ISO 13009 Certification
ALBANIA is a land of extraordinary beauty: its seas and coastlines define the country’s tourism landscape, with coastal regions being the preferred destinations for visitors from all around the world. Consequently, coastal tourism is considered a significant sector of the national economy. The increasing use and transformation of maritime property, along with the rising utilization of coastal areas, have driven the development of a sectoral economy with substantial potential, including in terms of employment.
In the evolving legal context, which introduces new concession-granting methods based on the principles of free competition, service quality, and environmental sustainability, as well as in accordance with Albanian legislation outlined in Decision No. 171, dated 27.3.2019, “On Improving the Rules for the Conditions and Criteria for Operating a Beach Station,” and supported by Article 100 of the Constitution and Article 64, paragraph 2, of Law No. 93/2015, “On Tourism,” as amended, along with the European Directive (Bolkestein Directive 2006/123/EC), significant economic and investment opportunities can be consolidated.
The proposed solution
A coastal operator seeking ISO 13009 certification – “Tourism and Related Services – Requirements and Recommendations for Beach Operations” – may gain a competitive advantage over other contenders in future beach concession tenders. Certification under this standard ensures clients and both local and central administrations that grant concessions receive a high level of service in terms of quality, sustainability, and accessibility.
Our organization, “e-Cert,” proposes a certification project for facilities (coastal stations, campsites and villages, sports clubs) managing beach concessions along the sea, rivers, and lakes. This certification is based on the ISO 13009 standard, which defines quality requirements, sustainability measures, and accessibility standards that enable concessionaires to comply with Albanian legislation and the European Directive.
Our methodology
Certification under the ISO 13009 standard considers not only the quality of tourist services but also the concessionaire’s ability to maintain the concession property throughout the year, manage environmental risks and emergencies, and minimize environmental impacts—key elements in future concession-granting procedures.
The main phases of the certification process include:
– Defining the certification objective and initial verification (upon request);
– Conducting a gap analysis and assessing the concessionaire’s current compliance with regulatory requirements, followed by a two-stage certification verification process (Stage 1 & 2);
– Ensuring compliance with the ISO 13009 standard and issuing the certification, annual monitoring visits to evaluate continuous improvement, and certification renewal after three years following a full review;
– After each visit, a clear and detailed report is provided to the company, allowing continuous performance improvement in quality management according to ISO 13009.