CED World Centre of Excellence for Destinations

Created in December 2006, the World Centre of Excellence for Destinations (CED), a non-profit organization based in Montréal (Canada), is an innovative and powerful tool created with the assistance of the United Nations World Tourism organization (UNWTO), with which it is linked through a memorandum of understanding.

This Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) commits both UNWTO and CED to work collaboratively on creating strategies and disseminating know-how and good practices which help tourist destinations reach excellence.

Mission

The mission of the CED is to contribute to guiding tourist destinations around the world toward excellence by:

• Developing their competitiveness
• Facilitating the achievement of their sustainable development objectives
• Improving the quality of the experience offered to tourists and visitors
• Sustaining or enhancing the geographical character of a place, (i.e. its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents)
• Providing destinations with strategic information on the main issues concerning them

The CED acts as a catalyst for partnerships and collaborations with public and private stakeholders such as destination management organizations (DMOs), associations and experts from the tourist industry, universities and civil society at large.

Potential Partners Who Benefit from the CED

• National Tourism Administrations (NTA)
• National, regional and local Destination Management Organizations (DMO)
• Local and regional public authorities
• Businesses, associations and organizations in the tourism industry which depend on the performance of the tourist destinations (accommodation, leisure organizations, exhibitions and conventions, attractions, activities and events, etc.)
• Tourism-related teaching, training and research institutions
• Non-governmental organizations and civil society

Founding Organizations

Governmental

• Canada Economic Development
• Ministère du Tourisme du Québec
• Ministère des Affaires municipales et des Régions du Québec

Non-governmental

• National Geographic Society
• George Washington University
• Université du Québec à Montréal
• Tourisme Montréal
• Bell Canada

The SMED Code of Ethics and Rules of Conduct

The experts who conduct a SMED are governed by a rigorous Code of Ethics and Rules of Conduct that are strictly respected during SMED evaluations and proceedings.