria turned out to be.
We realised our territory already had many good practices in place (in protected area management, mobility, corporate wellbeing, or the promotion of local products), but these weren’t fully connected into a system. The GSTC pathway allowed us to strengthen relationships with organisations that aren’t purely tourism-focused, reinforcing our governance system and giving value to everyone’s efforts.
We were also struck by how much attention GSTC gives to the socio-economic and cultural dimension: sustainability is often associated only with the environment (waste, plastic, CO2), while this pathway let us look more closely at aspects like residents’ wellbeing and the protection of local identity.
What actions have you taken to support the local community and the environment?
For us, sustainability must touch the land and the people, or it stays theory. On the environmental side, our most participatory initiative is the Garda Trentino CleanUP Days, territory clean-up days that bring together residents, operators and guests, now offered annually through fixed stations installed at our Info Points. Together with the University of Trento, we’re studying the introduction of Seabins, floating bins to clean up our lakes’ waters.
On the community side, we’re focused on inclusion and intergenerational relationships. Through Young at Heart, we bring regenerative activities and experiences to elderly residents in care homes. Looking ahead, we’re also supporting social cooperatives and youth centres such as Cantiere 26. Our goal is clear: to make sure tourism generates real value for the people who live in this territory every day.
Which part of the journey with Etifor demanded the most effort?
Without doubt, the data collection phase and building the Management System.
GSTC standards require objective documentary evidence and indicators that can be monitored over time. Bringing together data from different sources was challenging. However, once the process was up and running, updating it became much less complex.
Etifor supported us step by step in mapping this information and creating an integrated management system that involved all areas of the APT, Trentino Marketing, and other organisations active across the territory.