News & Announcements

Sustainable Destinations was the leading themes at the Global Sustainable Tourism Conference 2017 in Aysen, Chile The Global Sustainable Tourism Conference 2017 in Aysén, Chile (GSTC2017Aysen), brought together 250 delegates from 29 countries, as well as thousands of viewers joining the the live broadcast of the conference. The Conference focused on “Sustainable Destinations”, and the [...]

Destinos Sostenibles fue el tema principal en la Conferencia Global de Turismo Sostenible 2017 en Aysén, Chile La Conferencia Global de Turismo Sostenible 2017 en Aysén, Chile (GSTC2017Aysen), reunió a alrededor de 250 delegados de 29 países, así como a miles de espectadores que se unieron a la transmisión en vivo de la conferencia. La [...]

During the Global Sustainable Tourism Conference in Aysén, Chile (GSTC2017), two GSTC members - Regenera NGO from Chile and Sustainable Riviera Maya from Mexico - have signed an MOU as a collaboration framework for greater impact. The MOU reinforces and strengthen the bonds of GSTC members and country representatives in Latin America. The collaboration includes [...]

 The Global Sustainable Tourism Conference 2017 in Aysen, Chile (GSTC2017 Aysen), hosted by Aysen and organized by Sernatur and GSTC, is one week away: September 6th-9th in Coyhaique, Aysen Region, Chile. The main theme of GSTC2017 Aysen focuses on “Sustainable Destinations”, including management, marketing and certification, all key issues addressed by the GSTC Criteria. Topics [...]

The GSTC Board of Directors plays an integral role in the leadership of the organization. Most seats on the board are filled via annual elections of and by current members of the Council. The GSTC Election Committee has validated the votes and has released the results. Three current board members were re-elected to 3-year terms: [...]

Many confuse between the terms "Sustainable Tourism" and "Ecotourism". To understand the difference, read the article Are Ecotourism and Sustainable Travel The Same Thing? by James Hale. "Sustainability is a phrase that’s been used in countless different industries and situations, and the wide scope of its usage gives a big clue to what ‘sustainable travel’ actually is: [...]

The Government of Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of the People's Republic of China (Garze) and the Global Su stainable Tourism Council (GSTC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to recognize cooperation to mutual endeavour to promote the sustainable tourism development of Garze. The signature ceremony took place at the First Daocheng Yading Shangri-La International Mountain [...]

On 19-20 July 2017, the Inaugural BIMP-EAGA Higher Education Summit took place at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), where GSTC Chair, Mr. Luigi Carbrini, delivered a special keynote speech on "Sustainable Tourism as a Tool for Development" under the Summit's theme “Education and Socio-Cultural Understanding for Regional Sustainability”. BIMP-EAGA refers to "Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area" (see [...]

"Getting started can be tricky. There can be hundreds of different sustainable tourism standards to choose from. The GSTC (Global Sustainable Tourism Council) has a reliable guide and maintains recent sustainability criteria for hotels, destinations and tour operators." Taleb Rifai, UNWTO UNWTO Secretary General; Erik Solheim, UN Environment Executive Director; and Patricia Espinosa, UNFCCC Executive [...]

Luigi Cabrini, GSTC Chair, spoke and moderated the panel "Participatory Governance in Sustainable Tourism Destinations" at the International Conference on Sustainability and Competitiveness in Tourist Destinations (STDArona17), on 15-16 June 2017, in Arona, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain. The International Conference on Sustainability and Competitiveness in Tourist Destinations was organized by the municipality of Arona and [...]

Randy Durband, GSTC CEO, led two workshops on "Responsible Tourism" at the Mekong Tourism Forum 2017, Luang Prabang, Laos, on 6-9 June 2017. The Mekong Tourism Forum provides a cooperative platform for public and private sector stakeholders in the tourism industry to discuss the development, marketing and promotion of travel to, from and within the [...]

Luigi Cabrini, GSTC Chair, spoke at the UN Ocean Conference side event "The Coral Triangle – Partnerships to Achieve SDG 14 in the World’s Epicenter of Marine Biodiversity", New York, June 6, 2017. The event was a follow up to the Coral Triangle Initiative Sustainable Marine Tourism Conference that was held in Bali, Indonesia, on [...]

Luigi Cabrini, GSTC Chair, spoke about "Sustainable Tourism: Option or Necessity?" at Futurismo Canarias 2017, Santa Cruz, Tenerife (Canary Islands), Spain, on 1-2 June 2017, along with key industry leaders representing a wide range of public and private sector organizations such as Room Mate Hotels, Canal Viajar, Green Room Hotels, IE Business School, PwC, People [...]

Dr. Ioannis Pappas, GSTC Board of Directors Members & Greece Country Representative Chair, was a keynote speaker at the Conference Cycle Green Project Awards “SUSTAINABLE TOURISM” that took place in Évora, Portugal, June 1st. Dr. Pappas shared important developments of the travel industry's shift to adhere to sustainability standards in travel and tourism, namely, the [...]

Luigi Cabrini, GSTC Chair, spoke about "Global Criteria for Sustainable Tourism" at Smart Cities Tourism Summit 2017, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, on 11-12 May 2017. SMARTFUNCHAL’17 is the international event that will bring together authorities, companies, academia, citizens and other stakeholders to discuss and reflect on smart cities and smart tourism. There is a technological revolution [...]