The project consists of a comprehensive study of the carbon footprint applicable to rural accommodation, so that the establishment’s_CO2 emissions can be calculated as an indicator of its sustainability.

The project consists of a comprehensive study of the carbon footprint applicable to rural accommodation, so that the establishment’s CO2 emissions can be calculated _{as an indicator of its sustainability.}

The results will be expressed in functional units representative of the activity (night, person, year, etc.), creating a standard methodology applicable to this subsector.

The aim is to increase the competitiveness and differentiation of the inland tourism offer of the rural accommodation subsector in Castilla-León and Extremadura, through actions that direct the management of accommodation towards improving its environmental sustainability, thanks to the control and minimisation of its_CO2 emissions.

The specific objectives are:

• Determine a verifiable and validated system to be able to calculate the carbon footprint of a typical rural accommodation.
• Identify, characterise, analyse and assess the impacts of the carbon footprint of a typical rural accommodation on a local scale on the values of the Natura 2000 Network areas in Castilla-León and Extremadura.
• Describe preventive, mitigating and/or offsetting measures for the impacts of the carbon footprint of these establishments.
• Disseminate the results to other autonomous communities.
• Disseminate the information to the media, in addition to publishing an article in a national tourism or environmental magazine.

The information collected thanks to the fieldwork will be analyzed to obtain results and draw conclusions. The reports prepared will be sent to the competent ministries in the different autonomous communities, as well as to the Spanish Office for Climate Change under the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment (MAGRAMA). The information will also be sent to the bodies and entities related to tourism activity.