The Finance Minister of Vanuatu, Mr. John Salong, inaugurated the two-day GSTC training on Sustainable Tourism, on the 7th of August 2023 in Port Vila, Vanuatu. From left to right: Jerry Spooner, Regenerative Vanua’s Executive Director, Vanuatu’s Finance Minister Mr. John Salong and GSTC’s Vice Chair CB Ramkumar. The training was organized [...]
Destination Stewardship Report Summer 2023 May-August (Volume 4, Issue 1) The Destination Stewardship Report is a collaboration between the Destination Stewardship Center, Center for Responsible Travel, and Global Sustainable Tourism Council. Our goal is to provide practical information and insights useful to anyone whose work or interests involve improving destination stewardship in a post-pandemic world. [...]
We are looking for an enthusiastic intern to join our Communications Team. They will be providing support to our Communications Manager with Social Media content and creation, design, translations, and video. Fluency in both Spanish and English is a must. The internship is available from September 2023, with a minimum duration of three months. [...]
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) is pleased to announce that Mauritius Standards Bureau (MSB) has gained the GSTC-Accredited Certification Body status. The Mauritius Standards Bureau (MSB), a non-profit parastatal body in the island of Mauritius, has embarked on a project to provide third-party certification to tourism businesses with the aim of boosting the [...]
The Sustainability Highlights Report 2022 exposes Ascott's efforts to amplify its positive impact through its sustainability program Ascott CARES. Ascott CARES aligns the company’s growth strategy with environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations. CARES stands for Community (C), Alliance (A), Respect (R), Environment (E), and Supply chain (S). In 2022, Ascott became a member [...]
Last week, Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC)’s Vice Chair CB Ramkumar attended the Pacific Agritourism and Food Tourism Validation Meeting facilitated by GSTC Member Regenerative Vanua and the Global Agritourism Network Pacific Committee. The Prime Minister of Vanuatu attended the signing of a Commitment Declaration to support the rollout of Regenerative Vanua’s Regenerative Agritourism program and standards throughout [...]
Photo: Dr. Mihee Kang, Assurance Director of GSTC, in the GSTC Auditor training in Antalya, Tükiye, during the Global Sustainable Tourism Conference 2023. The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) has revised the GSTC Accreditation Manual for Certification of Hotel/Accommodation & Tour Operator, and version 3.0 was approved on 12 July 2023. The [...]
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) is pleased to announce that RoyalCert has gained the GSTC-Accredited Certification Body status. RoyalCert is an International certification body with HeadQuarters in Germany and operating in +40 countries globally. RoyalCert offers inspection, training, assessment and certification services to a wide range of industries, including the Tourism Industry, and [...]
The first GSTC Accessible and Inclusive Travel Online Course was conducted from July 3rd to July 9th, 2023, and successfully concluded after three live sessions of talks, lessons, discussions, ideas, examples, and tips on accessibility and inclusion. The trainer was Martin Heng, former Lonely Planet's Accessible Travel Manager and Editorial Adviser. Chris Veitch, an [...]
The European Commission has put forward a new package of measures to build on and strengthen the foundations of the EU sustainable finance framework. The transition to a climate-neutral and sustainable economy by 2050 offers new opportunities for companies and citizens across the EU. Many companies and investors have embarked on their sustainability journey, [...]
The first GSTC Applied DEI in Travel Course was conducted from June 6th to June 29, 2023, and successfully concluded after four weeks. The online course created in partnership with Travel Unity, gave participants an opportunity to learn about best practices in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and have meaningful dialogues with colleagues from [...]
Ms Beh Siew Kim, Chief Financial & Sustainability Officer, Lodging, CapitaLand Investment and Mr Randy Durband, GSTC CEO. The Ascott Limited (Ascott), a lodging business unit wholly owned by CapitaLand Investment, and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), whom manages the GSTC Criteria and provides international accreditation for sustainable tourism Certification Bodies, [...]
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), committed to elevating sustainable tourism worldwide, attended on July 6th, 2023, the event held in Costa Rica that was led by the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) for Costa Rican tourism companies that are certified under the ICT's Sustainable Tourism Certification (CST). The Costa Rican Tourism Board joined [...]
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council® (GSTC®) is pleased to announce that the Miosotis Azores Standard has gained GSTC-Recognized status, meaning it has been fully recognized as equivalent to the GSTC Industry Criteria. The Miosotis Azores Standard aims to promote the preservation and economic enhancement of cultural and natural heritage, based on the balance between [...]
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council® (GSTC®) is pleased to announce that Intertek’s EcoCheck Standard has gained GSTC-Recognized status, meaning it has been fully recognized as equivalent to the GSTC Industry Criteria. EcoCheck takes a systemic approach to sustainability through a series of checkpoints. This means looking at all aspects of the operation. EcoCheck Standards [...]
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) conducted a Destination Assessment of Sonoma County, California from February to November 2022. The Destination Assessment was led by Dr. Kelly Bricker, GSTC Vice-Chair, with the full support of Sonoma County Tourism (SCT). Sonoma County Tourism Overview Encompassing 1,575 square miles in northwestern California, Sonoma County is known [...]
In pursuit of sustainable practices in tourism, staff and alumni from Singapore’s Republic Polytechnic's School of Hospitality participated in the GSTC Sustainable Tourism Course, held from the 14th to the 16th of June, 2023. GSTC Trainer Mochamad Nalendra imparted insights during the course, sharing how the tourism sector can successfully incorporate sustainability best practices [...]
İzmir Metropolitan Municipality has joined as a Member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) Situated on the western coast of Türkiye, Izmir serves as a prominent nexus in the Aegean region. Its historical roots, seen in sites like Ephesus and Pergamon, trace back to Greek and Roman times, adding a rich layer of [...]
GSTC attended the international meeting of the ISO Tourism Committee that took place from June 12 to 16 in Seville, more than 80 experts from 30 countries participated in this meeting, which was organized by the Spanish Association for Standardization, UNE. It was the first face-to-face meeting after the pandemic of the ISO/TC [...]
On July 6-7, 2023, the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) participated in Berlin's MICE & Travel Business Festival, Bestival, where they hosted "Have your say - Global Sustainable MICE Criteria Exchange." During the festival, attendees had the opportunity to explore various experience areas, including "Berlin Sustainable," "Lifestyle," "Culture," "Community," and "Berlin Innovation." Each area [...]
