GSTC in India
Sometimes referred to as ecotourism in India, sustainable tourism is becoming more and more important. According to research conducted by Booking.com in 2020, 96% of Indian travelers identified sustainable travel as important to them, while 76% said they were more determined to make sustainable choices when looking to travel again in the future. Furthermore, witnessing the impact that tourism has on the environment while on vacation has resulted in 73% of travelers making more eco-friendly choices in their everyday life.
However, while these findings are promising, obstacles still exist. 39% of Indian travelers do not know how or where to find sustainable travel options and 54% think there aren’t enough sustainable travel options available. Therefore, clarity on sustainable tourism companies in India is needed.
The GSTC Criteria is already being used in India and has been gaining more momentum recently.
GSTC India Working Group
As the name suggests, the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) is truly global. As such, we have a dedicated Director and a Working Group focused on India:
- CB Ramkumar, GSTC Board Member & South Asia Director
- Aditi Chanchani, Tourism Researcher and Consultant
- Rajesh Nambiar, CEO and Chief Consultant, Provork
- Freeda Maria, Founder and Head, Dharthi
You can contact us at india@gstcouncil.org
Internship with the GSTC India Working Group
The GSTC India Working Group is now accepting interns/volunteers. If interested, and you have the skills and passion, fill in this form.
Recent Sustainable Tourism India News
Gujarat Tourism Policy Adopted
Gujarat Tourism Policy 2021-2025: Towards Sustainable Tourism The Indian state of Gujarat has recently adopted the Gujarat Tourism Policy 2021-2025. The vision of the [...]
GSTC India Working Group: Leadership Change
GSTC India Working Group: Leadership Change Aditi Chanchani assumes responsibilities as Chair of the GSTC India Working Group from October 2022, which came together [...]
Adopting the Sustainability Agenda in the Travel & Tourism Marketplace in India (Webinar Recording)
The GSTC India Working Group held a public webinar on August 24th, 2022 titled "GSTC in India: Adopting the Sustainability Agenda in the Travel [...]
Q&A with CB Ramkumar, GSTC India Working Group
Q&A with CB Ramkumar, GSTC Board Member, South Asia Director and Member of India Working Group (IWG) GSTC-India Working Group Team Member, Freeda in [...]
MakeMyTrip Joins GSTC
MakeMyTrip has joined as a Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) member. New Delhi, June 24, 2022— MakeMyTrip, India's leading online travel company, today announced [...]
Contrasting Tourism Landscapes in Karnataka, India
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A Himalayan Village Takes Charge of Its Future
Destination Stewardship Report – Autumn 2021 (Volume 2, Issue 2)This post is from the Destination Stewardship Report (Autumn 2021, Volume 2, Issue 2), an e-quarterly [...]
GSTC Webinar Recording: Unpacking Sustainable Tourism in India through the lens of the GSTC Criteria
To mark the launch of the GSTC India Working Group, the GSTC held a public webinar on November 10th 2021 titled "Unpacking Sustainable Tourism [...]
Ecotourism in India: Sustainability, Accreditations and SDGs
Sustainability, Accreditations, Ecotourism and SDGs – the GSTC way, in India A research paper on Ecotourism in India, by Freeda Maria Swarna (member of [...]
Gujarat Subsidizes Tour Operators Certification to the GSTC Criteria
The Gujarat government its Gujarat Tourism Policy 2021-2025 Towards Sustainability "While the global travel and tourism industry contributes to 10% of the global GDP, [...]