Tourisme Montréal has joined as a Member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC)
Montréal is the largest city in Canada’s Québec province, set on an island in the Saint Lawrence River. The world’s second largest francophone city after Paris, it merits the moniker ‘international’ city, a cosmopolitan center with proud roots in the past that enthusiastically embraces the future.
Tourisme Montréal plays a leading role in the management and tourism development, with the goal to enhance Montréal’s appeal during all four seasons and to highlight the destination’s unique personality.
Sustainability in Montréal
Tourisme Montréal is moving towards a more proactive and strategic role in the management of the destination, where the coexistence of residents and tourists is encouraged to harmoniously integrate tourist flows into local dynamics. By carrying out the actions outlined in their Sustainable Destination Policy, to which the entire Tourisme Montréal ecosystem must adhere and contribute, it will encourage the development of an exemplary tourism destination by 2030 by having a positive impact on the local community and the environment, while promoting the harmonious cohabitation of the local population and tourists, promoting responsible tourism within the ecosystem, ensuring the organization of environmentally friendly business and sports events, and encouraging sustainable business actions that promote growth.
As such, sustainable tourism training is given to Tourisme Montréal employees and members. A sustainability pledge, The Visitor’s Promise, has been created to educate visitors about responsible and respectful practices in Montréal. Tourisme Montréal is also very thorough when it comes to measuring and reducing the carbon footprint of the organization, events, and tourism. A carbon footprint calculator has been developed for travelers, calculating the carbon footprint their entire visit to Montréal, with the opportunity to offset a portion of their carbon footprint by making a donation to Carbone boréal, a Université du Québec à Chicoutimi a research infrastructure that plants trees and researches carbon sequestration. Tourisme ranked number one in North America and is the third metropolis in the world, for its performance in rendering tourism more sustainable, according to the Global Destination Index.
«Tourisme Montréal’s membership in the Global Sustainable Tourism Council enhances the recognized credibility of our responsible tourism approach. We position ourselves as a leader in sustainable development in North America and our integration into the GSTC will allow Tourisme Montréal to share its environmentally responsible practices internationally, in addition to raising the bar for our organization to incorporate even more innovative practices in sustainability,» says Yves Lalumière, President and CEO of Tourisme Montréal.
GSTC Welcomes Montréal
“We welcome Tourisme Montréal as a member of GSTC and congratulate them on their dedication to sustainable tourism practices. As a diverse and vibrant urban center, Montréal has the potential to be a model for how sustainable tourism can support local economies while minimizing negative impacts on the environment and society. We are excited to collaborate with Tourisme Montréal to advance sustainability in tourism and ensure that future generations can continue to enjoy the city’s unique charm and character.» says Randy Durband, GSTC CEO.
GSTC encourages destinations pursuing sustainability practices in tourism development and management to join as GSTC members and apply the GSTC Destination Criteria, which eventually can help achieve certification by a GSTC-Accredited Certification Body.
About Tourisme Montréal
Tourisme Montréal is a private, non-profit organization that works to position Montréal as one of the most attractive cities in North America, recognized around the world for being an open, exciting and creative destination. The organization leads innovative tourist welcome strategies with a twofold objective: ensuring that visitors enjoy a high-quality experience and maximizing the economic benefits of tourism. Uniting more than 900 tourism industry stakeholders, Tourisme Montréal plays a leading role in the management and development of Montréal’s tourism offer and makes recommendations on issues with regard to the city’s economic, urban and cultural development. For more information please visit https://www.mtl.org/en
Photo credit: © Photo Hélico Inc – Tourisme Montréal
About the GSTC
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council® (GSTC®) establishes and manages global sustainable standards, known as the GSTC Criteria. There are two sets: Destination Criteria for public policy-makers and destination managers, and Industry Criteria for hotels and tour operators. These are the guiding principles and minimum requirements that any tourism business or destination should aspire to reach in order to protect and sustain the world’s natural and cultural resources while ensuring tourism meets its potential as a tool for conservation and poverty alleviation.
The GSTC Criteria form the foundation for GSTC’s assurance role for Certification Bodies that certify hotels/accommodations, tour operators, and destinations as having sustainable policies and practices in place. GSTC does not directly certify any products or services, but provides accreditation to those that do. The GSTC is an independent and neutral USA-registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization that represents a diverse and global membership, including national and provincial governments, leading travel companies, hotels, tour operators, NGOs, individuals and communities – all striving to achieve best practices in sustainable tourism.
Information for media and the press: www.gstcouncil.org/about/for-the-press/
