“There can be hundreds of different sustainable tourism standards to choose from. The Global Sustainable Tourism Council has a reliable guide, and maintains recent sustainability criteria for hotels, destinations and tour operators.”
Patricia Espinosa
Executive Secretary UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
“One of the operational policies of the Ministry is that tourism must be ‘clean, safe, unique and sustainable’ using the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) Criteria”
H.E. Mr. Weerasak Kowsurat –
Minister of Tourism and Sports, Kingdom of Thailand
“There can be hundreds of different sustainable tourism standards to choose from. The Global Sustainable Tourism Council has a reliable guide, and maintains recent sustainability criteria for hotels, destinations and tour operators.”
Erik Solheim
Previous Executive Director, UN Environment
“Participating in the GSTC program provided us with an objective sustainability evaluation of our destination, and served as a catalyst for the creation of Yellowstone Sustainable Destination Program”
Tim O’Donoghue –
Riverwind Foundation Executive Director
“There can be hundreds of different sustainable tourism standards to choose from. The Global Sustainable Tourism Council has a reliable guide, and maintains recent sustainability criteria for hotels, destinations and tour operators.”
Taleb Rifai
Previous Director-General, World Tourism Organisation
“Hotels are making significant efforts to protect the environment and provide a more responsible product. Their level of commitment is conferment by hotel certifications that meet the GSTC requirements”
Annick Guérard –
Transat COO
“The St. Kitts Sustainable Destination Council was founded based on the principles of the GSTC Criteria for Destinations following St. Kitts and Nevis’s GSTC destination sustainability assessment”
Diannille Taylor‑Williams
St. Kitts Ministry of Tourism
“Entering a partnership with the GSTC will help us a great deal. Sri Lanka National Sustainable Tourism Certification Scheme is launched to certify tourism establishments in Sri Lanka”
Hon. John Amaratunga
Minister of Tourism Development, Wildlife and Christian Affairs, Sri Lanka
“We have been using the GSTC Criteria to prepare service providers and DMOs for possible future certifications”
Annika Sandström
Tourism Manager, Region Västerbotten (Sweden)
“Our commitment by incorporating GSTC’s criteria into our Tourism Standards Program is part of our continuous improvement effort to provide support and encourage the concept of Sustainable Tourism”
Donald Pelam
Acting Director, Department of Tourism, Vanuatu
“Being part of GSTC’s global network, our institution is playing a critical role in advancing the mission of promoting sustainable tourism practices around the world”
Jorge Mario Chajón
Director, INGUAT (Instituto Guatemalteco de Turismo)
“Taking WWF’s recommendation of GSTC also simplified processes for RCL and promises to do the same for consumers”
Stephanie DeMars
Corporate Responsibility Specialist, Royal Caribbean Cruises
“We want to increase consumer awareness of GSTC as the leading tourism sustainability standard. In the future, we hope that all certified suppliers will be able to use the GSTC logo”
Jim Sano
Vice President for Travel, Tourism and Conservation, WWF
“The Global Sustainable Tourism Council has compiled tips and resources for travellers hoping to make a positive impact on the places they visit”
Professor Hon. Bob Carr
Former Foreign Affairs Minister for Australia and former Premier of New South Wales
“Our Data analysis shows that sustainability certifications for hotels help to drive sustainability performance and continuous environmental and socio-economic improvements. We encourage hotels to aim for certification that is recognised by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC)”
Jane Ashton
Director of Sustainability, TUI Group
“The GSTC Criteria are the most credible global standards for sustainable tourism based on a highly inclusive development process. They provide a holistic definition of sustainability in tourism”
One Planet Network
“There are lots of different certification bodies offering eco-certifications around the world. We’d recommend selecting one that is officially recognised or accredited by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC)”
Booking.com
“For the past two years, the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) has been busy accrediting certification bodies to certify highly sustainable operators”
Lonely Planet
“For a list of global vendors, destinations, and hotels that abide by certain sustainability standards, explore the database at the Global Sustainable Tourism Council”
Condé Nast Traveler
“To find a destination that’s officially certified as taking sustainability issues seriously, visit the GSTC (Global Sustainable Tourism Council) website”
Skyscanner
“Certification continues to play an important role among responsibly-minded businesses, with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council providing both industry and destination benchmark criteria that have a strong relationship with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals”
The Center for Responsible Travel (CREST)
“To evaluate a certification program, check to see if it has been reviewed by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council – GSTC, an independent nonprofit that has established standards for sustainability in travel”
The New York Times