On June 18-19, GSTC Member Taiwan Tourism Bureau (Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area Administration Taiwan) and GSTC Member Sustainable Travel Taiwan (STT) hosted the first “Global Sustainable Tourism Practical Workshop” in Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan. The aim of the Workshop was to help DMOs, tour operators and hotels of the area to learn how [...]
Jennifer Wesselhoff, President and CEO of the Sedona Chamber of Commerce, speaks about Sedona, Arizona's new sustainable tourism plan following their 2016 GSTC Destination Assessment. Sedona is applying the GSTC Criteria for Destinations, applying key tactics to keep their resident and visitor experience top-notch while the population *doubles* daily from tourism--a $1B business for Sedona. [...]
What does it take to be recognized as an eco-friendly property? [...] the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), the body that manages the global standards for sustainable travel and tourism, created The GSTC Industry Criteria and Suggested Indicators for Hotels in an effort to “come to a common understanding of sustainable tourism.” The idea is to [...]
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) is pleased to announce that Vireo Srl has achieved the ‘GSTC-Accredited’ status for certifying destinations. Achieving the GSTC-Accredited status for certifying destinations means that a certification program is following processes and procedures that have been reviewed and approved by the GSTC Accreditation Panel in order to provide an [...]
The Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth identifies the GSTC Criteria as the key Tool for Sustainable Tourism The Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth has published a report under the title "Tools for Sustainable Tourism” (Verktyg för hållbar turism), referring to the GSTC Criteria and GSTC-Recognized Standards. A short summary in English [...]
TUI 2018 Sustainability Report: 9.2 million customers stayed in sustainable hotels certified to a GSTC-Recognized standard (81% of the hotels owned by TUI Group) TUI Group has just released its 2018 Sustainability Report with the progress on their goal to increase the number of hotels with sustainability certifications to accommodate 10 million customers a year [...]
We are currently revising the GSTC Destination Criteria (GSTC-D). Earlier this year we held a public consultation asking for comments on the existing criteria and inviting recommendations for improvements and additions. We are most grateful to everyone for their contribution. Based on the consultation we have proposed revised GSTC-D criteria, accessible here. From mid-June, [...]
“Closing beaches that have been overused wouldn’t need to happen today if yesterday there had been proper planning and execution of sustainable policies, plus enforcement of existing laws relating to waste management,” says Randy Durband, GSTC CEO. “The good news is that there is positive movement. The bad news is that much needs to be [...]
"In order for a destination to be certified as sustainable, the Global Sustainable Tourism Council outlines a list of criteria. It ranges from supporting local businesses, to conserving natural resources, and encouraging visitors to participate in the community." Separately, places like Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Yellowstone National Park in Montana are following a similar [...]
Arival Looks into the question: "Are Sustainability Certifications Worth It?" There is a clear business opportunity for tour operators to please travelers who care about sustainability a little—and to earn new customers from the passionate travelers who care about sustainability a lot. Certifications can help prove your company’s sustainable practices, and offer assurance to [...]
The GSTC Destination Criteria has been translated into Swedish and is available to download in the Criteria Translations section. GSTCs Destinationskriterier har översatts till svenska och finns att ladda ner i avdelningen för kriterieöversättningar.
The Mauritian Standard on Sustainable Tourism is Now a GSTC-Recognized Standard The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) is pleased to announce that the Mauritian Standard on Sustainable Tourism has achieved the ‘GSTC-Recognized Standard’ status. The Mauritian Standard on Sustainable Tourism (MS 165:2019) was developed to guide the sustainable development of the tourism industry in [...]
GSTC Training Partner: mascontour Sustainable Tourism Consulting & Communication The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) announces a new partnership with mascontour, a leading global sustainable tourism consultancy based in Berlin, Germany. GSTC will work with mascontour's team of expert sustainable tourism consultants to deliver training and skills development opportunities for tourism industry professionals. One [...]
How to Support Healthy Tourism When You Travel: Tips from Airbnb Tourism Advisory Board Professor the Hon. Bob Carr, the former Foreign Affairs Minister for Australia and former Premier of New South Wales: "Beyond the advice of our Tourism Advisory Board, there are many other resources you can tap for learning how to be a [...]
PATA BUFFET (Building an Understanding For Food Excess in Tourism) State of the Industry Report Every year around the globe, 1.3 billion tonnes of food is lost or wasted. That is one-third of all food produced for human consumption (FAO, 2019). There is a huge opportunity for the tourism and hospitality industry in the Asia [...]
The GSTC Destination Criteria has been translated into Swedish and is available to download in the Criteria Translations section. GSTCs Branschkriterier har översatts till svenska och finns att ladda ner i avdelningen för kriterieöversättningar.
GSTC Member "Region Västerbotten" in Northern Sweden, has identified GSTC and its Criteria as a means to help create sustainable tourism in businesses and DMOs. Region Västerbotten is responsible for regional development and growth in Västerbotten County. This is the story of they have applied the GSTC Criteria in their region: Step 1: Regional [...]
Region Västerbotten in Northern Sweden has completed a three-year project of introducing sustainable thinking and acting among industry and public stakeholders with the GSTC Criteria as guidelines. About 60 tourism businesses were assessed with GSTC Industry Criteria and given sustainable tourism action plans. Participants ranged from small family outdoors businesses to city hotels, museums [...]
APEC Addresses Greenwashing in Tourism and refers to the importance of GSTC in a new Policy Report Demand for sustainable tourism has been on the rise, and with it came exaggerated sustainability claims – also known as “greenwashing”. This policy brief addresses the issue by examining the use of environmental certifications to address greenwashing and [...]
Global Travelers prefer eco-friendly accommodation: Booking.com Sustainable Travel Report 2019 70% of global travelers say they would be more likely to book an accommodation knowing it was eco-friendly, whether they were looking for a sustainable stay or not. However, when it comes to recognizing a sustainable place to stay, almost three quarters (72%) of [...]
