WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) has launched a 60-day public comment period for Version 2 of the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria that are based on ISEAL guidelines (the ISEAL Alliance is a global association for social and environmental standards). The survey will be open until October 15, 2011. The survey can be accessed through the GSTC website site.
The GSTC Criteria are a universal language defining a minimum standard for sustainability in travel and tourism. Businesses, organizations and governments use the Criteria to create sustainability programs. The GSTC Criteria fall under four main pillars: Sustainability Management, Social & Economic, Culture and Environment.
“We are pleased to introduce Version 2 of the Criteria for public comment,” said Erika Harms, executive director, Global Sustainable Tourism Council. “Global stakeholder input is vital to the success and strength of the Criteria. We’ve seen small businesses to entire governments adopt the original Criteria to guide sustainable operations and policy. This next version will provide even more specific and actionable guidance.”
All Stakeholders Can Participate
The survey is open to everyone interested in how the future of travel should be managed. These include travel and tourism businesses, nonprofit community-based tourism programs, NGOs, academic, government and municipality representatives and consumers and businesses that support the tourism industry.
The GSTC is especially focused on including the most difficult to reach stakeholder groups. In addition to in-person interviews and targeted conference calls, the survey will also be translated into several languages including Mandarin, Spanish and French. Input from all stakeholders will go toward shaping the next version of the GSTC Criteria.
The original GSTC Criteria were launched in 2008 in Barcelona, Spain. They were supported by the United Nations World Tourism Organization, United Nations Environment Programme, Rainforest Alliance, Sabre Holdings and the United Nations Foundation. The 37 original criteria were the result of an 18-month process which included outreach to more than 80,000 constituencies reviewing 4,500 existing criteria. Each criterion in the first round received a 91 percent approval from survey respondents. Version 1 of the Criteria has been adopted and implemented around the globe.
Click here for more information.
