One year after launching the R4MSEC Roundtable for Micro and Small Enterprises Certification, the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) reflects on the progress of this initiative, created to address the specific challenges micro and small tourism enterprises face in accessing sustainability certification. The Roundtable was established to bring together stakeholders from across the tourism [...]
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) participated in ITB Berlin 2026, held from March 3 to 5 in Berlin, Germany. As one of the world's leading travel trade shows, ITB Berlin once again provided an important meeting point for tourism stakeholders from across the globe. This year, GSTC welcomed visitors to its dedicated exhibition [...]
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) will co-host a special event during European Climate Pact Week 2026 titled "Building Climate-Resilient Destinations: Integrating Climate Indicators into Sustainability Standards." The event will bring together policymakers, tourism leaders, destination managers, and sustainability experts to discuss how tourism destinations can strengthen climate resilience and align with [...]
The GSTC MICE Standard for venues, event organizers, and events & exhibitions has been translated into Spanish and is now available to download in the GSTC Standard Translations section. Our sincere thanks to Alejandra Zita, Specialist and Trainer in Sustainable Events and Tourism in Latin America, for her support and volunteer work on the [...]
GSTC participated in the CLIA European Summit 2026, organized by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), held from 23 to 26 February 2026 in Madeira, Portugal. The Summit brought together a wide range of stakeholders from across the European cruise ecosystem, including industry leaders, policymakers, port authorities, destination representatives, and other industry stakeholders. The [...]
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) has published a revised version 5.0 of the GSTC Accreditation Manual for Certification Bodies – Hotel/Accommodation, Tour Operator, MICE, and Attraction. This version reflects the expansion of accreditation scopes to include MICE (covering venues, event organizers, and events/exhibitions) and Attraction certification. The revised Manual was approved on March [...]
TOKYU HOTELS has joined as a member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) TOKYU HOTELS is a hotel brand operated by the Tokyu Group, managing a portfolio of hotels across Japan. Through its hotel operations, the company provides accommodation and hospitality services across a range of brands, serving both business and leisure travelers [...]
The MICE sector is increasingly integrating sustainability into its planning and operations, driven by evolving industry expectations and the need for more responsible and sustainable practices. In this context, having clear, practical frameworks is essential to support consistent, measurable implementation. The GSTC MICE Standard was launched last year (for Venues, Event Organizers, and Events [...]
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) and the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF), transnational coordinator of EuroVelo, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a formal framework for cooperation. This Memorandum of Understanding reflects a shared interest in advancing sustainability principles and encouraging greater alignment between tourism, mobility, and responsible development. Through this [...]
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) participated in the international in-person ‘’Workshop to Identify Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Environmental, Social and Economic Issues for Tourism Enterprises, under the framework of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in Lima, Peru, on February 25 and 26, 2026. The workshop formed part of [...]
Held on February 18–19, 2026, at the Tokyo International Forum, Sustainable Brands 2026 Tokyo Marunouchi marked its 10th anniversary under the theme “Adapt and Accelerate.” The event convened business leaders to examine brand transformation, innovation, regenerative practices, and cross-sector collaboration, offering a platform for structured dialogue on environmental and social performance. Emi Kaiwa, GSTC [...]
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) has launched the GSTC Knowledge Hub, a new resource platform developed to support tourism professionals with practical, well-structured, and accessible sustainability insights. The platform is designed to enable seamless navigation and keyword-based search, allowing users to quickly locate relevant content according to their specific needs and areas of [...]
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) has released a new resource, Pathways to GSTC Destination Certification, to support destinations in navigating the process toward GSTC Destination Certification*. As sustainability continues to gain importance across the tourism sector, many destinations are seeking guidance on how to move from intention to implementation. This document addresses that [...]
Ahead of the GSTC2026 Global Sustainable Tourism Conference, GSTC will deliver two onsite GSTC Auditor Trainings in Phuket, Thailand. Running in parallel with the other pre-conference training courses, these trainings provide participants with the opportunity to develop auditing competence aligned with the GSTC Standards and strengthen their technical understanding of sustainability audits before the [...]
The Region of Istria (Croatia) has joined as a member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) Istria is a heart-shaped peninsula located in the heart of Europe, in the Adriatic Sea of the Mediterranean. The region is characterized by a combination of coastal scenic areas and seaside towns, inland rural landscapes, vineyards, and [...]
GSTC CEO, Randy Durband, along with Michelle Janke, GSTC Regional Director for Europe, visited Budapest, Hungary, February 9 and 10, 2026, to engage with key tourism stakeholders and further strengthen collaboration around sustainable tourism development in Hungary and the wider Central European region. The visit aimed to exchange insights on sustainability challenges specific to [...]
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) has released the first report from the R4AWT – Roundtable for Animal Welfare in Tourism, an initiative established to support dialogue and collaboration on animal welfare practices within the tourism sector, aligned with the GSTC Standards. First R4AWT Roundtable Report on Animal Welfare in Tourism available here [...]
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) congratulates Cooperative JOO-IN, a locally rooted tour operator based in Buyeo, South Chungcheong Province, which has become the first Korean local Tour Operator brand to achieve GSTC Tour Operator Certification. The certification was officially approved on December 26, 2025, following a one-year independent assessment conducted by Control Union [...]
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) participated in the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2026, held on January 29, 2026, in Cebu, Philippines, under the theme “Navigating our tourism future, together.” Marking its 45th edition, the forum brought together national tourism organizations, policymakers, development institutions, and tourism stakeholders from across the ASEAN region and beyond to [...]
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) has published its first report from the R4MSEC – Roundtable for Micro and Small Enterprises Certification, an initiative launched on 14 March 2025 to support the development of certification approaches that are more accessible and relevant for micro and small tourism enterprises. First R4MSEC Roundtable Report on Micro [...]
