The India Travel & Tourism Sustainability Conclave 2025, held on April 16 at The Taj Mahal Hotel in New Delhi, brought together leaders to discuss the pressing need for sustainable growth in India's tourism sector. The event was organised by the MakeMyTrip Foundation in collaboration with the World Travel & Tourism Council India Initiative [...]
TravTalk, one of India’s most respected tourism publications, featured an in-depth interview with CB Ramkumar, Vice Chair of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), in its May 1st fortnight issue (pages 5 and 18). In the interview, Mr. Ramkumar candidly addressed the misalignment between India’s existing tourism sustainability framework and global best practices, and [...]
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) and The Hotel Association of India (HAI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the 4th of October, 2024, at the Sustainability Conclave event, aiming to improve and strengthen cooperation and collaboration between the two parties to generate respective synergies and promote the application of sustainability practices [...]
The half-day Sustainability Conclave for the hotel industry successfully held on the 4th of October 2024 in India, brought together key players from the hospitality sector to raise awareness and foster the adoption of the LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) initiative, as envisioned by the Government of India. Held with the mission to address pressing [...]
In a bid to promote sustainable tourism, the Uttar Pradesh government in India has introduced specific incentives for responsible tourism businesses under its Tourism Policy 2022-2032. Among the key benefits is a 50% reimbursement of certification fees established for tour operators for obtaining GSTC (Global Sustainable Tourism Council) certification through a GSTC-Accredited Certification Body. [...]
A successful GSTC Hotel Sustainability Training for Industry Professionals in India was held at the Radisson Hotel in Jaipur City Center on March 28th and 29th, 2024. This event marks the fifth collaborative training effort between Agoda and GSTC, and the first in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through [...]
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) collaborated with Digital travel platform Agoda and the Government of Goa to organize a Hotel Sustainability Training for industry professionals from November 28 to 29, 2023, at Park Regis, Goa, India. This two-day program brought together local hoteliers for a series of sessions led by influential industry experts, [...]
Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) signs MOU with Madhya Pradesh The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Madhya Pradesh Ecotourism Development Board on the 24th of January 2023, to help build Madhya Pradesh as a leading Sustainable Ecotourism Destination in India. GSTC was represented by CB Ramkumar, GSTC Vice-Chair [...]
Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) signs MOU with Meghalaya Tourism Department The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Meghalaya Tourism Department on the 18th of January 2023, to help build Meghalaya as a leading Sustainable Destination in India. GSTC was represented by CB Ramkumar, GSTC Vice-Chair and South Asia [...]
Luxury travellers are demanding sustainable tourism, and hotels are stepping up Article written by Lijee Philip in the Economic Times Raas Chhatrasagar is a luxurious, 16-tent resort that sits in the middle of an artificially created forest spread across 1,500 acres near Jodhpur in Rajasthan. It is home to over 250 species of birds and [...]
Gujarat Tourism Policy 2021-2025: Towards Sustainable Tourism The Indian state of Gujarat has recently adopted the Gujarat Tourism Policy 2021-2025. The vision of the policy is to develop Gujarat in a responsible, inclusive and sustainable manner and make it the foremost destination for tourism in India. The policy outlines strategies toward sustainability to reduce [...]
GSTC India Working Group: Leadership Change Aditi Chanchani assumes responsibilities as Chair of the GSTC India Working Group from October 2022, which came together to augment the functions of GSTC globally based on agreed-upon principles of sustainability at the national level. “I have known Aditi, as an influential voice among the civil society space [...]
The GSTC India Working Group held a public webinar on August 24th, 2022 titled "GSTC in India: Adopting the Sustainability Agenda in the Travel & Tourism Marketplace". Sustainable travel as a concept is gaining momentum. The Travel and Tourism Marketplaces are well positioned to further the “sustainable & responsible travel” aspirations that travelers are [...]
MakeMyTrip has joined as a Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) member. New Delhi, June 24, 2022— MakeMyTrip, India's leading online travel company, today announced becoming a member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). With this step, MakeMyTrip joins a select band of travel companies across the world that are taking the lead in [...]
Destination Stewardship Report – Autumn 2021 (Volume 2, Issue 2) This post is from the Destination Stewardship Report (Autumn 2021, Volume 2, Issue 2), an e-quarterly publication that provides practical information and insights useful to anyone whose work or interests involve improving destination stewardship in a post-pandemic world. Contrasting Tourism Landscapes in Karnataka, India [...]
Destination Stewardship Report – Autumn 2021 (Volume 2, Issue 2)This post is from the Destination Stewardship Report (Autumn 2021, Volume 2, Issue 2), an e-quarterly publication that provides practical information and insights useful to anyone whose work or interests involve improving destination stewardship in a post-pandemic world.A Himalayan Village Takes Charge of Its FutureAfter witnessing [...]
To mark the launch of the GSTC India Working Group, the GSTC held a public webinar on November 10th 2021 titled "Unpacking Sustainable Tourism in India through the lens of the GSTC Criteria." Keynote talk was given by Mr. Arvind Singh (Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India), addressing the move of the tourism [...]
The National Strategy and Roadmap for Sustainable Tourism in 2021 of The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India placed a significant focus on sustainability, highlighting the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) as a key element of this strategy. The National Strategy and Roadmap for Sustainable Tourism report underscores that the GSTC Criteria is designed [...]
The Gujarat government its Gujarat Tourism Policy 2021-2025 Towards Sustainability "While the global travel and tourism industry contributes to 10% of the global GDP, valuing close to USD 9 trillion, it contributes to around 8% of the world's carbon emissions. Various aspects such as transport, lodging, construction, food and beverages and such tourism-related activities [...]
96% of Indian travelers identified sustainable travel as important to them: Booking.com Sustainable Travel Report 2020 According to research conducted by Booking.com in 2020 (~ 22 global markets and ~1000 participants per market) 82% of travellers tell they find sustainability an important topic, but only 50% tell there's enough choice when it comes to [...]
