WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 31st , 2014)– The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) recently announced that the Asociación de Hoteles de Turismo de la República Argentina (AHT)’s “Greener Hotels” (Hoteles+Verdes) has achieved ‘recognized’ certification status. The awarded status benchmarks its commitment to promote sustainable tourism products and services recognized by the GSTC.
“I am delighted that the Argentinian Hotels Association has had their standard fully recognized by the GSTC. This is a wonderful achievement that will provide global exposure to their hotels” said Cathy Parsons, Chair, GSTC Accreditation Panel.
The Asociación de Hoteles de Turismo de la República Argentina (AHT)’s “Greener Hotels” (Hoteles+Verdes), founded in 1977, has committed to using the GSTC Criteria – the first and only global framework for defining a sustainable travel benchmark – as the reference for its sustainable travel criteria.
“The goal of the Standard Hoteles + Verdes is to promote the adoption of good practices in sustainable management and strengthening the quality of service in order to meet market demand, raise awareness towards sustainable tourism and improve their competitiveness. The Ecolabel Hoteles+Verdes recognizes and certifies in three levels (beginner, advanced and excellence) to those hotels in Argentina that proves being sustainable, environmentally and socially responsible with the community and the destination in which they operate” explained Lic. Daniela Finocchiaro, representative at AHT while describing AHT’s mission.
Rigorous review and authorization procedures have determined that AHT’s Standards is considered equivalent to the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria; the worldwide minimum requirement for tourism businesses of all size to approach sustainability.
To date, standards including AHT have received the GSTC-recognized status including:
· Austrian Ecolabel for Tourism (Österreichisches Umweltzeichen)
· Biosphere Responsible Tourism
· Certification for Sustainable Tourism (CST) for Hotels
· EarthCheck Company Standard
· Eco-Certification Malta
· Ecotourism Australia’s Ecotourism Standard
· Ecotourism Australia’s Advanced Ecotourism Standard
· Ecotourism Ireland Certification Programme
· European Ecotourism Labeling Standard (EETLS)
· Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA)
· Green Glove Certification
· Japan Environmentally Sustainable Accommodations International Standard (ESAIS)
· Rainforest Alliance Standard for Tourism Operations
· Sustainable Tourism Eco-Certification Program (STEP)
· Travelife Standard for Hotels and Accommodations
· Travelife Standard for Tour Operators and Travel Agents
· TourCert Standard for Tour Operators
Each of the GSTC-recognized organizations has taken the first of three steps in establishing the GSTC process. Phases of establishing the global benchmark include recognizing the GSTC standard; evaluation of certification process for transparency by a third party; full GSTC-accreditation (beginning December 2014).
The GSTC will continue to work with standard owners around the world to provide GSTC recognition. All standards are encouraged to apply for GSTC-recognized status and all certification programs to apply for Approval. To learn more about the GSTC process please visit the GSTC website www.gstcouncil.org.
About GSTC
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council is a global initiative dedicated to promoting sustainable tourism efforts around the world. The GSTC works to expand understanding of and access to sustainable tourism practices; helps identify and generate markets for sustainable tourism; educates about and advocates for a set of universal principles, as defined by the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria. The Criteria, a set of voluntary principles that provide a framework for the sustainability of tourism businesses across the globe, are the keystone of this initiative. For more information visit www.gstcouncil.org.
