GSTC EarthCheck 550February 3, 2017 – The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) is pleased to announce that EarthCheck Evaluate has achieved ‘GSTC-Recognized’ status. The awarded status affirms EarthCheck’s commitment to promote sustainable tourism products and services.

EarthCheck Evaluate assesses an operator’s economic, social and environmental impact. The program is the product of 15 years of market research and experience through EarthCheck’s flagship program, EarthCheck Certified, which has helped clients across 70 countries realize more than $500 million in savings. EarthCheck Evaluate uses internationally recognized criteria to report on management performance covering a wide range of areas including environment, risk and quality management.

Achieving the GSTC-Recognized status means that a sustainable tourism standard has been reviewed by GSTC technical experts and the GSTC Accreditation Panel and deemed equivalent to the GSTC Criteria. Additionally, an organization that meets GSTC requirements must administer the standard. The purpose of the GSTC programs is to recognize and reward genuine practitioners of sustainable tourism, which in turn builds confidence and credibility with consumers.

To date, 32 standards have achieved GSTC-Recognized status. The completion of these step-wise programs rewards standard owners for their commitment to sustainability while offering the market a proof that these standards adhere to international norms.

The GSTC will continue to work with organizations around the world to provide GSTC Recognition, Approval & Accreditation of standards for sustainability in travel and tourism. GSTC-Recognized standard owners are encouraged to complete the Approved or Accreditation process in order to showcase excellence in their sustainability frameworks while further distinguishing their standards and processes amongst other certification programs. Learn more about GSTC Recognition.

About the GSTC

The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) establishes and manages global sustainable tourism standards with the aim of increasing sustainable tourism knowledge and practices among public and private stakeholders. The GSTC is an independent and neutral USA-registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization that establishes and manages global baseline standards for sustainability in travel and tourism. The standards are two sets of GSTC Criteria: Destination Criteria and Industry Criteria, the minimum requirements for tourism businesses and destinations to pursue in order to protect and sustain the world’s natural and cultural resources, along with conservation and poverty alleviation. The GSTC represents a diverse and global membership, including UN agencies, leading travel companies, hotels, country tourism boards, tour operators, individuals and communities – all striving to achieve best practices in sustainable tourism.

Media Contact: communications@gstcouncil.org

About EarthCheck

EarthCheck is a global business advisory group specialising in sustainability. In the past decade, EarthCheck have supported more than 360 research projects with a total value of $260 million. Its flagship product, EarthCheck Certified, is the world’s leading scientific benchmarking and certification program for the Travel & Tourism industry and has helped clients in more than 70 countries realise over $500 million in operational savings.