Circular Tourism

Albania

Eco-Camping “Le Rêve”

SECTION 1: BASIC INFORMATION

SECTION 2: PRACTICE OVERVIEW

  • Short Description of the Practice :

Camping Le Rêve is an eco-responsible campsite that embeds sustainability and circular principles across operations, guest experiences and local partnerships. The site combines practical measures like a kitchen garden, on-site composting, rainwater recovery, low-flow fixtures, LED and solar installations. They provide visible guest engagement offers like some informative documents, workshops and activities to educate and entertain on sustainability as well as a car-free site to improve the visitor experience, etc. The site’s main objective is to truly make sustainability visible, measurable and part of the visitor experience and to make it desirable rather than a constraint. The Le Rêve campsite aims to demonstrate that modest, replicable actions can deliver tangible ecological gains while managing cost savings, educating clients and delivering a rich, distinctive tourism offer.

  • Implementation Period: 1998 - ongoing
  • Status:

[  ] Planned [  ] Pilot phase [  ] Fully implemented [X] Ongoing and evolving

  • Thematic Areas Addressed:

[X] Farm to Fork / Sustainable Food Systems
[X] Waste Management
[X] Resource Efficiency
[   ] Other: ___________

  • Describe how the practice aligns with the selected Thematic Areas.

Camping Le Rêve’s actions aligns strongly with resource efficiency by pairing low-tech investments with behavioural measures that reduce water, energy and material use across the site. Water efficiency is ensured through rainwater harvesting, flow regulators, shower-time nudges and leak-hunting, leading to significant reductions in consumption. Energy demand is lowered via LED lighting, skylights, a thermodynamic boiler and a solar water heater, all contributing to measurable electricity savings. Material and waste efficiency is improved by purchasing in bulk from local producers, eliminating single-use items such as individual bottles, and reinvesting compost into the site’s kitchen garden, closing the loop between waste and food. Finally, Le Rêve banned car usage from its grounds, which lowers on-site carbon emissions and pollution while improving the visitor experience.

  • Explain how this activity fits within the tourism sector.

Camping Le Rêve is an example directly from the tourism sector and turns sustainability into a core part of its visitor offer and brand. The site explicitly frames its mission around sustainable core values and its dedication to sustainable tourism on its website: “Trust, consideration, generosity, solidarity, listening and sharing: these principles guide us every day and fuel our commitment to respectful, sustainable tourism.” The campsite translates that promise into practical actions that shape the visitor experience. Operational measures such as water and energy savings, composting, and local sourcing reduce costs and environmental impact, while workshops and activities around sustainability, like the Nature Festival showcasing the site’s fauna, create memorable and educational moments that appeal to travellers seeking authenticity and meaningful experiences. By publishing concrete results on their website and offering unusual activities to guests, Le Rêve provides tour operators and destination managers with a concrete, marketable product and a clear sustainability narrative to share.

  • What learning value for VET training, curriculum development or capacity-building of professionals does the practice offer ?

Camping Le Rêve offers significant learning value for VET training and curriculum development because it demonstrates not only how to implement sustainable measures, but how to make them part of the guest experience in the context of camping which is attractive to distinct target groups. Every action taken onsite is accompanied by clear explanations, advice, or practical demonstrations, ensuring visitors understand and can replicate the practices themselves. From visible infrastructure such as solar water heaters or composting, to participatory experiences like workshops on biodiversity or waste reduction, the campsite turns sustainability into a lived, educational experience. For students and future hospitality professionals, this provides a model of how to communicate commitments transparently, translate technical measures into documents that are easy to understand, and use activities to enhance both education and customer satisfaction. VET schools could partner with local campsites to develop and create initiatives, for example workshops, giving students the opportunity to practice guest interaction, event facilitation and sustainability storytelling in a real tourism setting. The example can also be inspiring for campsites or agritourism businesses who are looking at developing similar activities to differentiate themselves from their competitors.

SECTION 3: CHALLENGES AND ALIGNMENT WITH CIRCULAR ECONOMY PRINCIPLES

  • What challenges or barriers were addressed (based on the report findings)?

[X] Waste management and disposal
[X] Energy/resource use
[   ] Infrastructure limitations
[   ] Seasonality
[X] Skills and capacity gaps
[X] Low awareness of CE
[X] Behavioural resistance
[   ] Financial or funding constraints
[   ] Other : ________________________________

  • How were these challenges overcome?

Camping Le Rêve tackled these interlinked challenges with a mix of technical fixes, visible education initiatives and incremental learning. For improved waste management, the site joined the Zero Waste Tourism Charter—a voluntary commitment created to guide tourism businesses in reducing waste at the source, phasing out single- use products, promoting reuse, and improving recycling and composting. The charter provides a structured framework and shared standards so that participating establishments can progressively move towards zero waste while involving both staff and guests. In practice, Camping Le Rêve removed single-use items, set up on-site composting and sorting, and reported large reductions of final residual waste (about 50%), household waste (49%) and recoverable waste (13%) over the last few years, showing that the measures were successful.

Energy and resource use were lowered through rainwater recovery, flow regulators, shower-time nudges, skylights, solar bollards, a thermodynamic boiler, the planned solar water heater and the removal of on-site gas tanks, achieving roughly 37% water savings and 8% electricity savings. Low awareness of circular economy was addressed by pairing infrastructure with pedagogy: visible guest materials, workshops, the Nature Festival and published metrics on their website made the logic and benefits clear to visitors. These actions helped raise awareness and give them the tools to act at their own level. This educational approach also helped overcome some behavioural resistance from tourists and clients, further supported by events such as the Nature Festival to present the site’s fauna and welcoming experts from associations to raise awareness about different aspects of sustainability.

  • Which circular economy strategies does this practice address?

[X] Waste reduction / reuse / recycling
[X] Renewable energy / energy efficiency
[X] Water conservation
[X] Circular product/service design
[X] Sustainable food systems / short food chains
[X] Eco-certifications or green standards
[   ] Repair, refurbishment, or reuse of infrastructure/furnishings
[   ] Digital tools for circularity or sustainability

  • Describe why this practice can be considered as a ‘best practice’ and how it contributes to one or more circular economy principles:

Camping Le Rêve checks the box of multiple best practices as it combines core circular economy and sustainability principles, measurable results and compelling educational tools into a single, replicable model.

Rather than a set of isolated green gestures, the campsite has a holistic and coherent vision, deploying ambitious tools, choosing to supply locally and combining that with simple measures and visible guest engagement. This approach has produced measurable gains as displayed on their website like large reductions in water use and waste volumes, proving that a cohesive and ambitious holistic vision for sustainability is viable and has considerable benefits. The practice taps directly into circular economy principles, as it prevents waste at source, closes loops, regenerates natural systems, and increases resource efficiency. Because it pairs technical solutions with education and local partnerships, Le Rêve places itself as a brilliant example of a business that successfully embedded circular economy principles into its core. The campsite is both demonstrably effective and highly transferable to other tourism contexts. Sustainability at Le Rêve is ongoing and scaled: low-tech investments and behavioural programmes have been rolled out across several years: 2019 saw the installation of rainwater recuperators, 2019 and 2020 saw the installation of solar bollards to supply electricity, in 2023 the installation of a thermodynamic boiler in the restaurant as well as the car-free policy implementation, and in 2024 with the installation of a solar water heater for domestic hot water, among many other things. Under its current owners,

Lucile and Richard, the campsite is working on implementing a lot of measures and tools to move towards sustainability and self-resiliant, making Le Rêve a perfect embodiment of a business fully integrated into circular economy principles.

  • Describe why this practice can be considered as innovative. What new, creative or underused approach brings added value to circular tourism development ?

Camping Le Rêve is innovative because it combines simple solutions, more technical and technological advanced solutions with an emphasis on pedagogy towards guests and measurable goals; a cohesive mix that proved to be highly effective for the campsite. Two creative twists add real value for circular tourism: first, the car-free campsite model, introduced recently in 2023, reduces noise nuisances and pollution, and totally reshapes the visitor experience; second, every technical measure is paired with visible education measures, like dedicated documents, events or workshops. The data published on the website (for example water and waste reductions or the objectives they are aiming for) is a testimony of transparency, turning guests into active participants contributing to the results rather than passive consumers. Managing to engage guests and clients is a major step toward the success of sustainability measures, as their active participation ensures the work done by the business is not undone by any inadequate behaviour of the guests. Engaging guests through workshops or family activities like small festivals or interventions by professionals ensures that their stay is qualitative, family-friendly and highly educational.

SECTION 4: COLLABORATION

  • Describe any collaboration that were involved in the development of this practice ? Did this practice involve local authorities or other groups?

Camping Le Rêve developed its approach through numerous practical collaborations rather than formal VET partnerships. The campsite works closely with local producers to source seasonal food and strengthens short supply chains, and it partners with technical and environmental organisations for expertise and support. Labels and networks such as Green Key, LPO Occitanie (bird and biodiversity protection), the Trophées du Développement Durable and La Via Natura provide guidance, recognition and thematic networks that help shape the good practices of the campsite and give a positive and credible image. These partners contribute by giving technical advice, validation, funding or visibility, and they help the campsite refine measures, train staff informally, communicate with guests and amplify impact.

SECTION 5: RESULTS AND REPLICABILITY

  • What measurable results or outcomes were achieved?

Le Rêve is very outspoken and transparent about their results regarding sustainability. The site holds the Green Key label, confirming its commitment to sustainability. In 2024 the campsite achieved a roughly 50% reduction in waste bins, a 49% drop in household waste and a 13% reduction in recoverable (recycling) waste, reflecting strong success on waste prevention and sorting. Water use fell by about 37% in 2024 compared to the previous year, and electricity consumption was reduced by about 8% over the same period. The campsite also eliminated gas tanks, removing that fuel source entirely.

  • Why is this practice relevant to the Albanian tourism context?

Camping Le Rêve’s approach is highly relevant because most of its winning measures are scalable, low-cost and adaptable. While large investments like solar panels or thermodynamic boilers can be phased in when budgets allow, many high-impact steps are inexpensive: rainwater harvesting and flow restrictors, timed showers and leak- hunting, on-site composting and bulk purchasing, removing single-use plastics, and even a car-free policy for small sites. These actions reduce costs, cut waste and improve guest experience immediately, and in addition to campsites they also fit both rural guesthouses and urban city hotels. Visible guest engagement (signage, workshops) turns sustainability into a marketable asset, helping Albanian operators stand out to eco-minded travellers without needing heavy upfront investment.

  • What is the practice’s potential for further expansion ? How can it be applied or adapted to other Albanian tourism destinations or businesses ?

Camping Le Rêve’s model is highly scalable and adaptable across Albanian tourism contexts because its measures are modular in terms of cost. Small hospitality businesses can prioritise measures like rainwater collectors, flow restrictors, timed showers, bulk purchasing, eliminating single-use plastics, onsite composting and the production of dedicated documentation while bigger structures can look at implementing larger investments like solar water heaters or heat pumps if their budgets allow it. The practice can be applied to the diversity of hospitality offers Albania has coastal campsites can adopt car-free zones, beach-friendly waste stations and composting; rural guesthouses can implement kitchen gardens and composting techniques while urban hotels can use shared neighbourhood compost hubs and rooftop planters for their kitchen gardens.

  • What advice would you give others looking to implement a similar initiative?

For hospitality businesses looking to implement similar initiatives, the main advice is to start small and grow gradually. Many of Le Rêve’s successful actions began with simple, low-cost steps like composting, bulk purchasing, water-saving devices or guest information materials, before making larger investments such as solar panels or other technological tools. Communication is as important as the technical measures. For this reason, hospitality businesses should explain clearly to guests what they are doing and why and invite them to participate through workshops or activities. These measures not only raise awareness but also ensure that the site’s efforts are respected, appreciated and amplified by visitors. Partnerships with local producers, associations and sustainability labels can add credibility and provide external support. Finally, measuring and publishing the progress made in terms of sustainability can help build credibility and a positive image, even with very simple indicators like the percentage of waste bins reduced, litres of water saved, etc.