Self-Assessment Tool Empowers Destinations

Destination Stewardship Report – Volume 5, Issue 3

This post is from the Destination Stewardship Report, a publication that provides practical information and insights useful to anyone whose work or interests involve improving destination stewardship in a post-pandemic world.

Self-Assessment Tool Empowers Destinations

A new user-friendly self-assessment tool is making it easier for destinations to evaluate and improve the resilience of their tourism practices. Developed by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), this resource provides a structured approach for all who are committed to destination stewardship to measure progress across four pillars of sustainability. Tiffany Chan explains.

Is Your Destination on the Right Track?

Based on the GSTC Destination Standard (formerly GSTC Destination Criteria), this tool is designed to support a wide range of stakeholders, including but not limited to destination management organizations, policy-makers, tourism businesses, NGOs, educational institutions, and certification bodies.

Like the standard itself, the tool is free to use and universally applicable, making it relevant and practical for destinations of any size, type, or location. It is designed to support every stage of a destination’s sustainability journey, from initial planning and policy development to preparing for certification.

Whether a destination is just beginning its journey or refining long-standing sustainability efforts, assessing progress can be complex. It requires a clear understanding of governance, community impact, cultural preservation, and environmental responsibility. The GSTC Destination Self-Assessment Tool simplifies this process by providing a structured framework that highlights areas for improvement and tracks progress over time. Users assess whether their practices are well in place, in progress, or in need of improvement.

The tool evaluates destinations based on the following four cornerstones:

Sustainable Management – Encourages destinations to assess governance, stakeholder engagement, visitor management, and risk preparedness.
Socioeconomic Impacts – Measures how tourism benefits local communities and economies, ensuring that growth translates into tangible advantages for residents.
Cultural Impacts – Focuses on the preservation and promotion of local heritage and identity, and helps destinations safeguard cultural assets while welcoming visitors.
Environmental Impacts – Examines resource consumption, pollution reduction, and biodiversity conservation, which empowers destinations to enhance environmental stewardship.

By regularly revisiting the assessment, destinations can measure improvements, identify new opportunities, and ensure their tourism practices align with global standards.

Getting Started with the Self-Assessment Tool

The tool is designed for ease of use. After creating an account, destinations complete a self-assessment across four sections. The tool uses a simple “yes,” “no,” or “in progress” response format, making it accessible even for destinations with limited sustainability expertise.

By completing all sections, destinations receive a percentage score (from 0% to 100%) based on the number of criteria completed. This allows users to identify strengths, recognize areas needing improvement, and retake the assessment over time to track progress.

More than just a one-time evaluation, the tool serves as a long-term guide for responsible tourism. It helps destinations navigate the complexities of sustainable management by identifying key achievements and uncovering opportunities for growth. This continuous feedback fosters resilience, ensuring that tourism not only thrives but also benefits the local environment, economy, and communities.

Why Global Standards Matter

The GSTC Standards serve as a common language for understanding and communicating sustainability in tourism. It offers a foundation for policy development, helps consumers identify responsible tourism options, supports certification programs, guides education and training institutions, and provides a starting point for developing sustainable tourism requirements.

Available in 30 languages, the GSTC Standards are based on decades of global experience and incorporate sustainable tourism guidelines from every continent.

Developed through extensive international consultation, they reflect certification standards and best practices globally. Indicators were evaluated for relevance and practicality, as well as their applicability to a broad range of destination types. The process of developing the Standards was designed to adhere to ISO codes of conduct and take reference from the standards-setting code of the ISEAL Alliance, the international body providing guidance for the development and management of sustainability standards for all sectors.

As sustainability becomes a key priority in the travel industry, aligning with global standards helps destinations enhance their reputation, attract responsible travelers, and future-proof their tourism sectors.

The GSTC does not endorse specific destinations or results from the self-assessment tool. Instead, the tool is designed to help destinations evaluate their sustainability efforts based on global standards. Completing the assessment does not imply certification or official approval but serves as a guide for continuous improvement.