The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) has published its 2025 Annual Report, which presents an overview of the organization’s work over the past year and highlights key developments across its main areas of activity. The report reflects GSTC’s continued commitment to advancing sustainable tourism globally through the GSTC Standards, its Sustainable Tourism Training Program (STTP), GSTC Destination Assessments, partnerships, new tools, and efforts that help strengthen sustainability practices across the tourism sector.
As in previous years, the Annual Report serves as a record of progress across the organization and provides a consolidated view of the initiatives, milestones, and strategic priorities that shaped GSTC’s work throughout 2025. It offers GSTC Members, stakeholders, partners, and the wider tourism community an opportunity to review the progress made and the direction of GSTC’s ongoing efforts to support more sustainable and responsible tourism worldwide.
“The work reflected in the 2025 Annual Report shows that advancing sustainable tourism is an ongoing process that requires consistency, cooperation, and practical implementation. Across destinations, businesses, and institutions, there is growing acknowledgment that sustainability must be embedded from the very start when tourism is planned and managed. GSTC remains committed to supporting that effort through standards, education, and collaboration,” says Randy Durband, GSTC CEO.
The 2025 Annual Report outlines major developments across the organization’s activities during the year. These include progress on the GSTC Standards, training and capacity-building initiatives, destination-related work, partnerships, global outreach, and other institutional developments that continue to support the adoption and implementation of sustainable tourism practices. The report also reflects GSTC’s role in helping provide a common reference point for sustainability in tourism, while supporting stakeholders across different parts of the sector in their efforts to align with globally relevant standards and practical approaches.
In 2025, GSTC advanced several key initiatives, including the completion of the revised GSTC Industry Standard into two distinct standards: the GSTC Hotel Standard and the GSTC Tour Operator Standard, strong growth in the Sustainable Tourism Training Program (STTP), the transition from “GSTC Criteria” to “GSTC Standards” to enhance clarity and align with international terminology, the launch of the Destination Self-Assessment Tool, the move to the new gstc.org domain, and continued global visibility through major international events. The year also saw the introduction of important multi-stakeholder roundtables: the R4MSEC initiative, focused on supporting micro and small tourism enterprises in accessing certification, and the R4AWT – Roundtable for Animal Welfare in Tourism, which brought together experts and industry stakeholders to strengthen dialogue, guidance, and more credible approaches to animal welfare in tourism.
Whether it’s through education, standards development, destination support, assurance-related work, or collaboration with public and private sector partners, the GSTC Annual Report shows how all these efforts contribute to a more coherent, informed approach to sustainable tourism.
Looking beyond, GSTC will continue strengthening its mission as an agent of change in the world of sustainable travel and tourism by fostering greater knowledge, understanding, adoption, and demand for sustainable tourism practices.
Education and capacity building will remain central as the GSTC Sustainable Tourism Training Program continues to evolve, alongside growing work in research, innovation, and knowledge exchange, including initiatives such as the GSTC Futures Lab and expanded digital tools. At the same time, GSTC will remain committed to maintaining credibility and trust in the marketplace, strengthening its global membership network, and supporting destinations, tourism businesses, and governments in implementing the GSTC Standards in a practical and effective way.
