Leiden, Tilburg, 11 February 2021

Green Destinations and Nature For Health join forces to further shape and promote “green & healthy destinations”, from international to regional level, with an emphasis on the healing power of the landscape and quality tourism focused on that.

Nature For Health aims to improve the quality of life and the living environment by connecting health and nature, from international to local level. Green Destinations is the world’s largest network of tourism destinations focused on sustainability. Health is an explicit part of this.

The corona crisis has profound consequences for healthcare as well as recreation & tourism, both in the short and long term. Health and green quality are increasingly important in the choices we make. More and more regions want to distinguish themselves as healthy and “healing landscapes” with the pillars: health, care, nature and landscape and quality tourism.

By participating in the Green Destinations program, a destination gains a good insight into the performance and possibilities for improvement in the areas of: sustainable tourism policy, hospitality, “green” economy and the protection of important values.

With the Green Destinations label, a destination presents itself preeminently as a sustainable green, healthy and authentic destination towards its visitors, residents and entrepreneurs.

Nature For Health has programs in areas such as healing landscapes and healthy and green neighborhoods and focuses on innovations in the health sector at the intersection of health and nature and landscape. NFH connects science and entrepreneurship in order to (help) develop evidencebased market models in the field of nature and health, which increase the quality of life – of people and nature – as well as reduce healthcare costs.

Nature For Health and Green Destinations want to jointly carry out the following activities:

  • Helping shape green and healthy destinations, with a focus on virus safety;
  • Organizing an international Green & Healthy Destinations seminar in the Van Gogh National Park;
  • Identifying healing regions in Europe and exploring the possibility of an international network for the exchange of knowledge and experience;
  • Helping to develop the Van Gogh National Park as a healing landscape of international allure and as an officially recognized Green Destination.

For more information, please contact Albert Salman (President Green Destinations) and Rob Wolters (Executive NFH) through the websites of both organizations: https://greendestinations.org/contact/  https://www.nahf.nl/contact/