This affiliation marks an important step in the hotel’s journey towards a model of hospitality that brings together excellence, culture, sustainability and a deep connection with the local territory. Being part of the Affiliate Members network opens new opportunities for collaboration and exchange with institutions, universities, companies and destinations committed to responsible tourism and community development.

Located in Melide, on the shores of Lake Lugano, La Romantica sees hospitality as an integral part of the surrounding landscape, culture and local identity. The hotel shares the vision of Ceresio Heritage Destination, promoted by the Municipality of Morcote, and embraces its guidelines: a tourism development model that respects local communities, biodiversity and the historical and natural heritage of the Lake Ceresio region.

In this context, La Romantica’s entry into the UN Tourism Affiliate Members network strengthens a natural connection between hospitality, institutions and the territory, contributing to the enhancement of the Ceresio area as a strategic destination linking Lugano, Mendrisio, Como and Varese.

Through its membership in UN Tourism, La Romantica aims to contribute to the sustainable development of the destination by promoting a tourism model based on the enhancement of natural and cultural heritage, the active involvement of local communities and collaboration with institutions, artisans and tourism operators in the region.

The goal is to make tourism a driver of shared growth, heritage education and cultural identity, through authentic and sustainable experiences that are deeply connected to the landscape.

La Romantica’s sustainability journey is closely connected to the national Swisstainable programme and to SECreTOUR – Sustainable, Engaging and Creative Tourism.

Within SECreTOUR, the UNESCO Chair at Università della Svizzera italiana coordinates the Monte San Giorgio pilot project, “The Threshold of the Sacred Mountain”, which enhances the UNESCO landscape as a meeting point between geology, biodiversity, cultural memory and new forms of sustainable tourism.

Among La Romantica’s most meaningful initiatives is its seasonal botanical garden, developed in collaboration with the UNESCO Chair in Anthropology of Health, Biosphere and Healing Systems at the University of Genoa. The garden highlights native species, aromatic, medicinal and edible plants connected to Monte San Giorgio, with an educational, sensory and environmental awareness purpose. This initiative is linked to the Menu San Giorgio and the La Romantica Monte San Giorgio herbal tea, transforming local biodiversity into an experience of hospitality, wellbeing and interpretation of the landscape.

As a UN Tourism Affiliate Member, La Romantica intends to make its spaces, experience and network of relationships available to encourage dialogue among institutions, universities, international organizations, companies, local communities and tourism professionals. La Romantica aims to host meetings, round tables, academic programmes, cultural events and moments of exchange dedicated to sustainability, culture and international cooperation. Thanks to its location in Melide, close to the Ponte-Diga — a historic link between Northern and Southern Europe — La Romantica naturally stands as a bridge between cultures, territories and generations.