“Beaches are affected by different uses and needs and are subjected to considerable seasonal touristic pressure. Thus, their management is particularly complex as it necessarily requires simultaneous attention to different aspects. Beach operators, by choosing to certify beach operation according to the international standard ISO 13009: 2015, demonstrate sustainable beach operation to tourists and residents and compliance with certain quality requirements of the service and structures”.

The aim of this standard is to help decision makers, planners and beach operators make better-informed decisions about managing the beaches they are responsible for using a consistent and best practice based-approach to make the industry environmentally, socially and economically sustainable. As well as general beach management, the industry standard includes other important aspects, such as national actions plans, policies, beach safety education and information, signage, access and zoning, supervision and rescue and beach facilities.

With the publication of the new ISO 13009 Beach Standard, few partnerships are set up globally to professionally implement the requirements that it sets out. The ISOBeach partnership an do this.

ISOBeach© comprises of respected international and local experts from UK and around the world. It is the only organised consultancy group that are positioned to provide advice on how to best implement the standard and to provide bespoke management system advice to help with client implementation. The partnership is set up to offer unrivalled professional support on beach management schemes, data collection and storage, beach risk assessments, beach infrastructure and facilities, capacity training programmes on beach management services that compliance to the ISO13009 Standard requires.

“Sustainable Seas Ltd partner with a range of international respected beach safety experts and national environmental accreditation companies (under the ISOBeach label) to help client become accredited under ISO compliance requirements. The partnership approach adopted provides services aimed at beach operation through a certification scheme which not only guarantees environmental protection but also safety and service quality.

ISOBeach partnerships help to ensure that nationally specific accreditation and assessment teams are set up to provide services connected with beaches and which wants to better meet the needs of users and residents, also guaranteeing environmental protection, for balanced touristic-economic enhancement of beaches”.

ISOBeach©partners shall be growing as the initiate develops worldwide.

Accreditation firms and important partners that ISOBeach shall seek to continue engagement with include the following:

Why implement the Standard?

ISOBeach ^© is the first international beach risk management advisory scheme designed to minimise the beach tourism industry’s liability issues and to complement existing environmental management systems.

ISOBeach ^© provides a clear beach user approach to devising beach furniture needs, comfort facilities as well as appropriate signage and access point information that is compliant to international standards.

ISOBeach ^© is the only beach safety risk assessment initiative of its kind that is designed to help resorts address beach/water sport related and beach construction/access related risks that often generate high media attention.

ISOBeach ^© is designed to achieve better market penetration for those companies who are able to demonstrate compliance to the new international standard.

ISOBeach ^© does not conflict with any existing “hotel based” risk management, but should be considered as an essential complementary component thereto.

ISOBeach ^© helps not only the client base in choosing their holiday destination, but also the client (such as advice for individual hotel owners etc.) to help cover themselves against beach safety negligence claims etc.

ISOBeach ^© is a vehicle by which the clients can demonstrate action on the issue of delivering international beach standards in conjunction with improving beach safety.

ISOBeach ^© presents a unique opportunity for beach tourism marketing.

Each client (resort/destination/hotel etc) is likely to have different needs. For this reason we look to provide a “no fee” initial review and assessment of need. To arrange for this, please contact us via the below website contact form.

To ensure compliance to the ISO13009 Beach Standard, some minimum requirements will be needed on the following aspects:

a) Infrastructure on the beach (sanitary facilities, access points, shade structures etc);

b) Services (levels of qualifications, customer care expectations, cleaning / maintenance, lifeguarding etc);

c) Information (signage, awareness programmes etc).