GSTC endorses sustainable tourism certifications

Global Sustainable Tourism Council announces accredited certifications and industry support

The GSTC has announced the first GSTC-Recognized standards. Accredited certifications are as follows:

• Bundesministerium für Land – und Forstwirtschaft, Umwelt und Wasserwirtschaft (BMLFUW)‘s Austrian Ecolabel for Tourism (Österreichisches Umweltzeichen)
• Costa Rica Tourist Board (ICT)’s Certification for Sustainable Tourism (CST)
• Ecotourism Australia’s Ecotourism Standard
• Ecotourism Australia’s Advanced Ecotourism Standard
• Ecotourism Ireland’s Ecotourism Ireland Label
• European Ecotourism Knowledge Network’s European Ecotourism Labelling Standard (EETLS)
• Fair Trade in Tourism for South Africa (FTTSA)
• Instituto de Turismo Responsable’s Biosphere Hotels
• Japan Ecolodge Association’s Environmentally sustainable accommodations standard
• Rainforest Alliance’s Standard for Tourism Operations
• Sustainable Travel International’s Sustainable Tourism Eco-Certification Program (STEP)

Says GSTC "Each standard went through a rigorous review and authorization procedure and are considered equivalent to the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria. The Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria are the worldwide minimum requirements for tourism businesses of all size to approach sustainability."

"This marks a significant milestone in the development of credible sustainable travel and tourism products. The GSTC-Recognized standards are the cornerstone and first step of a 3-stage GSTC Process. Stage 1 recognizes that a standard, which is a written statement that can be verified, is compatible with the GSTC Criteria. Stage 2 is the evaluation of the processes for certification to ensure they are transparent, impartial and conducted by people with technical competence. The 2nd stage is called GSTC Approval of a certification program that uses a GSTC-recognized standard. The third and final stage is full accreditation (GSTC-Accredited) and will begin implementation in December of 2014."

The Global Sustainable Tourism Council has also announced that Amadeus, Melia, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, Sabre Holdings and TUI Travel are among the first group of global Travel and Tourism corporations to publicly commit to promoting sustainable tourism products and services recognized by the GSTC.

Each of these companies has committed to using the GSTC Criteria as the reference for sustainable travel.

According to GSTC "The objective of the program is to recognize and reward genuine practitioners of sustainable tourism, which in turn builds confidence and credibility with consumers. The commitment from these organizations demonstrates their belief that sustainable tourism is an important component of their business practice and that the widespread adoption of sustainable tourism standards is relevant."

"Amadeus, Melia, Sabre, Royal Caribbean and TUI Travel have shown remarkable leadership in making this public commitment to sustainable travel. Their pledge supports the development of consumer confidence and a credible marketplace for sustainable travel and tourism," said former U.S. Senator Timothy E. Wirth, president of the U.N. Foundation.

"Travelers and agencies need simple tools to find and purchase sustainable travel offerings. The Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria helps by harmonizing the numerous global certification programs in the marketplace to provide travelers with clear and trustworthy sustainable travel choices. Sabre and Travelocity’s Green Hotel program help people easily pick certified "sustainable" hotels from a full list of hotel offerings, and we’ll continue to expand our programs to offer more sustainable travel options and additional tools to measure and report on travel impact. Tomorrow’s travellers expect this, and we need to be ready to offer them this choice," said Leilani Latimer, Director, Sustainability Initiatives, Sabre Holdings and GSTC Board Member.

Valere Tjolle
Valere is editor of the Sustainable Tourism Report Suite 2011 Special Offers HERE