What is Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria?

What is Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria?Sustainable tourism development according to the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria (GSTC) framework aims to create a sustainable approach for businesses and tourism destinations worldwide. The Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria for Destinations (GSTC-D) serves as a fundamental standard for sustainability in global travel and tourism. It is designed to guide businesses and destinations of all sizes towards sustainability, using four main categories and a total of 38 sub-criteria, as follows:

1. Sustainable Management System
2. Economic and Social Benefits
3. Cultural Impact
4. Environmental Impact

These four categories provide a comprehensive framework for measuring the success of sustainable tourism development. It goes beyond goal-setting, contributing to the creation of a systematically and ethically developed world. It also fosters collaboration within communities, encouraging them to set goals for creating pride in their hometowns. For instance, the Sapphaya community has utilized the GSTC guidelines to develop a sustainable green market and community-based tourism initiatives. The community actively participated in selecting indicators and worked in cooperation with the Sapphaya Sub-district Municipality, contributing to the continuous development of the area up to the present day.

For more information about GSTC_D: https://www.gstcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/GSTC-Criteria-for-Destinations-2.0-Thai.pdf