After careful selection of 144 tourist attractions in 27 among Indonesia’s 34 provinces, nine attractions were finally presented with the prestigious Citra Pesona Wisata or the Cipta Award 2013 for Sustainable Tourism Management from the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy.
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Monday, October 21, 2013
The Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria
The GSTC Criteria are the result of a worldwide effort to develop a common language about sustainability in tourism. Focusing on social and environmental responsibility, as well as the positive and negative economic and cultural impacts of tourism, the criteria are organized into four topics.
- Sustainable management
- Socioeconomic impacts
- Cultural impacts
- Environmental impacts (including consumption of resources, reducing pollution, and conserving biodiversity and landscapes)
The GSTC Criteria have been built on decades of prior work and experience around the world, and they take into account the numerous guidelines and standards for sustainable tourism from every continent. During the process of development, they were widely consulted throughout the globe, in both developed and developing countries, in several languages. They reflect our goal in attaining a global consensus on sustainable tourism.
The Criteria are the minimum, not the maximum, which businesses and destinations should achieve to approach social, environmental, cultural, and economic sustainability. Since tourism destinations each have their own culture, environment, customs, and laws, the Criteria are designed to be adapted to local conditions and supplemented by additional criteria for the specific location and activity.
To date, two sets of GSTC Criteria have been developed: for hotels and tour operators, and for destinations (currently in the process of public consultation of the first draft). Please click on the following link to see the Criteria:
Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria for Hotels and Tour Operators
In March 2012, GSTC announced the second version of the Criteria for Hotels and Tour Operators. After over 3 years of review and public comment on version 1, these new set of criteria are a true collaboration between tourism organizations, stake-holders and individuals. To read more about how these standards were created and to see a full list of the new criteria Click here.
Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria for Destinations
GSTC Criteria for Destinations has been designed to guide destination specialists, managers, communities, and businesses towards the steps that are needed to sustain the natural and cultural attractions that draw-in tourists, while economically benefitting the local community and businesses. The draft version of the Destination Criteria is available in for public consultation, for the next two months. We invite all interested persons and organizations to comment or suggest improvements until June 2, 2012. Your considerations can be made here in English, French, Spanish and Mandarin. Click here for more information on the Criteria for Destinations.
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Chile early adopters success
Image from Lake Llanquihue area
The Chilean destination of Lake Llanquihue has completed the Global Sustainable Tourism Council’s (GSTC) Early Adopters pilot program to test its new Criteria and Indicators for Destinations. The destination joins the Cusco-Sacred Valley-Machu Picchu corridor in Peru as the first South American destinations to participate in and complete the GSTC
Early Adopters program.
The Early Adopters program is overseen by GSTC’s Destination Working Group and managed by NGO partner Sustainable Travel International (STI). The Destination Criteria complement the existing GSTC Criteria for Hotels and Tour Operators, which is the worldwide sustainability standard for tourism businesses.
Located in south central Chile in the Los Lagos Region, this tourism destination notably features Lake Llanquihue, the second largest lake in Chile, and the lake resort towns of Frutillar, Puerto Varas, Llanquihue, and Puerto Octay. Tourism is economically vital to the region, where visitors can enjoy breathtaking views of the lake and surrounding volcanoes, and partake in outdoor recreation such as skiing, hiking, hot springs, and activities in and around the lake.
“We are pleased to welcome Peru and Chile to the Early Adopters Program,” said GSTC Board Chairperson Kelly S. Bricker, Ph.D. “These two iconic South American destinations are demonstrating true global leadership. We are confident that this second and final round of our pilot program will help the GSTC continue our effort to incorporate diverse perspectives and improve the Criteria and Indicators for Destinations for world-wide application through a transparent, collaborative process,” she said.
“Chile’s participation in the GSTC Early Adopter Program is part of our national strategy to position ourselves as a sustainable destination,” Fernando Ortúzar, Regional Director of Tourism Los Lagos said. “It is a tremendous challenge for the region and posed an extraordinary opportunity for the four municipalities, the private sector and all Lake Llanquihue stakeholders to lead the development of sustainable tourism,” he said.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Destination Criteria and Sustainability
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council is developing a set of Destination Criteria and Indicators, in an effort to expand its promotion of sustainable tourism principles. The GSTC Criteria for Destinations describe the minimum standards that a destination must reach in order to move toward social, cultural, and environmental sustainability—maintaining the cultural and natural attractions that tourists come to see, while benefiting the local population.
Currently in its Early Adopters phase, the GSTC’s newest endeavor is meant to complement existing criteria for hotels and tour operators. Sustainable Travel International was chosen by the GSTC’s Destination Steering Committee as the consultancy for development and implementation for Phase 1 in 2012, and is expanding this effort to a Phase 2 in 2013. Sustainable Travel International’s team is visiting each Early Adopter destination to meet and consult with key stakeholders including the destination management organization, tourism private sector, and other government agencies.
Project Objectives
- Evaluate existing sustainable tourism standards for destinations
- Undertake a thorough public consultation and stakeholder engagement process
- Develop baseline sustainable tourism criteria and performance indicators for destinations
- Undertake a pilot launch of the criteria and indicators to validate the range and clarity of the criteria and indicators, identify any issues not covered by the indicators, and conduct a GSTC good practice evaluation
Project Outcomes
- Piloted an Early Adopters phase, consisting of six destinations around the world: Okavango Delta, Botswana; Mount Huangshan Scenic Area, China; Lanzarote; Fjord Norway, Norway; St. Kitts and Nevis; and Teton County, Wyoming, USA
- Selected to lead a Phase 2 Pilot designed to implement feedback from Round 1 while improving the criteria and indicators.
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