GSTC Attraction Criteria
The GSTC Attraction Criteria aims to establish global sustainability standards for attractions, guiding businesses such as theme parks, museums, and national parks toward sustainable practices. The GSTC Attraction Criteria are the minimum that any attraction business should aspire to reach. They are organized around four main themes: effective sustainability planning, maximizing social and economic benefits for the local community, enhancing cultural heritage, and reducing negative impacts on the environment. They have applicability to the entire attraction industry.
The GSTC Attraction Criteria has been developed for the attractions sector, including national parks and businesses like theme parks, museums, and other similar entities. The development process was a 14-month-long journey from September 2023 to November 2024, with support from the Singapore Tourism Board (STB).
Some of the uses of the criteria include the following:
- Help define sustainability in a holistic manner
- Raise awareness of the breadth and nature of sustainability
- Serve as the basis for certification for sustainability
- Serve as basic guidelines for Attraction businesses to become more sustainable which includes guidance for identifying more sustainable suppliers and service providers
- Provide greater market access in the growing market for sustainable businesses, serving as guidance for the Attraction businesses in choosing suppliers and partners
- Help consumers identify sound sustainable Attraction businesses
- Serve as a common denominator for information media to recognize sustainable Attraction businesses
- Offer both the public and private sectors a starting point for developing sustainable Attraction business requirements
- Serve as basic guidelines for education and training on sustainable Attraction by universities, hospitality schools, or associations
- Demonstrate leadership that inspires others to act
The GSTC Attraction Criteria indicates what should be done, not how to do it or whether the goal has been achieved. This role is fulfilled by performance indicators, associated educational materials, and access to tools for implementation, all of which are an indispensable complement to the GSTC Criteria. A report on the revisions from the first public consultation and second public consultation will soon be published.
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GSTC Criteria Sets
There are four sets of the GSTC Criteria. The first one is the GSTC Industry Criteria for Hotels and Tour Operators, the second set is the GSTC Destination Criteria, which relates to sustainable management of Tourism Destinations and the third set is the GSTC MICE Criteria (for Venues, Event Organizers, and Events & Exhibitions)
GSTC Criteria Translations
The GSTC Criteria are used for a variety of applications (education and awareness-raising, policy-making for businesses and government agencies and other organization types, measurement and evaluation, and as a basis for certification). Therefore, the GSTC Criteria have been translated into many languages, available to the public to download on the GSTC website:
Translations of the GSTC Criteria in other languages
Sustainable Tourism Glossary
GSTC has compiled a glossary in order to combat possible confusion as well as provide additional clarity to many of the concepts illustrated in the GSTC Criteria.
GSTC Sustainable Tourism Glossary: Definitions of Important Terms
Commercial use of the GSTC Criteria
The GSTC encourages broad use and application of the GSTC Criteria, which are available from this website free of charge for their non-commercial use. However, the GSTC reserves the right to assess and charge fees for the commercial use of the GSTC Criteria.