Leading this process of evolution of the tourist offer is Milano & Partners, which has been entrusted with the technical role of organizing and managing the tourist destination, implementing the vision of its founding bodies: the Municipality of Milano and Chamber of Commerce of Milano Monza Brianza Lodi.

We therefore have an ambitious objective: to build a sustainability path for Milano as a business and leisure destination to take the tourism supply chain towards the Winter Olympics of Milano Cortina 2026 and beyond. To do this, we need a broad vision, concrete tools to implement and disseminate it among the stakeholders, to nurture a strong sense of belonging to the destination. We are guided by the three principles in pursuing the Milano we would like to see appear to the eyes of the world: a young, inclusive and sustainable city.

Together with the Chamber of Commerce, we are guarantors the sustainability policy objectives of the City of Milano and their application in the strategic events and tourism sector. We are prepared to act as facilitators of sustainability processes, defining the correct guidelines and benchmark to ensure their success. T

he Municipality of Milano has already expressed its commitment toward the green economy, equipping itself with policies and programmatic documents strongly focused on environmental sustainability and ecological transformation, one above all the Single Programming Document (DUP) of 2023-2025 which indicates the strategic and operational lines to achieve a sustainable city according to UN development goals and covenants of global city mayors. It is important that the tourism and events supply chain is also including in the policy planning of the city to strengthen the new vision for Milano.

One path and three focus areas.

We intend to organize the work on 3 focus areas of action in order to realize a list of 10 commitments:

1. Governance and tourism organization

2. Collaboration and sense of belonging

3. Support for action and change

1. Promote the coordination of stakeholders in the area in the implementation of shared policies through the establishment of a strategy table for sustainable tourism, involving all the actors involved in the destination: public agencies, private firms, civic and trade associations, individual citizens, and the younger generation, in particular through the university system. The table, which will meet quarterly, will have a consultative role and will be chaired by the President of Milano&Partners.

2. Acquire and develop skills within the operational group of Milano&Partners for the coordination and implementation of field activities, led by a sustainability manager.

3. Set clear objectives through the drafting of a medium-term Multi-Year Strategic Sustainability Plan for the Milano destination which defines objectives, targets, indicators, action plan and measurement and reporting tools for sustainability applied to tourism and events. The Plan will be co-created together with the stakeholders of the strategic table.

4. Communicate the destination’s sustainability so that it is transparent, truthful and consistent with the YesMilano destination brand, which wants to promote an inclusive and sustainable city, capable of welcoming and supporting younger generations.

“The skills and investments of our Associates have enabled us to create a working team that has at heart the needs of those who want to visit, live and invest in our city, and can't wait to develop Milano as a destination to prepare it for the challenges of coming years." (YesMilano Annual Report 2022)

SDGs: 10) Reduce inequalities; 11) Sustainable cities and communities; 12) Responsible consumption and production; 13) Take action for the climate; 17) Partnership for the objectives.

Target: Chamber of Commerce, Municipality of Milano, Fiera System, all representative actors for the destination which include public, private, associations, citizens.

Leader: Milano & Partners

To know more: The GSTC Destination Criteria sustainability standard; YesMilano Annual Report; Global Destination Sustainability Index Assessment

5. Enhance urban policies for the sustainable management of tourism and events, taking cue from the Single Programming Document (DUP) 2023-2025, Milano Food Policy, the Climate and Air Plan, the City Developmnet Plan, which they all touch on important points regarding the tourism & events industry and the HoReCa sector.

6. Involve the most visited neighborhoods of the city to define services and tools for welcoming tourists and create opportunities for meeting and exchange with local residents and communities, identifying and involving the most relevant stakeholders.

7. Investing in social capital through quality services to further increase the climate of trust between the destination management organization, operators and residents in order to strengthen the sense of belonging to the destination.

 “Milano's strength depends on its ability to progressively bridging the gap between the city that is moving forward, brilliant and international, confident in the future, and the city that is struggling to make ends meet. We need to prioritize access to opportunities for all, and increase resources to reduce inequality, combat poverty and social exclusion." (DUP 2023-2025, Municipality of Milano)

SDGs: 8) Decent work and economic growth; Industry, innovation and infrastructure; 10) Reduce inequalities; 11) Sustainable cities and communities; 12) Responsible consumption and production; 13) Take action for the climate; 17) Partnership for goals.

Target: residents, operators in the tourism and events supply chain, citizens.

Leaders: Municipality of Milano and Milano&Partners

For more information:

The sustainability policies of the Municipality of Milano: DUP 2023-2025, Milano Food Policy, Piano Aria Clima (Air and Climate Plan), Piano di Governo del Territorio (PGT) (Territorial government Plan), EU Mission: 100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities a cui Milano ha aderito.

8. Influence the consumer choice of visitors by giving greater space and relevance to sustainable options within the destination, encouraging responsible behavior not only towards the environment, but also towards the local community.

9. Stimulate legacy by encouraging the adoption of sustainable practices among firms in the sector - also by addressing the innovation ecosystem (startups and SMEs), in particular in terms of quality standards, sustainable procurement, certifications, and incentive mechanisms to pursue good practices and for those who already apply sustainability principles in the industry (with a focus on the MICE segment and with attention to the vocation of the city as attractor of FDI). Furthermore, Milano&Partners commits itself to the adoption of its own procurement policy.

10. Offer training and technical support for the operational working group and for its suppliers and business partners. We make use of the organization's internal skills to build capacity and offer support in sustainable tourism development.

“In an economic landscape that is becoming increasingly competitive and challenging, innovation continues to be the key for our companies to grow and compete successfully on international markets. Innovation today (...) must be increasingly combined with sustainability, which in turn can put positive expectations and investments into circulation and, together, have a positive impact on economic recovery." (Forecast and planning report 2023, Chamber of Commerce)

SDGs: 8) Decent work and economic growth; Industry, innovation and infrastructure; 10) Reduce inequalities; 11) Sustainable cities and communities; 12) Responsible consumption and production; 13) Take action for the climate; 15) Life on earth. 

Target: supply chain operators (tourist firms, tourism service providers, business partners)

Direction: Chamber of Commerce and Milano&Partners

For further information:

[In italian only] 2023 Forecast and Planning Report of the Milan Chamber of Commerce; Interventions and projects for the economic system; Plan for the Development of Tourism and Attractiveness of the Lombardy Region 2023-2025.