Views of sustainability are evolving for the better in the travel and tourism industry, but Randy Durband, CEO of Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) says there is still room for improvement. Since the start of GSTC’s work in 2007, has the travel and tourism community changed the way it regards sustainable tourism concepts? Indeed, [...]
When it comes to sustainability, travel can feel like a double-edged sword. On one hand, exploring the world helps to cultivate empathy towards new cultures and can lead to radical change. On the other, the potential emissions from hopping on a plane and touring around a destination is at odds with a cleaner planet. [...]
Raising the sustainability performance of their hotels is an important part of the TUI Sustainability Agenda. One way of measuring progress is through globally acknowledged sustainability certificates. The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) establishes and manages global standards for sustainable travel and tourism, known as the GSTC Criteria. Photo credit: TUI Blue Sarigerme [...]
14 experts shared their view "Will the next 50 years bring the Great Decoupling or the Great Collapse?" [1] All bets are on the former when economies thrive decoupled from greenhouse gas emission. Decoupling must equally occur between societal development and biocapacity. The hotel sector has developed many sustainability and ESG approaches to chart [...]
GSTC’s Roi Ariel shares how the increasing number of certification bodies is changing the meetings industry. An increasing number of certification bodies have entered the MICE industry to certify hotels as sustainable. These include Bureau Veritas, Vireo Srl and Control Union. The latter, for example, has more than 200 certification programmes. Such certification bodies [...]
As a new year begins, it is a good opportunity to reflect on international travel in 2023 and to also look ahead… The global travel industry courageously navigated the pandemic’s severe ramifications and continues to demonstrate tremendous resilience post-Covid-19. It’s been nearly four years since the pandemic was declared in March 2020, swiftly followed [...]
The Hotel Yearbook 2024 Hospitality ESG Edition has been released and is available online for free. Along the same lines as previous editions of the Hotel Yearbook, the 2024 ESG Edition gathers the thoughts and research from a wide-ranging group of senior executives, analysts, consultants, and opinion leaders from all over the world. This [...]
As climate-related disasters ramp up, how can travelers minimize the harms and maximize the benefits they bring to recovering destinations? Photo credit: Gabriel Lugo Professional bird guide Gabriel Lugo was looking forward to another busy season of tours when Hurricane Maria slammed into Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017. The Category 4 [...]
Bahamas Wins Top CTO Sustainable Award NASSAU, Bahamas (16 March 2023) – The Bahamas can officially claim the title of sustainable champion after starting the year off as the winner of the coveted 2022 Caribbean Tourism Organization’s (CTO) Destination and Stewardship Resilience Sustainable Tourism Award. The announcement was made during the CTO 2022 Virtual [...]
ABTA, IATA, and GSTC have declared their commitment to hold their upcoming events in Türkiye as planned. Travel and tourism organizations planning conferences in Türkiye this year have pledged to go ahead as the country deals with the aftermath of the earthquakes in southeast Türkiye in February. Antalya, in southern Türkiye, is due to [...]
WTTC Announces next stage of its Hotel Sustainability Basics initiative The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has launched the Hotel Sustainability Basics (Basics) verification scheme. Announced at ITB Berlin, Basics will enable tourist accommodation providers from around the world, regardless of their size, to begin their sustainability journey. The Basics are a coordinated [...]
Sustainability certifications are a top priority for TUI: "Our sustainability certified hotels clearly signals hotels that demonstrate social and environmental good practice [...]" says Ian Corbett, Head of Sustainability in TUI Group's Labels and certifications are common in many different sectors and contexts. The travel industry also has numerous certification schemes. For TUI, these [...]
Sustainable Tourism at a Critical Juncture From right to left: Roi Ariel (General Manager, GSTC), Natalie Kidd (Chief People and Purpose Officer, Intrepid Travel), Jason Lin (Co-founder & CEO, Talent Basket), Jennifer Lin (Senior Manager, Business Development, Southeast Asia, Rezio), Shinobu Hayama (CEO, Journey for Change), Halim Choi (Program Officer, Jeonbuk MICE Bureau). [...]
Turismo sostenible en España: medioambiente y turismofobia Abordamos la sostenibilidad en el turismo. Nos preguntamos si es posible desarrollar esa actividad turística sin que se destroce el medioambiente, es decir, además de generar ingresos para la población autóctona, ser respetuoso con el ecosistema y con la cultura local. Vamos a analizar los motivos por [...]
How has health and political crisis impacted travel, and is tourism ready for sustainability? Article and interview by Anula Galewska, Travindy This article is part of the “Sustainable tourism insights” interview series with speakers and participants of the Green Destinations Conference in Athens, Greece held in September 2022. Dr. Ioannis Pappas is the Director [...]
Can We Certify Our Way to Sustainable Travel? Article written by Sun Woo Baik in Asparagus Magazine When I think about the impacts my travels have had, my mind immediately goes to the massive, gas-guzzling, carbon-spewing aluminum tube I boarded to get to my destinations. Aviation is the most obvious culprit for travel-related emissions, [...]
How to Tread Lightly in Fragile Places Article written by Elaine Glusac in The New York Times Organizing a responsible visit to sensitive areas like the Galápagos Islands or Antarctica involves research, decoding certifications and possibly a travel adviser. For independent travelers, sustainable certifications can help identify responsible operations. The Global Sustainable Tourism Council [...]
Tablet Hotels' Sustainability Program Gains Momentum Tablet Hotels, the hotel experts at the MICHELIN® Guide, has launched a hotel sustainability program, making it easy for travelers to choose hotels that are working to make a positive impact on the planet and in their community. The program features the sustainability icon, which indicates hotels that have [...]
easyJet holidays launches new ‘eco certified’ collection, in partnership with the GSTC easyJet holidays is making it easier for its customers to make sustainable choices for their holiday, by identifying a new ‘eco certified’ collection on its website. The hotels included in the collection will be identified by a green leaf motif, and all [...]
Vision setting: A sustainable coastal and marine tourism sector in 2030 and 2050 What is sustainable coastal and marine tourism in 2030 and 2050? What are three key shifts needed by 2025 to achieve this ambitious vision? Expert Perspective by Randy Durband, CEO of GSTC on Ocean Panel. Coastal and marine tourism is enormous [...]
