GSTC to recognize; approve: accredit

The Global Sustainable Tourism Council launches the GSTC Process and Destination Level Criteria Development

The GSTC Process for recognizing and rewarding genuine practitioners of sustainable tourism has been defined by GSTC as: GSTC-Recognized, GSTC-Approved and GSTC-Accredited.

Once recognized, these standards are considered buy GSTC as the  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.

The GSTC Council has also announced the creation of destination level baseline sustainable tourism criteria and indicators to enable good destination stewardship by the travel and tourism industry.

The GSTC will launch the first of two, 60-day public comment periods in parallel with the Early Adopters program.

Destinations committed to sustainability are invited to submit an application to become an Early Adopter by November 23, 2011 and selected destinations will be notified by December 2, 2011.

The Early Adopters program will provide valuable input into the final version of the DL-GSTC Criteria. The invitation is open to destinations of all types and sizes.

Applicants may include governments, public lands agencies (e.g., national parks), tourism bureaus, or other destination management organizations, on behalf of the destination.  
More info: http://www.gstcouncil.org

Says GSTC “The Destination Level GSTC Criteria, which complement the existing GSTC Criteria for hotel and tour operators, was developed incorporating the most widely accepted sustainable tourism certification standards for destinations, including UNWTO indicators, Global Reporting Initiative, Blue Flag, Earth Check, Green Globe, National Geographic, and others.  The criteria will enable good destination stewardship by the tourism industry.”

“Several months ago we surveyed our membership and other stakeholders to ask what they thought the GSTC Council should focus on. We heard loud and clear that destination level criteria would make the largest positive impact. We are pleased that our GSTC Destinations Working Group was able to deliver such a quality program in record time” said Erika Harms, Executive Director of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council.

Valere Tjolle
Valere is editor of the Sustainable Tourism Report Suite 2011 Get your copy at a special offer price: HERE