Destination Stewardship Report – Summer 2020 (Volume 1, Issue 1) This post is from the Destination Stewardship Report (Summer 2020, Volume 1, Issue 1), an e-quarterly publication that provides practical information and insights useful to anyone whose work or interests involve improving destination stewardship in a post-pandemic world. The Elaborate Process of Revising Your [...]
Destination Stewardship Report Summer 2020 Q3 (Volume 1, Issue 1) Welcome to the Destination Stewardship Report. This quarterly e-newsletter is a collaboration between the Destination Stewardship Center and Global Sustainable Tourism Council, and in time maybe others. Our goal is to provide information and insights useful to anyone whose work or interests involve improving [...]
GSTC Sustainable Tourism Training for the Bahamas The GSTC Sustainable Tourism Training Program (STTP) delivered, in partnership with the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation, a 2-week online course on the GSTC Criteria. The course was attended by tourism industry stakeholders from both the public and private sectors, representing destinations including: Nassau, [...]
Promoting Sustainability Skills for More Sustainable Destinations In May - June 2020, the GSTC Sustainable Tourism Training Program (STTP) hosted a custom 4-week course for destination and industry stakeholders from across Norway, in partnership with Innovation Norway. The course participants, from over 40 destinations across Norway, are part of Innovation Norway's Sustainable [...]
Dubrovnik, 2nd June - The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) Destination Assessment of Dubrovnik Report was presented in Dubrovnik via video by Dr. Ioannis Pappas, GSTC Director - Mediterranean Region, with the participation of Mato Franković, Mayor of Dubrovnik, and Kelly Craighead, President and CEO of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). The presentation was [...]
By Tim O’Donoghue, Riverwind Foundation 2012: Jackson Hole is a Sustainable Destination Standards Early Adopter In 2012, the Global Sustainable Tourism Council selected Jackson Hole as one of the first Early Adopters of Sustainable Destination Standards. The GSTC’s concluding remarks were that “Teton County more than any other place in the world has the [...]
Under GSTC’s auspices, a national survey based on the GSTC Destination Criteria (GSTC-D) was conducted by Japan Tourism Agency among Japan’s local governments, to assess the degree of understanding on sustainability issues, and the current activities in developing sustainable destinations. The survey also aimed to help the development of "Japan Sustainable Tourism Standard for [...]
Facing the need to grow sustainability as the long-term competitive advantage of rural areas – and in fact, of any type of tourism destinations and businesses - the Regional Rural Development Standing Working Group (SWG RRD) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), within the jointly implemented regional project Support to Economic Diversification [...]
Greek Ministry of Tourism Joins GSTC On March 9th, a Cooperation Agreement has been signed between the Greek Ministry of Tourism and the Global Council of Sustainable Tourism (GSTC), signifying the Ministry's intention to harmonize the Greek tourism industry with international standards for sustainable tourism development. [GMT press release in Greek] Through this cooperation, [...]
Japan Tourism Agency Joins GSTC Japan Tourism Agency has joined the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) as a Destination Member. The Japan Tourism Agency (JTA) is an organization that was set up in 2008 as an agency of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. It was established to serve as the hub [...]
Moab Area Travel Council Joins GSTC January 2020 - Moab Area Travel Council has joined the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) as a destination member. The Moab Area Travel Council (MATC), directed by State code, seeks to improve the local economy by promoting, marketing, and supporting recreation, tourism, events, and conventions in a manner [...]
“Navigating the Way Forward” – GSTC 2019 Global Conference in the Azores The GSTC 2019 Global Sustainable Tourism Conference "Navigating the Way Forward" that took place on December 4th-7th in Terceira Island, the Azores, brought together 250 delegates from 42 countries, along with hundreds of viewers that watched the live broadcasting of the conference. [...]
Japan Tourism Agency has committed to formally adopt GSTC criteria as part of its tourism policy. Japan has ambitious plans to grow tourism arrivals, but is determined to do this in a sustainable way. To that end, the adoption of the GSTC destination criteria is a major commitment and act of leadership. Prof. Kumi [...]
Jeju Special Self-Governing Province has joined the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) as a Destination Member. As the largest volcanic island in Korea, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province is one of Koreans’ popular destinations due to its unique and beautiful nature and culture, and is most commonly known to Koreans as the best honeymoon destination in [...]
Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) initiated the National Sustainable Tourism Certification (NSTC) as the first step towards making Sri Lanka's tourism industry sustainable with the technical and financial assistance from UNDP Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN). As part of the process, hotels were awarded for their sustainable practices on 5th August 2019 at Ape Game, [...]
Belize Tourism Overview Belize offers plenty of opportunities to explore its natural resources. It has one of the largest barrier reefs in the northern hemisphere - a World Heritage Site; the Blue Hole; offshore islands; and Mayan archaeological sites, ancient cities, and sacred cave complexes. This array of ecosystems and cultural attractions has made [...]
Jennifer Wesselhoff, President and CEO of the Sedona Chamber of Commerce, speaks about Sedona, Arizona's new sustainable tourism plan following their GSTC Destination Assessment in 2016. Sedona is applying the GSTC Criteria for Destinations, applying key tactics to keep their resident and visitor experience top-notch while the population *doubles* daily from tourism--a $1B business for [...]
Tourism in Roatan, Honduras Today Roatan is an island in the Caribbean located 65 kilometers from the coast of Honduras. Tourism is key to Roatan’s economy. However, it's unfortunately confronted with its own set of issues. The island’s growing popularity has resulted in increased wastewater, pollution, and other environmental threats. These are all accelerated [...]
GSTC Member "Region Västerbotten" in Northern Sweden, has identified GSTC and its Criteria as a means to help create sustainable tourism in businesses and DMOs. Region Västerbotten is responsible for regional development and growth in Västerbotten County. This is the story of they have applied the GSTC Criteria in their region: Step 1: Regional [...]
Region Västerbotten in Northern Sweden has completed a three-year project of introducing sustainable thinking and acting among industry and public stakeholders with the GSTC Criteria as guidelines. About 60 tourism businesses were assessed with GSTC Industry Criteria and given sustainable tourism action plans. Participants ranged from small family outdoors businesses to city hotels, museums [...]
