Accreditation Documents

For inquiries related to GSTC Accreditation Documents, please contact [email protected]. All documents are protected under GSTC’s intellectual property rights.

1. Latest Accreditation Documents

2. Accreditation Manual Revision History

GSTC Accreditation Manual for Certification of  Accommodation/Hotel & Tour Operator (AM-HTO)

DocumentApprovalTransition
GSTC Accreditation Manual for
Accommodation/Hotel & Tour Operator v.3.0 
12 July 2023 and will be effective on 13 October 20233-month transition period
Report – Public Consultation
GSTC Accreditation Manual for
Accommodation/Hotel & Tour Operator v.3.1
1 October 2023 and will be effective on 13 October 2023No transition period due to minor revision
Report of Changes
GSTC Accreditation Manual for
Accommodation/Hotel & Tour Operator v.4.0
Public consultation closed on 6 April, 2024

GSTC Accreditation Manual for Certification of Destination (AM-D)

DocumentApprovalTransition
GSTC Accreditation Manual for Certification of Destination v.2.0 DRAFTPublic consultation is ongoing until 28 August, 2024

The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) is committed to revising the GSTC Accreditation Manual through active stakeholder engagement. For information on the ongoing stakeholder engagement and public consultation, please visit the following page.

3. Interpretation, Amendment, and Additional Requirements

Document (Code)Subject/DescriptionReferenced Manual/DocumentReferenced SectionsPublished Date
2019INTD01Understanding and applying the international norms for certificationAM-I v.2.4

11.3 Certification: Understanding and applying the international norms for certification

16-September-2019
2019INTD02Guidelines for the type of sampling and size of the samples to be employed in each instanceAM-I v.2.415.  Sampling within the Audit16-September-2019
2021AMD01Auditor Qualifications, Knowledge and SkillsAM-I v.2.410. Auditor Qualifications, Knowledge and Skills08-April-2021
2023INTD01Interpretation regarding the evaluation tasks specified in the GSTC Accreditation ManualAM-I v.2.58.5. Requirements for the application of ISO 17065
ISO 17065:2012 7.4 Evaluation
02-February-2023
2023INT02

Interpretation of the “Similar tourism services” for determining members of Group Certification

AM-I v.3.115. Group Certification11-December-2023
2024INTD01Interpretation of “unit” in the context of certification for a Tour Operator.AM-I v.3.116. Requirements for Tour Operator7-March-2024
2024ACL03Hotels undergoing surveillance audits in 2025, as part of an existing certification cycle, shall be informed by the CBs on the new performance requirements. However, non-conformities related to them will be issued during 2025 surveillance auditsGSTC Requirements for Hotel’s Performance against Eight Criteria5-June-2024