WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 21, 2014) - The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) is pleased to announce the appointment of Randy Durband as its new Chief Executive Officer. Durband assumes executive responsibilities effective immediately. “Randy is a charismatic and dynamic leader who brings tremendous experience in the travel industry," said GSTC Board Chair Kelly Bricker [...]
Mexican biosphere reserve Sierra Gorda adopts baseline criteria and indicators for sustainable tourism March 11, 2013 – Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve in Mexico is the first Central American destination to complete the Global Sustainable Tourism Council’s (GSTC) GSTC Early Adopters Program to test its new Criteria and Indicators for Destinations, under the scope of the [...]
Earlier in February, the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) in partnership with Sustainable Travel International hosted a live virtual educational presentation with over 300 registrations from around the world. The webinar was presented by Dr. Kelly Bricker, Chair of the GSTC Board, as well as Dr. Louise Twining-Ward and Jeremy Sampson from Sustainable Travel International. Some of [...]
WASHINGTON, D.C. (February, 2014)- The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) recently announced that the Chilean national system for distinction of sustainable tourism has achieved ‘recognized’ certification status. This commendation acknowledges its commitment to promote sustainable tourism products and services recognized by the GSTC. “Chile has shown clear leadership and commitment [...]
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January, 2014) - The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) recently announced that the Asociación de Hoteles de Turismo de la República Argentina (AHT)’s “Greener Hotels” (Hoteles+Verdes) has achieved ‘recognized’ certification status. The awarded status benchmarks its commitment to promote sustainable tourism products and services recognized by the GSTC. “I am delighted that [...]
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 31st , 2014)- The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) recently announced that the Asociación de Hoteles de Turismo de la República Argentina (AHT)’s “Greener Hotels” (Hoteles+Verdes) has achieved ‘recognized’ certification status. The awarded status benchmarks its commitment to promote sustainable tourism products and services recognized by the [...]
The performance indicators presented here are designed to provide guidance in measuring compliance with the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria for Hotels and Tour Operators (GSTC-HTO). They are not intended to be the definitive set or all-inclusive, but to provide a solid sample set for users of the GSTC-D in developing their own indicator sets. This [...]
(Washington, D.C, December 9, 2013) Steve Noakes, Co-Chair of the GSTC Knowledge Network, Education & Training (KNET) Working Group contributed to the sustainability agenda at the inaugural UNWTO Spiritual Tourism and Sustainable Development Conference hosted with the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism in Ninh Binh, Vietnam from 21 – 22 November 2013. Spiritual tourism [...]
The Chilean destination of Lake Llanquihue has completed the Global Sustainable Tourism Council’s (GSTC) Early Adopters pilot program to test its new Criteria and Indicators for Destinations. The destination joins the Cusco-Sacred Valley-Machu Picchu corridor in Peru as the first South American destinations to participate in and complete the GSTC Early Adoptersprogram. The Early Adopters program [...]
WASHINGTON, D.C. / MADRID, Nov 26, 2013– The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) and Sustainable Travel International today announced collaboration on an innovative platform for sustainable destinations worldwide. The new joint program includes networking opportunities through the GSTC’s Destination Membership, and Sustainable Travel International’s Sustainable Destination Leadership Network (SDLN). These programs, which are now available [...]
The Destination Cusco-Sacred Valley-Machu Picchu Peru,, known locally as the Cusco region and globally for the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu and Cusco World Heritage Sites, has completed the Global Sustainable Tourism Council’s (GSTC) Early Adopters pilot program to test its new Criteria and Indicators for Destinations. The Cusco region is one of Peru’s most visited [...]
The Destination Cusco-Sacred Valley-Machu Picchu Peru, known locally as the Cusco region and globally for the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu and City of Cusco World Heritage Sites, has completed the GSTC's Early Adopters pilot program to test its new Criteria and Indicators for Destinations. The Cusco region is one of Peru’s most visited tourist destinations, [...]
Located in south central Chile in the Los Lagos Region, this tourism destination notably features Lake Llanquihue, the second largest lake in Chile, and the lake resort towns of Frutillar, Puerto Varas, Llanquihue, and Puerto Octay. Tourism is economically vital to the region, where visitors can enjoy breathtaking views of the lake and surrounding volcanoes, [...]
Cronology The need for the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria for Destinations (GSTC-D) was determined in late 2009 by the Destination Stewardship Think Tank co-convened by Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and Sustainable Travel International. As a result, the GSTC Destination Working Group (the “Destinations WG”) was formed in February 2010. The methodology for the development [...]
Washington, DC (November 1st, 2013) Sustainable tourism is on the rise: consumer demand is growing, travel industry suppliers are developing new green programs, governments and international agencies are creating new policies to encourage sustainable practices in tourism. But what does “sustainable tourism” really mean? How can it be measured and credibly demonstrated, in order [...]
First Mediterranean destination adopts baseline criteria and indicators for sustainable tourism WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 24, 2013) – South Sardinia is the first Mediterranean destination to complete the Global Sustainable Tourism Council’s (GSTC) Early Adopters Program to test its new Criteria and Indicators for Destinations. The assessment was one of the [...]
South Sardinia is the first Mediterranean destination to complete the GSTC Early Adopters Program to test its new Criteria and Indicators for Destinations. The assessment was one of the first initiatives of Visit South Sardinia, a new DMO formed by five forward-thinking municipalities: Cagliari, Domus de Maria, Muravera, Pula, and Villasimius. Located 250km west of the Italian [...]
Kenyan destination recognized for good practices and desire for improvement (October 18, 2013) Mara Naboisho is the first wildlife conservancy to participate in the Global Sustainable Tourism Council’s (GSTC) Early Adopters Program. In doing so, the destination has achieved an important milestone in the recognition of sustainable tourism as a model to protect an area [...]
Madrid, Spain (October 15, 2013) – Luigi Cabrini, Director-Advisor of the Secretary-General of UNWTO on Sustainability and GSTC Board Member, and Mauro Marrocu, GSTC CEO, met with Frank Oostdam, ANVR Director, and Gerben Hardeman, ANVR Project Manager Sustainable Tourism, at UNWTO Headquarters in Madrid. The GSTC and ANVR recently formalized an alliance [...]
First Mediterranean destination adopts baseline criteria and indicators for sustainable tourism WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 11, 2013)– South Sardinia is the first Mediterranean destination to complete the Global Sustainable Tourism Council’s (GSTC) Early Adopters Program to test its new Criteria and Indicators for Destinations. The assessment was one of the first initiatives [...]
