Recognizing the importance of destination stewardship, the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) introduces the Destination Stewardship Starter Kit in four additional languages to broaden accessibility and impact on a global scale. The starter kit is available in French, Spanish, German, Greek and English. This comprehensive tool is designed to guide destinations in adopting a stewardship approach.
This Destination Stewardship Starter Kit, released in November 2023, is for destination managers, policymakers, and stakeholders involved in tourism development and management, including representatives from the public and private sectors, community members, and non-governmental organizations.
In the realm of tourism, destination stewardship stands as a vital process, uniting local communities, governmental agencies, NGOs, and the tourism industry in a collaborative effort to preserve the cultural, environmental, economic, and aesthetic integrity of their country, region, or town. This approach ensures that destinations maintain and enhance the unique attributes that appeal to both residents and tourists alike.
About the Destination Stewardship Starter Kit
The Starter Kit provides a practical roadmap for destinations, emphasizing governance and management strategy prioritization, baseline creation for measurement, and the establishment of achievable targets for sustainable tourism development. While the steps are provided as a guide, their sequence may be adapted to the distinctive needs of each destination.
Key Steps:
- Build a Team and Identify Leaders
- Identify Key Stakeholders
- Define Goals and Vision
- Involve the Local Community and Engage Stakeholders
- Develop a Strategy and an Action Plan
- Provide Education and Training
- Communicate Progress
- Monitor and Measure Progress
- Complete a Self-Assessment
- Adhere to GSTC Destination Criteria (GSTC-D)
The GSTC Destination Criteria (GSTC-D) have proven their value as guides to good destination stewardship, offering invaluable support to public-sector tourism policymakers and managers worldwide. Applying these criteria aligns destinations with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
Embark on the journey towards sustainable destination stewardship by downloading the Destination Stewardship Starter Kit available in multiple languages here:
More information for Destinations can be found here.
Special thank you to the Destination Stewardship Working Group (DSWG) who have helped translate the Destination Stewardship Starter Kit.
