GSTC Criteria: Ten Certification Programs to Adopt GSTC-Recognized Sustainability Standards

GSTC Criteria

The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) has recognized ten organizations for their public commitment to using GSTC Criteria to set up specific standards. The standards adopted by the ten organizations are consistent with GSTC Criteria, the first and only global framework for defining sustainable travel benchmarks in a sustainable travel standards structure.

GSTC-Recognized Certification Programs

The following ten organizations have achieved the GSTC-Recognized status for their certification programs:

• Austrian Ecolabel for Tourism (Bundesministerium für Land - und Forstwirtschaft, Umwelt und Wasserwirtschaft, Österreichisches Umweltzeichen)
• Costa Rica Tourist Board (ICT)'s Certification for Sustainable Tourism (CST)
• Ecotourism Australia's Ecotourism Standard and Ecotourism Australia's Advanced Ecotourism Standard Ecotourism
• Ireland’s Ecotourism Ireland Label
• European Ecotourism Knowledge Network’s European Ecotourism Labeling Standard (EETLS)
• Fair Trade in Tourism for South Africa (FTTSA)
• Instituto de Turismo Responsable's Biosphere Hotels
• Japan Ecolodge Association’s Environmentally sustainable accommodations standard
• Rainforest Alliance’s Standard for Tourism Operations
• Sustainable Travel International’s Sustainable Tourism Eco-Certification Program (STEP)

Three-Stage GSTC Process

This marks a significant milestone in the development of credible sustainable travel and tourism products. The GSTC-Recognized standards are the cornerstone and first step of a 3-stage GSTC Process.

1. STANDARD RECOGNITION: Stage 1 recognizes that a standard, which is a written statement that can be verified, is compatible with the GSTC Criteria.
2. APPROVAL: Stage 2 is the evaluation of the processes for certification to ensure they are transparent, impartial and conducted by people with technical competence. The 2nd stage is called GSTC Approval of a certification program that uses a GSTC-recognized standard.
3. ACCREDITATION: The third and final stage is full accreditation (GSTC-Accredited) and will begin implementation in December of 2014.