City Destinations Alliance has released a white paper titled “The Score is Not the Story”, offering a comprehensive reflection on the role of sustainability indexes and certifications in urban tourism management. The publication provides insights into how cities across Europe are using these tools to advance their sustainability agendas, foster collaboration, and align with global sustainability frameworks.

The report features contributions from tourism and sustainability leaders, including Randy Durband, CEO of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC).

Key topics addressed in the white paper include:

  • The role of certifications and indexes in providing structure and strategic direction for sustainability initiatives.
  • How these tools enable destinations to benchmark progress and identify priority areas for improvement.
  • The importance of integrating measurable indicators with local context and fostering meaningful stakeholder engagement.
  • The opportunities and challenges of aligning tourism development with environmental, social, and economic sustainability objectives

Randy Durband, GSTC CEO, commented: “Along with our pass/fail certification, a numeric score-based ranking holds great value, especially in the early phases. Because first of all, you can compare yourself to both your earlier self and to …. So if you start at 28 [points] out of 100, then you know you need to do better. Then when you reach 65 [points] and you’re feeling better, then you’re like, oh, but those guys are 72 [points] and those guys are 83 [points] I think both have tremendous power, one, just to see how we’re doing against the number 100 ourselves, and then secondly, how we do compared to others.”

This whitepaper highlights how sustainability frameworks can support continuous improvement when applied thoughtfully and in alignment with each destination’s unique context. 

For more information and to access the full report, visit the City Destinations Alliance VivaCITY initiative here.

The whitepaper is part of the VivaCITY Project, a three-year transformation and learning lab launched by City Destinations Alliance and Simpleview, designed to futureproof destination management organisations (DMOs). VivaCITY is working on this co-creation project with Helsinki and Torino.

GSTC-certified Hotels Directory

The launch of the GSTC-certified Hotels Directory responds to growing demand for verified information on truly sustainable accommodations. It helps bring clarity and integrity to the tourism marketplace, making it easier for users to find and support businesses that are genuinely committed to responsible, sustainable tourism. View the directory here.

About GSTC Certification

GSTC Certification* has been regarded as the most trusted benchmark for sustainability and excellence in the travel and tourism industry worldwide. With the GSTC certification, tourism businesses demonstrate their commitment to sustainable tourism through a credible, impartial, and rigorous assessment. More information about GSTC Certification can be found here: https://www.gstc.org/certification/ 

Hotels that follow sustainability standards and wish to stand out with a reputable certification as a sustainable hotel should seek sustainable hotel certification by a GSTC-accredited Certification Body.

Tour Operators that want to demonstrate their adherence to sustainability standards are encouraged to seek sustainable tour operator certification by a GSTC-accredited Certification Body.

Destinations that are managed in accordance with sustainability standards can aim for destination certification by one of the GSTC-accredited Certification bodies. Certification bodies certifying destinations must follow the GSTC Accreditation Manual for Certification Bodies – Destination.)

More information about Accreditation and how to apply to be an Accredited Certification Body can be found here.

*Note: The term “GSTC Certification” is a shorthand for “Certified by a Certification Body that is GSTC-Accredited.”