Amos Bien - Technical Director, GSTC By Amos Bien, GSTC Technical Director The Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria (GSTC Criteria) were an enormous step forward when they were launched in 2008. They are a synthesis of more than 20 years' work, by hundreds of people and institutions from around the world in what [...]
Feedback from tourism businesses, travelers and others affected by the tourism industry is a crucial part of the process for the revision and modification of the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria. The GSTC is conducting a sixty (60) day review the second version of the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria. This process will consider all comments and [...]
We still have a long way to go in the Asia Pacific region in relation to the understanding and take-up of sustainable approaches for the tourism industry. In many languages, there is no direct translation for the well-intentioned western word 'sustainable'. For the vast majority of Asia's massive populations, the idea of a tourism experience is just [...]
Adventure Travel Saves the World Anything or anyone claiming to save the world is appropriately met with eye-rolling and sighing- we've been there and done that. We are the cynical people who have been sold a bill of goods our whole lives by Wall Street and Madison Avenue. With the recent forced-opening of kimonos, it [...]
Hola! A warm thank you to everyone who was able to attend the 2nd Annual GSTC Membership Council meeting in Barcelona, Spain last week. We had an amazing turn out (close to 200 people registered for the event!). The most exciting part…we had 60 members join us! The week began with a two-day meeting of [...]
Content Provided by Leilani Latimer - Sabre Holdings, GSTC Board Member and Chair of the Market Access Working Group As chair of the Market Access working group at the GSTC and head of sustainability for Sabre Holdings, I know that our members are looking for tools that allow businesses to innovate, increase customer loyalty and [...]
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The beauty of the GSTC is that it is a collaborative effort. All of our members have undertaken activities or represent companies who have undertaken activities to support the advancement of Sustainable Tourism. We are inclusive organization and we work hard to reach out to build partnerships. Making sustainable tourism mainstream is not something that [...]
The GSTC Board of Directors includes twelve seats with three-year terms, with annual elections for those among the twelve which are vacant or expired. This committee plays an oversight role on the process of nominating and electing board members to those seats. Their specific duties are dictated by the organization's bylaws. herbert.hamele @ ecotrans.de y: [...]
Membership Council Membership Governance Board of Directors Executive Committee Elections Working groups Conflict of Interest Operation Staff Travel Policy Funding Donations Fees For Service Sponsorship
By-laws: Revised (proposed) By-laws: Current GSTC Business Plan Operations Manual Accreditation Standards Setting/Criteria
Resolutions 1. Revised By-laws
Discussion Papers 1. Certifications on the Board
Board Meeting Agenda Membership Council Meeting Agenda
Over the past twenty years, Barcelona has undergone an extraordinary evolution as a tourist destination. Boosted by the Olympic Games of 1992 (an authentic point of inflection - before and after) Barcelona has gone from being practically irrelevant on the international tourist circuit, to becoming one of the most highly desired world destinations. With [...]
Consumer interest in Sustainable Travel is on the rise. According to a recent report from CMIGreen, consumers are more actively engaging in activities and purchasing decisions that are inline with their values. When consumers made the same value alignment with fish and paper products big changes were seen in those respective industries. Study after study [...]
In a previous post we talked about the fact that customers are removed from the certification process. They aren’t fully aware of what a business is doing and/or if that business is making improvements in order to maintain its status as a certified sustainable business. True. These same concerns surrounded the establishment of programs for [...]
Leilani Latimer - Sabre Holdings, GSTC Board Member and Chair of the Market Access Working Group Standards for Sustainable Tourism When you think of standards, do you think of limitations or confinements? If you've ever been in sales, you know that standards can give you boundaries, which you can then run freely [...]
One of the most common misconceptions about the GSTC Criteria is that it was designed to be a one-size-fits-all solution. This couldn’t be farther from the reality. The criteria are a reference or starting point for any business seeking to become more sustainable. In fact, the GSTC has created tools to help businesses do a [...]
