GSTC2017 – Towards More Sustainable Destinations: Management, Marketing, and Awareness

Destinations bring tourists to visit a different location from where they live. It is an imperative that these destinations are managed for long-term viability. Following the GSTC Criteria, management, marketing and awareness of sustainable destinations will be key theme for this year’s GSTC Global Sustainable Tourism Conference, GSTC2017.

Destinations are comprised by many different enterprises, organizations and individuals. GSTC2017 will include international and domestic tourism stakeholders involved in the development and promotion of sustainable tourism; including public sector, hotels, tour operators, academia, development agencies, NGOs, consultants, and more.

Simultaneous translation will be provided in English and Spanish.

PROGRAM

A mixture of plenary sessions and breakouts with international and national experts in sustainable tourism as speakers, panelists, and panel moderators.

Topics:

• Certifications of sustainability in travel and tourism
• Marketing sustainable tourism
• Sustainable visitor management practices
• Municipalities managing for sustainable tourism
• Destination management for climate change adaptation
• Sustainable tourism awareness and education
• Sustainable hotel management
• Sustainable food in the tourism industry
• Ecotourism and community-based tourism
• Indigenous tourism

Wednesday September 6^th: Welcoming dinner
Thursday September 7^th: Conference
Friday September 8^th: Conference
Saturday September 9^th: Post-conference tour to Cerro Castillo National Reserve / Self-paid post-conference tours
Sunday September 10^th: Self-paid post-conference tours

Simultaneous translation will be provided in English and Spanish.

SPEAKERS

VENUE

Venue: Hotel Dreams De La Patagonia, Coyhaique, Aysén Región, Chile

Coyhaique: Coyhaique is a city in Aysén region, and the main city in the Northern Chilean Patagonia with a population of 55,000. Surrounded by dramatic mountains, Coyhaique is the jumping-off point for travelers through Chilean Patagonia’s most beautiful and unspoiled landscapes.

TRAVEL INFORMATION

Weather: Expected in September

Visa: Do you need a visa to enter Chile? Find out here.

Travel Arrangements: Daily flights from Santiago (SCL) to Balmaceda (BBA) are operated by LATAM Airlines and Sky Airline, for US$100-200.

Transfers from Balmaceda Airport (BBA) to Coyhaique City will be offered to conference delegates arriving on September 6th. For those coming on a different date, there are convenient 12-14 passengers shuttle vans, CLP $5.000 p/p (~USD8).

Hotel reservations are the responsibility of the attendee. The conference will be held at Hotel Dreams De La Patagonia. Coyhaique has a variety of accommodation options.

The following accommodations offer a 10% discount for GSTC2017 participants:

19% VAT tax, IVA (Impuesto al Valor Agregado)

Foreign tourists are exempt from paying the 19% VAT (called IVA in Chile) on hotel bills. When checking in, you will be asked for your passport and for a photocopy of the passport and the tourist card that you will receive from immigration authorities at the Santiago airport on arrival. When you checkout, you will be billed via a “factura de exportación” which does not include the 19% IVA. However, you might find this is not the case with low-budget hotels and hostels.

Do a little math when offered a price in dollars as the peso rate might be cheaper due to a proprietor’s improper or inflated exchange rate.

Extending your stay to explore the area?

TripAdvisor: Things to do in Coyhaique

Chile Travel: Coyhaique and Puerto Aysén

InterPatagonia: Activities and Tours nearby Coyhaique

GoChile: Northern Patagonia & Carretera Austral

Tour operators that have received the Chilean National System for Distinction of Sustainable Tourism Achieves (GSTC-Recognized Standard):

Andes Nativa (English/Español)

BirdsChile (English/Español)

La Bicicleta Verde (English/Español)

Travolution (English/Español)

​Andina del Sud (Español)

Gold Star Travel (Español)

Novojet Chile (Español)

Smartrip (Español)

Turavion (Español)

ORGANIZERS 

MEDIA PARTNERS

 ECOTOURISM & COMMUNITY-BASED TOURISM PANEL SPONSOR

 CARBON NEUTRALITY

 CARBON NEUTRALITY SPONSOR