VisitBalaton365 has joined as a member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC)
Located in Hungary, Lake Balaton is Central Europe’s largest freshwater lake and one of the country’s most distinctive tourism regions. Often called the ‘Hungarian Sea’, the area is known for its varied landscapes, historic towns, volcanic hills, vineyards, beaches, and cultural attractions. The region offers a broad range of experiences year-round, including wellness, gastronomy, outdoor activities, festivals, and heritage-based tourism.
VisitBalaton365 promotes Lake Balaton as a year-round destination, encouraging visitors to explore beyond the summer season and discover a wider range of experiences across the region. Its platform highlights festivals, events, local attractions, culture, wellness, and other year-round offerings, reflecting an approach that supports broader visitor distribution and greater visibility for the destination’s diverse tourism offer.
Sustainability Commitment
The Balaton Adaptation Model Project (BAM) was designed in 2006 to improve understanding of the Balaton region’s environmental and socio-economic vulnerability, particularly in response to changing water balance conditions, coastal habitat erosion, and the wider implications for regional development and tourism. The project brought together environmental, economic, and social analyses to examine sustainability-related challenges in an integrated way, while also supporting the development of adaptation measures and decision-making tools for local governments and national authorities. It also included observation and modeling activities, as well as the development of indicators related to water quality, water quantity regulation, land use, biodiversity, and demographic change.
The Balaton Uplands World Heritage Tourism project, carried out from 1 February 2018 to 28 December 2023, was developed to strengthen the tourism value of the Balaton Uplands Cultural Landscape through heritage enhancement, improved visitor readiness, and more modern interpretation tools. The project aimed to create innovative attractions for different target groups and age groups, support the sustainable use of the cultural landscape, and help expand tourism activity beyond the peak season through a more diverse year-round offer.
The Veszprém–Balaton 2023 European Capital of Culture program was a significant milestone for the region, contributing substantially to strengthening Lake Balaton’s cultural and tourism identity. Beyond enhancing international visibility, the project also served as a strong driving force for embedding sustainability considerations—particularly in social, economic, and environmental dimensions—more consciously into tourism product development.
The Sustainable Rural Mobility Plan for the Balaton Key Resort Area was completed in February 2025 as a strategic regional framework covering the municipalities of the Balaton Key Resort Area. Developed through a consortium led by the Balaton Development Council, the Balaton Integration and Development Agency, KTI, and the Municipality of Balatonfüred, the plan sets out a long-term mobility vision intended to support economic development, social accessibility, and environmental quality across the region. It also includes more focused mobility analysis for four key towns, Siófok, Balatonfüred, Keszthely, and Tapolca, and outlines goals, measures, implementation steps, and a broad portfolio of project elements designed to guide more sustainable mobility planning in the destination over the coming decades.
The SMART TOUR project is an ongoing Interreg Europe initiative that supports the development of smart tourism and smart destinations through a combination of digitalization, sustainability, cultural heritage, and creativity. In the Balaton region, the project involves the Balaton Integration and Development Agency in research, data collection, and stakeholder engagement linked to themes such as destination governance, sustainable mobility, multimodal travel, improved online tourism information, better tourism indicators, and digital tools and services for both visitors and residents. The initiative started on 1 May 2025 and is running until 30 April 2029.
Dr. Péter Princzinger, CEO of VisitBalaton365, emphasized: “The future of Lake Balaton can only be imagined in a sustainable way. Our goal is to ensure that the development of tourism in the region creates a long-term balance between protecting natural assets, respecting the interests of local communities, and delivering a competitive, high-quality visitor experience. For us, building a four-season Balaton is not only a tourism development objective, but also a responsibility: we must strengthen the destination while preserving the natural and cultural heritage that makes Balaton truly unique. This is why we consider joining GSTC to be an especially important step, as it provides access to international knowledge, best practices, and a professional community whose members can help us support the sustainable development of Balaton even more effectively through cooperation.”
GSTC welcomes Visit Balaton
“We extend a warm welcome to VisitBalaton365, as a new member of GSTC and value their commitment in supporting our mission. We look forward to working with them to advance sustainable tourism practices in their region,” said Randy Durband, GSTC CEO.
About VisitBalaton365
VisitBalaton365 promotes tourism in Hungary’s Lake Balaton region, presenting the destination as a year-round destination to be discovered. Through its content and destination promotion, it highlights the region’s natural, cultural, and culinary richness while encouraging visitors to explore attractions beyond the beaches and traditional seasonal travel patterns. More information here: https://visitbalaton365.com/
About GSTC
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council® (GSTC®) establishes and manages global sustainable standards, the GSTC Standards, also known as the GSTC Criteria. The GSTC Destination Standard for public policy-makers and destination managers, the GSTC Hotel Standard for hotels and accommodations, the GSTC Tour Operator Standard, the GSTC MICE Standard for Venues, Event Organizers, and Events & Exhibitions, and the GSTC Attraction Standard for tourist attractions such as theme parks, museums, and national parks. These are the guiding principles and minimum requirements that any tourism business or destination should aspire to reach in order to protect and sustain the world’s natural and cultural resources while ensuring tourism meets its potential as a tool for conservation and poverty alleviation.
The GSTC Standards form the foundation for GSTC’s assurance role for Certification Bodies that certify hotels/accommodations, tour operators, and destinations as having sustainable policies and practices in place. GSTC does not directly certify any products or services but provides accreditation to those that do.
GSTC is an independent and neutral USA-registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization that represents a diverse and global membership, including national and provincial governments, leading travel companies, hotels, tour operators, NGOs, individuals and communities – all striving to achieve best practices in sustainable tourism. The GSTC is an ISEAL Community Member, a global membership organization for ambitious, collaborative, and transparent sustainability systems, as well as an Association Member of The International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and an Associate Member with the Inter-American Accreditation Cooperation (IAAC).
Information for media and the press: www.gstc.org/about/for-the-press/
Statements expressed in this announcement are presented for informational purposes only and should not be taken as an endorsement or recommendation by GSTC, unless clearly stated.
