My first 50 days at the GSTC: lots of passion, enthusiasm, and a bright future!

Dear Members of the GSTC,

It is my pleasure and honor to write this letter to You, to introduce myself to You, and highlight the bright future that awaits Your Council in the years to come, thanks to Your continued and ever increasing support!

In the first place, I want to apologize to you because my background does not come from Sustainability. But the GSTC does have in its ranks at all levels the most formidable Think Tank on Sustainable Tourism that any Non-Profit or Non-Governmental Organization can present to the Industry in our days, on a global level.

Because of this sheer fact, You can be fully confident that we’ll never recede from our core values, mission and objectives, set forth by the Founding Members of the Council as the North that we’ll follow in the future, until accomplished. The Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria are  recognized and endorsed by the  World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which are Permanent Members of the Board of Directors of the GSTC.  As a plus, our Global Headquarters will be based at the UNWTO  Headquarters in Madrid, Spain.

I bring You the skills and experience of decades in the Travel and Tourism Industry, in various sectors of its value chain (Airlines &  Airports, Tour Operators & Travel Agencies, Global Distribution Systems & Internet Startups). Over the last twenty years, I have been given CEO, COO and General Manager responsibilities in various Travel & Tourism Companies in various Continents, in the Developing and in the Developed World.

With the unanimous approval of Your Board of Directors, I have drawn a very simple, yet sustainable business model to let the GSTC grow and thrive over the years to come. Each and every one of our 7 main areas of activity shall be financially accountable and sustainable on its own, while your Membership fees will provide the sustainable flow of funds necessary to cater for the needed investments in Your Council’s growth

As You know, our main areas of activity, represented by the corresponding Working Groups, are:

●      International Standards (Global Criteria and Indicators, at present available for Hospitality and Tour Operating; in future available for all Sectors of the Travel & Tourism Industry, once sponsored).

●      Certification of Certification Bodies (at present nearly 20 Global Standards already GSTC Recognized and 1 Approved; in future all Global Standards Recognized, Approved and Accredited).

●      Destinations (Global Criteria and Indicators, Certification of Certification Bodies; at present, up to 10 Phase II Early Adopters; in future, potentially hundreds of fully certified Destinations worldwide).

●      Education and Training (at present, workshops and courses on demand; in future, a fully structured system of Courses, including material and transfer of know-how, for trainers and professionals).

●      Market Access (at present, promotion of all our activities to the Trade; in future, partnerships with all the largest Trade Associations worldwide, and distribution of GSTC certified services via all GDSs).

●      Communication (at present, ever increasing media outreach, website and social networks presence; in future, also added value for Members through advertising, a job market section, merchandising).

●      Membership (at present, well over 200 Members from all Continents; in future, we expect to multiply Your Network by providing a continuous flow of value added propositions, asking for Your feedback).

Please support Your Council by applying for participation in our Working Groups, because we need Your skills and experience, and even more Your enthusiasm and energy! Please renew Your Membership every year, and actively promote Membership for the GSTC, so that the World will be able to “Travel Forever”!