The Global Sustainable Tourism Council® (GSTC®) is pleased to announce that Sustainable MICE Standards can apply and seek Recognition to adhere to the GSTC MICE Criteria.
The GSTC MICE Criteria was developed for Venues, Event Organizers, and Events & Exhibitions, aiming to guide businesses toward implementing sustainable practices in response to the growing focus on sustainability. The Criteria are the requirements that businesses, governments, and destinations should achieve to approach social, environmental, cultural, and economic sustainability. They are the result of a worldwide effort to develop a common language about sustainability in tourism.
GSTC recognizes sustainable tourism standards that adhere to and are equivalent to the GSTC Criteria. This means that the GSTC Criteria components are included within the standards owned by a Certification Body, by a municipal, provincial, or national tourism authority, by a specialized tourism organization, or by large tourism businesses with multiple business units.
GSTC-Recognized is a mark given to other sustainable tourism standards after a sustainable tourism standard has been reviewed by GSTC Technical Experts and the GSTC Assurance Panel and the standard is deemed equivalent to the GSTC Criteria for sustainable tourism. This means that the GSTC has verified that the standard aligns with the GSTC Criteria and that any additional clauses do not contradict GSTC Criteria requirements.
If the standard is used for certification, the GSTC Recognition status does not ensure that the certification process is reliable, rather it assures that the standard includes all of the criteria listed in the GSTC Criteria. GSTC-Recognized does not mean that the owner of the standard is accredited. A Certification Body that utilizes a GSTC-Recognized standard may apply for GSTC Accreditation which relates to the quality and neutrality of its certification process. Recognition is given to a standard, NOT to an organization or a certification scheme.
Click here to learn more about the application process for GSTC Recognition.
