YEL! stands for YouthTRAILS Ecotourism Label – a voluntary quality badge designed to recognise and support youth-friendly ecotourism venues and organisations across Europe. Whether you’re a youth hostel, a youth organisation, or an ecotourism facility in a rural or remote area, YEL! helps you showcase your commitment to sustainability and youth participation.
By adopting the YEL! label, you’re not just joining a movement – you’re becoming part of a growing European Youth Network in Ecotourism Education and Practice that empowers young people to explore, engage with, and shape sustainable tourism.
YEL! is more than just a sticker. It is part of the YouthTRAILS Erasmus+ initiative, which supports:
🌍 Fighting climate change through sustainable ecotourism education.
🤝 Capacity-building for youth workers and organisations.
🎯 Creating quality standards for youth-friendly ecotourism.
💡 Encouraging innovation and youth participation in rural and sustainable tourism.
We’ve developed a comprehensive set of quality standards to help organisations reflect, grow, and improve their approach to youth and sustainability. Becoming YEL!-certified means:
✅ You’ve completed a quality self-assessment questionnaire.
✅ You meet key indicators that define what it means to be youth-friendly and ecologically responsible.
✅ You commit to continuous improvement through 3 levels of “correction measures,” ensuring that even emerging organisations can grow with support.
✅ You actively engage young people in the co-creation and promotion of sustainable tourism experiences.
🏷 A visual YEL! sticker to proudly display your youth-friendly ecotourism identity.
🌐 Inclusion in the European Youth Network for Ecotourism Education and Practice.
🎫 Eligibility to engage with DiscoverEU, Erasmus+ youth exchanges, and collaborative rural gateway projects.
📣 Promotional support through YouthTRAILS’ network, tools, and campaigns.
Are you a youth organisation, hostel, or rural tourism facility passionate about sustainability and young people? Apply for the YEL! label today and become a certified Youth-Friendly Ecotourism Venue.
🌱 Let’s build a greener, more inclusive future together — with youth, for youth.
👉 [Contact Us] or [Apply for YEL! Certification]