The Singapore Tourism Board has joined as a Member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC).

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is Singapore’s lead development agency for tourism. Working closely with the tourism industry, STB seeks to strengthen Singapore’s position as one of the world’s most vibrant destinations for business and leisure travellers. These efforts include transforming Singapore into a greener and more sustainable city for its residents and for visitors.

Redefining Quality Tourism

Singapore has experienced strong tourism growth over the past past decade[1]. To navigate the next phase of growth while emerging from COVID-19, STB will pursue Quality Tourism – a model of tourism development that emphasises developing innovative and capable tourism enterprises, deepening local engagement, and attracting visitors who can enhance tourism’s contributions to the economy and the environment.

Over the next ten years, STB aims to develop Singapore as one of the world’s most sustainable urban destinations. To achieve this, STB will ensure that development efforts in the tourism and travel-related sectors contribute to national-level sustainability goals. These efforts will create more opportunities for cross-industry collaboration and will motivate businesses to contribute to Singapore’s overall branding as a sustainable destination. STB will also position Singapore as a choice location for companies seeking to launch sustainable products and experiences or to test-bed sustainable tourism solutions.

“STB is committed to sustainable tourism growth and will invest in partnerships to help us reach our sustainability outcomes. Being a GSTC member will allow us to participate in and contribute to the efforts to advance sustainability in the global travel and tourism sector. We will draw out meaningful lessons and strategies to help Singapore’s tourism stakeholders on their own sustainability journeys, so that Singapore can truly become a distinctive City in Nature, where large experiences come with small footprints.” says Mr Keith Tan, Chief Executive, Singapore Tourism Board.

Singapore Green Plan 2030

STB’s sustainability strategy and roadmap for the tourism sector is in line with the Singapore Green Plan 2030, a whole-of-nation movement to advance Singapore’s national agenda on sustainable development. Launched in 2021, the Green Plan charts ambitious and concrete targets over the next 10 years, strengthening Singapore’s commitments under the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and Paris Agreement, positioning Singapore to achieve their long-term net zero emissions aspiration as soon as viable.

GSTC Welcomes Singapore

“We sincerely welcome STB as a member of GSTC. Singapore’s plan for sustainable tourism is a good example of how to lead policy through the public sector while working with the private sector,” said Dr. Mihee Kang, GSTC Director for the Asia Pacific region. “I am particularly happy to hear that they will be cooperating with other public authorities since tourism can’t be sustainable if other sectors are not sustainable as well. It will enable a holistic approach to tourist destination management. In addition, I would like to applaud Singapore for setting ambitious targets for renewable energy, eco-friendly transportation, waste reduction, and other key targets amid the climate crisis, while also encouraging the participation of both public and private sectors. I hope that the implementation of STB’s plan will be successful for other tourist destinations to benchmark. Overall, the GSTC supports Singapore’s sustainable tourism journey.”

“Singapore’s commitment to sustainable tourism development should influence not only Singapore’s tourism industry but inspire other cities and countries to do the same. GSTC happily welcomes Singapore Tourism Board into our network of policy-makers and businesses working on a systematic and holistic approach to sustainable tourism,” said Randy Durband, CEO of GSTC.

GSTC encourages destinations pursuing sustainability practices in development and management of tourism, to join as GSTC members and apply the GSTC Destination Criteria (which eventually can lead to achieving certification by a GSTC-Accredited Certification Body) and support local business to apply the GSTC Industry Criteria.

[1] 2019 marked Singapore’s fourth year of consecutive growth, with record numbers in Tourism Receipts (TR) and International Visitor Arrivals (IVA). TR grew by 2.8 per cent from the previous year, bringing the total to S$27.7 billion while IVA rose 3.3 per cent to 19.1 million.