Van Gogh National Park in the Netherlands has received international recognition for its innovative approach to sustainable tourism. During the Green Destinations conference in Montpellier (France) in September, the park was included in the prestigious Green Destinations TOP 100 Stories 2025. The award highlights the MONA Project, an Interreg North-West Europe collaboration focused on sustainable mobility and visitor management in nature areas.
Led by Brabant Partners, the MONA approach in Brabant has been recognized as one of the 100 best sustainable tourism initiatives worldwide. The international jury praised its innovative visitor management model, strong multi-stakeholder collaboration, and its potential to be scaled up to other regions across Europe.
WandelStarter: a strategic tool for sustainable visitor management
At the heart of the winning initiative is WandelStarter. More than just a digital tool, WandelStarter is a strategic instrument that integrates recreational zoning, monitoring, and innovative pilots. Unlike traditional hiking platforms that focus on trails, WandelStarter targets more than 200 starting points distributed across the Brabant region.
By encouraging visitors to explore lesser-known, nearby destinations, the pressure on well-known hotspots is reduced. The initiative is also linked to sustainable mobility pilots that offer attractive alternatives to car travel.
“What we are achieving together in Brabant is now gaining international recognition,” says Fabio Tat, MONA Project leader at Brabant Partners. “With WandelStarter, we’re showing that sustainable tourism starts with collaboration, smart mobility, and behavioural change. This recognition motivates us to scale up and share our approach with other regions.”
From visitor pressure to balance
The Brabant initiative, submitted under the title “From Visitor Pressure to Balance: How the WandelStarter approach is reinventing destination management”, demonstrates how technology and collaboration can lead to more sustainable tourism.
A total of 56 municipalities, nature organizations, tourism partners, research institutions and mobility experts are working together to balance recreation with nature conservation and community well-being.
The results are already visible:
- Better distribution of visitors to local villages and entrepreneurs
- Lower CO₂ emissions thanks to sustainable mobility choices
- Improved quality of life for residents and opportunities for the local economy
- A scalable model for sustainable recreation in nature areas
MONA: European collaboration for sustainable tourism
The initiative is part of the MONA Project (MOdal shift, routing and nudging solutions in NAture areas), a partnership between organizations in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Germany (2023–2027). MONA focuses on sustainable mobility, smart routing, and behavioral change in protected landscapes and nature areas across North-West Europe.
With this international award, the Brabant approach is now considered a blueprint for other regions facing similar challenges around tourism growth, nature protection and healthy living environments.
More information: