The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) announces the appointment of Mr. Jeppe Klockareson as its Country Representative in Sweden. GSTC Country Representatives play a valuable role, serving as the “eyes and ears” and in many ways the voices of GSTC in their respective countries or regions. “Jeppe Klockareson is uniquely qualified based on his long [...]
Green Dreams for the Planet (GDP), a non-profit foundation in India focused on environmental education and sustainability action, is the newest addition to the GSTC's Sustainable Tourism Training Program (STTP). As a Training Partner, GDP will organize and deliver STTP training classes in India, supporting the goal of "ensuring that sustainable tourism best practices [...]
Between February 5th and 8th specialists from both TUI and GIZ met local players in the TUI Magic Life Resort in Egypt, to pool their resources and develop a sustainable business-driven strategy aimed at creating better opportunities for young people in the Egyptian tourism industry. The Lab of Tomorrow is an initiative by GIZ to [...]
The Ethical Travel Guide recommends the labels of EarthCheck and Ecotourism Australia, GSTC-Accredited Certification Bodies Australian Ethical has published the Ethical Travel Guide. Through out it, it recommends two GSTC-Accredited Certification Bodies, EarthCheck and Ecotourism Australia. “Now, 70% of visitors to the Great Barrier Reef use an eco-certified tour operator. Twelve years ago, that [...]
GSTC The Philippines National Forum on Global Sustainable Tourism Standards & Development to be held in March 2018 With the aim of supporting sustainable destination development and management in the Philippines, the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) together with the Society for Sustainable Tourism & Development Inc. (SSTDI) and LEADimpact Asia, present The Philippines, National [...]
The GSTC Industry Criteria has been translated into Portuguese and is available to download in the Criteria Translations section. O GSTC Industry Criteria foi traduzido para o português e está disponível para download na seção "Critérios de tradução".
January 2018 - The Guatemalan Tourism Board, INGUAT, has joined the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) as a national member. INGUAT (Instituto Guatemalteco de Turismo) is the national superior authority in the tourism sector that develops the promotion, advertising, and sustainability practices of tourism industry through the specific legal guidelines from Guatemala’s Government. Its mission [...]
Radio Sputnik spoke about sustainable tourism with Randy Durband, the Chief Executive Officer at Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), : "Tourism is often referred to as one industry but it’s really many industries. Aviation, rental cars, hotels, attractions and so forth. So it’s very complex. Sustainability and tourism are far more complex that sustainability of one commodity and I [...]
GSTC Activities Around the World 2017 Trainings, conferences, partnerships, and new destination members are are only part of what the GSTC has been doing in 2017. The Global Sustainable Tourism Council thanks its members, supporters, and all those that are using and applying the GSTC Criteria in all parts of the world. Australia EarthCheck Evaluate [...]
January 2018 - Region Västerbotten, Northern Sweden, has joined the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) as a destination member. Region Västerbotten is responsible for regional development and growth in Västerbotten County, Northern Sweden. Västerbotten County and the county’s 15 municipalities own Region Västerbotten, a politically headed organization. With sustainability at the core of Västerbotten’s [...]
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) and the Foundation for European Sustainable Tourism (FEST) have signed an MOU establishing a strategic alliance between the two organizations, promoting effective tourism project management. The partnership supports professional skills development in sustainable tourism, emphasizing the importance of the GSTC Criteria as the baseline standards for sustainability in travel [...]
The nation of Papua New Guinea (PNG) is the latest Asia Pacific destination to consider how the GSTC Criteria could be used as a tool for tourism to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). PNG is a rich cultural and environmental tourism destination. It has more than 800 local languages (in addition to many [...]
"The Sustainable Tourism Index assesses countries on their commitment to develop and promote sustainable practices in tourism. It finds that, not surprisingly, the world’s developed countries have done more at the national level than their emerging-world rivals to formulate policy, foster adherence to recognised standards, encourage travel and tourism businesses to reduce their environmental footprint, [...]
Dec 27, 2017 – The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) is pleased to announce that the Korean Ecotourism Standard for Destinations and the Korean Ecotourism Standard for Accommodations and Tours have achieved ‘GSTC-Recognized’ status. The Korean Ecotourism Standards for Destinations and Accommodations and Tours have been developed to guide both public and private sectors to [...]
December 2017 – McKinsey and the World Travel & Tourism Council examine how destinations can reap the benefits of tourism while preserving their unique qualities. In this report, McKinsey and the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) introduce a simple, fact-based diagnostic to help destination leaders identify and address the challenges they face. We also offer [...]
GSTC Technical Director Andrés Fellenberg (second from left) and Vireo Srl auditors GSTC Sustainable Tourism Training for Auditors The GSTC has delivered a 2-part auditor training program for Vireo Srl, a certification body based in Italy specialized in environmental and sustainability certification schemes. The training consisted of (1) online interactive sessions covering key sustainable [...]
About the GSTC Sustainable Tourism Training Program With the aim of strengthening awareness of sustainable tourism in destinations around the world, the GSTC Sustainable Tourism Training Program (STTP) covers global trends in sustainable tourism and sustainability best practices for businesses and destinations, and offers a unique opportunity to gain an in-depth understanding of the GSTC [...]
December 2017 - Awareness of GSTC is growing in India, facilitated by the partnerships GSTC is forging with organizations like GreenOtels. With the GreenOtels team, awareness summits have been conducted through 2017 in ten cities including Bengaluru, Jaipur, Chennai, Kochi, Pune, Goa, Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Vishakapatnam this year. The mission of GreenOtels, a GSTC [...]
The "How Digitalization is Revolutionizing Sustainability in Thailand’s Future Tourism Industry" event, organized by DASTA (Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration), will take place on December 19th, 2017 in Bangkok. Main Topic: How Digitalization is Revolutionizing Sustainability in Thailand’s Future Tourism Industry Keynote Speaker: Mr. Randy Durband – GSTC Session 1 - Tourism industry outlook [...]
More than 1 billion tourists travel internationally each year. But not everyone wants you visiting their city. “There’s been a sudden explosion of awareness around over-tourism because there are more destinations where it’s become an issue,” says Randy Durband, CEO of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council. As policy-makers and travel companies work to address an [...]
