Brands & Labels

The Qualité Tourisme brand

To improve the quality of tourism services and better welcome tourists to France, the French government has created the Qualité Tourisme™ brand. This is the only state mark awarded to tourism professionals for the quality of their welcome and services. Accommodation, catering, places to visit, sports and leisure activities, tourist offices, seasonal rental agencies… Qualité Tourisme™ accompanies you throughout your stay. Whether they are well-known or unusual destinations, major groups with international reputations or small independent establishments, the 5,200 establishments in the brand join forces in a single approach towards a welcome of excellence.

The Tourisme & Handicap mark

Tourisme & Handicap is a government mark designed to provide objective, standardized information on the accessibility of tourist sites and facilities. Tourisme & Handicap takes into account the four families of disabilities (auditory, mental, motor and visual) and aims to develop an adapted tourist offer, integrated into the general offer. This mark is the fruit of collaboration between several players: the Ministry of Tourism, professionals in the sector, local authorities and associations representing the disabled. Our 10 visitor centers are all Tourisme & Handicap-approved for all four types of disability, with the exception of Ars-en-Ré (motor, hearing and mental). Charente-Maritime is the 1ᵉʳ département in France in terms of sites and establishments awarded the label.

The Famille Plus label

This national label selects French resorts and destinations that meet the expectations of families with children over 18 months. Resorts with the Famille Plus label scrupulously meet 110 criteria and 6 commitments to ensure the success of your family vacation: welcome and information, local events, activities, discovery of the environment and heritage, accommodation, restaurants and shops/services, and finally facilities and safety.

The Accueil Vélo label

Thanks to this national label, Destination Ile de Ré and its partners can guarantee a high quality welcome and services along our cycling routes for local residents, visitors and touring cyclists. The label guarantees that you are located less than 5 km from a cycling route, that the area or partner has cycling-friendly facilities, a warm welcome and advice, and services dedicated to cycling travelers.

The Villes & Pays d’Art & d’Histoire label (since 2012)

Awarded by the French Ministry of Culture, the Villes & Pays d’Art & d’Histoire label qualifies territories, communes or communities of communes that are committed to an active approach to knowledge, conservation, mediation and support for creation and the quality of architecture and the living environment. It certifies the enhancement of 19th-, 20th- and 21st-century architecture, and the preservation of the landscape. More than a simple distinction, this label is accompanied by a genuine development project for the area, with guided tours, exhibitions, publications, conferences and awareness-raising initiatives for young people.
To find out more, visit the “discover” section of cdciledere.fr.

Villages de pierres et d’eau

This label can be awarded to a village with fewer than 3,000 inhabitants, boasting a high-quality architectural ensemble, representative of the Charente-Maritime department, located close to a water resource, and dynamic in terms of tourism. The Département, Charentes Tourisme, the Conseil d’Architecture, d’Urbanisme et de l’Environnement and the Architectes des Bâtiments de France have combined their skills to offer you this unique and original approach. In this way, 14 emblematic communes have come together around a common heritage where two elements meet: stone, with its remarkable buildings, and water in its various forms (ocean, rivers). Ars-en-Ré, Ile d’Aix, Brouage, Clion-sur-Seugne, Crazannes, La Flotte, Loix, Mornac-sur-Seudre, Mortagne-sur-Gironde, Port-d’Envaux, Saint-Savinien, Saint-Sauvant, Saint-Trojan-les-bains and Talmont-sur-Gironde have all been awarded the label.

France’s most beautiful villages

This is neither an official label nor a competition. Membership is not compulsory. It is suggested by the French association created in 1982 to promote the tourist arguments of small rural communes rich in quality heritage.
As of June 30, 2018, it had 158 members (communes or villages dependent on a commune).

On the Ile de Ré, the village of La Flotte has been classified since 1988 and Ars-en-Ré since 1982.

UNESCO World Heritage

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is a specialized agency created on November 16, 1945, in the aftermath of the Second World War. Its purpose, according to its constitution, is “to contribute to peace and security by promoting collaboration among the nations through education, science and culture”. The Organization has 195 member states and 11 associate members.

The village of Saint-Martin-de-Ré has been awarded the label.

Starry towns and villages

This is a national label founded by the Association Nationale pour la Protection du Ciel et de l’Environnement Nocturnes (ANPCEN). Concerned with the impact on biodiversity and nocturnal landscapes, the label promotes energy savings, the limitation of induced greenhouse gases, eco-design and recycling of the materials used, as well as the ability to observe the night sky.

The village of Sainte-Marie-de-Ré has been awarded the label.

Cittaslow

Cittaslow (from the Italian città “cité”, “ville” and the English slow “lent[e]”), also known as the International Network of Cities of Good Living, is a community of cities that focuses on the quality of life of their citizens. In 2014, Loix was awarded the “Cittaslow” label, an international network of towns that have decided to promote the local art of living.

The village of Loix has been awarded the label.

The European Ecolabel

Created in 1992, the European Ecolabel is the only official European ecological label that can be used in all member countries of the European Union. In France, the Ministry of the Environment has entrusted the deployment of the European Ecolabel to ADEME, and its issue to AFNOR Certification. It guarantees high standards in terms of limiting the environmental and health impacts of products and services.

Green Key

This is the 1st international environmental label for tourist accommodation and restaurants. It promotes the sound management of water, energy and waste consumption, as well as the promotion of the region’s natural assets. Labeled establishments raise holidaymakers’ awareness and encourage them to take action at their own level to travel more responsibly.

NF Environnement

Created in 1991, NF Environnement is an ecolabel issued by AFNOR Certification. Its purpose is to certify the conformity of products or services to the requirements defined in specifications (or reference systems) focusing on the quality of use and the environmental quality of products.

Blue Flag

Created by Teragir in 1985, the Blue Flag is awarded annually to municipalities and marinas that have a policy of sustainable tourism development. Now present in 45 countries on all continents, it takes into account safety and accessibility to bathing for all, as well as information on bathing water quality and local flora and fauna. Throughout the year, and particularly during the summer season, local authorities committed to the label organize activities to raise environmental awareness.

Bathing Water Quality

The “Démarche Qualité Eaux de Baignade” certification guarantees bathers good-quality bathing water. This certification enables municipalities to comply with the requirements of European Directive 2006/7/EC, taking into account real-time public information and crisis management in the event of pollution. The certification ensures the quality of bathing water for a responsible management approach.