The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), committed to elevating sustainable tourism worldwide, attended on July 6th, 2023, the event held in 
Costa Rica that was led by the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) for Costa Rican tourism companies that are certified under the ICT’s Sustainable Tourism Certification (CST). The Costa Rican Tourism Board joined GSTC as a destination member last year.
This gathering focused on nurturing future industry leaders, with the theme “Forming Leading Companies in Sustainability”. Hosted in a region renowned for its biodiversity and conservation efforts, the event provided an ideal setting for knowledge sharing and meaningful discussions.
Topics on accessible tourism, and sustainability were addressed, technical workshops were held, and recent studies on sustainability were unveiled.
“This meeting is of paramount importance for the country to update and strengthen ourselves. Costa Rica has globally recognized leadership in sustainable tourism because of the decisions made over the years and because it is part of the DNA of Costa Ricans. Economic and social growth must go hand in hand with environmental sustainability,” explained the Minister of Tourism, William Rodríguez. The minister highlighted the Costa Rican tourism model as inclusive, sustainable, and innovative, focused, moreover, on environmental conservation and community development.
Natalia Sanin, GSTC Measurement and Reporting Analyst presented GSTC’s recent activities and impact at the event, including GSTC Accreditation Program. GSTC does not directly certify any products or services; but accredits certification bodies that certify hotels, tour operators, or destinations. Accreditation is a mark of quality that the GSTC places on Certification Bodies that choose GSTC’s independent and neutral process to verify that they certify businesses, such as hotels or tour operators, or destinations, in a competent and neutral manner.
William Rodriguez Lopez, the Minister of Tourism of Costa Rica and Natalia Sanin, GSTC Measurement and Reporting Analyst
Natalia Sanin also invited everybody to provide input in the creation of the GSTC MICE Criteria covering venues, event organizers, and events/exhibitions.
“Your participation in the development of the GSTC MICE Criteria is not just an invitation, but a call to action. Let’s together construct a future where our industry not only grows but flourishes in harmony with the planet. We owe it to ourselves and to future generations to be proactive, to be thoughtful, and above all, to be transformative” says Natalia Sanin.
The Certification for Sustainable Tourism (CST) Standard is GSTC-Recognized and was created to provide guidelines for hotels and tour operators to
build their business model based on the best sustainable tourism practices – the management and impact of the natural, cultural, and social resources of the country.
GSTC-Recognized Standard means that a sustainable tourism standard has been reviewed by GSTC technical experts and the GSTC Assurance Panel as equivalent to the GSTC Criteria. This does not relate to the process of certification, nor to accreditation.
The GSTC Criteria operate as the universal foundation for sustainability standards in travel and tourism. It has been meticulously established through a comprehensive global effort to introduce a universally understood and adopted language around sustainability within the industry.
For more information about sustainable tourism in Costa Rica visit: https://www.ict.go.cr/en/sustainability/cst.html
