The fifth annual Destination Stewardship Yearbook is a compilation of articles from the 2024–2025 Destination Stewardship Report (DSR), co-produced by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), Center for Responsible Travel (CREST), and Destination Stewardship Center (DSC).
Each edition of the DSR highlights destinations that exemplify comprehensive and effective management, showcase leading practices in sustainable tourism, and offer perspectives from tourism leaders on advancing destination stewardship and development. The Destination Stewardship Yearbook highlights the efforts and achievements of the people driving change in these destinations. Collectively, their stories show that with the right management, tourism can be a positive force for people and places.
By showcasing these initiatives, the Destination Stewardship Yearbook aims to encourage policymakers, destination managers, and stakeholders to adopt forward-thinking approaches that prioritize sustainability, community well-being, and environmental resilience. It stands as both a source of inspiration and a valuable guide for those working to build a more responsible and sustainable future for destinations worldwide.
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Subscribe to the quarterly Destination Stewardship Report here.
The Destination Stewardship Report relies entirely on submitted articles. What story can you tell that would help others? Feel free to contact us with your ideas!
About the Destination Stewardship Center (DSC)
The Destination Stewardship Center (DSC) is a volunteer nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the world’s distinctive places by supporting wisely managed tourism and enlightened destination stewardship. Founded as a program at the National Geographic Society, the DSC gathers and provides information on how tourism can help and not harm the natural, cultural, and social quality of destinations around the world. We seek to build a global community and knowledge network for advancing this goal.
About the Center for Responsible Travel (CREST)
The Center for Responsible Travel (CREST) is a global nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC dedicated to increasing the positive global impact of responsible tourism. CREST provides evidence-based research and analysis to governments, policymakers, tourism businesses, nonprofit organizations, and international agencies to solve the most pressing problems confronting tourism, the world’s largest service industry. CREST initially focused on the role of small-scale ecotourism in empowering communities and conserving precious resources. Over time, our work has evolved to consider how all tourism can be more responsibly planned, developed, and managed across all sectors and geographies. Through innovative field projects, research, consultancies, and advocacy, CREST is taking action to address our world’s key threats to securing a sustainable future.
About the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC)
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council® (GSTC®) establishes and manages global sustainable standards, the GSTC Standards, also known as the GSTC Criteria. The GSTC Destination Standard for public policy-makers and destination managers, GSTC Hotel Standard & GSTC Tour Operator Standard, GSTC MICE Standard for Venues, Event Organizers, and Events & Exhibitions, and the GSTC Attraction Standard for tourist attractions such as theme parks, museums, and national parks. These are the guiding principles and minimum requirements that any tourism business or destination should aspire to reach in order to protect and sustain the world’s natural and cultural resources while ensuring tourism meets its potential as a tool for conservation and poverty alleviation.
The GSTC Standards form the foundation for GSTC’s assurance role for Certification Bodies that certify hotels/accommodations, tour operators, and destinations as having sustainable policies and practices in place. GSTC does not directly certify any products or services but provides accreditation to those that do.
GSTC is an independent and neutral USA-registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization that represents a diverse and global membership, including national and provincial governments, leading travel companies, hotels, tour operators, NGOs, individuals and communities – all striving to achieve best practices in sustainable tourism. The GSTC is an ISEAL Community Member, a global membership organization for ambitious, collaborative, and transparent sustainability systems.
Information for media and the press: www.gstc.org/about/for-the-press/
