EFFECTS OF ECO-LABELS ON TOURISM AND LOCAL ECONOMY

Eco-labelling is used in tourism industry -with the influence of NGOs and tourism marketers- mostly to contribute standardisation inline with the cutomer driven strategies, along with established legistlation for the environment in order to protect it. On the other hand, eco-labelling could also be used as a marketing tool to improve an establishment’s strengths about competition. Eco-labelled beaches for example such as Blue Flag, Cittaslow, Green Star set international standarts for the sake of protecting the environment.This study, targets itself eco-labelling and its effects on inbound tourists, tourism income, economical and social improvements for the area. Using Blue Flag, one of the frequent used eco-labelling system is chosen for its eceonomical benefits to the city that was used. Findings indicate that there is a positive correlation between Blue Flagged establishments and the number of tourists visited the area