RCL

RCL will give preference to GSTC Certified tours by the end of 2018 when quality, price and availability are equal.

Tour operators will be eligible to use the GSTC’s world-renowned logo in their marketing materials once they have been confirmed by GSTC to have been certified to a GSTC Accredited program. To use the GSTC logo, the tour operator must simply enter into a licensing agreement with GSTC. The licensing agreement will last for one [...]

The length of the process can vary depending on the processes and documents a tour operator might already have in place, decreasing the time it might take to gather and organize these materials. The length of time to audit can also depend on the size and complexity of an operator. In general it can take [...]

A 2015 Nielsen Global Corporate Sustainability Report shows that 66% of global consumers say they’re willing to pay more for sustainable brands—up 55% from 2014. 73% of global millennials are willing to pay extra for sustainable offerings—up from 50% in 2014.

Many certifying bodies offer efficient ways to reduce the cost of certification – for example, group pricing for multiple tour operators, or affordable pricing for small operators. Price of certification is a key question to ask of certifying bodies when selecting one that meets your needs.

The costs vary. Most certification bodies include a one-time application fee, a recurring annual fees, and audit expenses. These may be based on annual turnover. Let certification bodies know that you supply RCL with tours, inquire with them to find out if they can offer any special pricing arrangements.

No. However, RCL strongly encourages its tour operators to adopt sustainability practices and to become GSTC Certified. In addition, moving towards 2020, RCL will give preference to sourcing tours that are GSTC Certified and to those that have made progress towards certification, when quality, price, and availability are equal. Tour operators that obtain GSTC Certification [...]

RCL tour operators will have until December 31, 2019 to become a GSTC Certified tour operator in order to be included in RCL’s sustainable shore excursions marketing program beginning January 1, 2020.

The length of time it takes to become certified varies depending upon the size/complexity of the tour operator and the operator’s existing sustainability programs.

In order to be eligible to be called a RCL “sustainable” tour as of 2020, the tour operator that directly operates the tour must be GSTC Certified. Companies that sub-contract with tour operators to operate RCL tours are recommended to work with their sub-contracted tour operators to encourage and assist them to become GSTC Certified. [...]

Please refer to the GSTC Certified Toolkit for Tour Operators.

Unfortunately, no. This special incentive was available only to the tour operators who joined us to meet our 2015 target of having 50% of our tour operators third party-verified to an internationally recognized standard. However, all RCL tour operators who have achieved GSTC Certification will be immediately designated an RCL “sustainable” tour. We ask that [...]

Yes.

The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) was formed in 2007 by a coalition of 32 organizations including the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the United Nations Foundation, Rainforest Alliance, and the World Wildlife Fund.  Like the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) for seafood and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) [...]

In consultation with WWF, we elected to endorse the Global Sustainable Tourism Council’s (GSTC) tour operator sustainability standard and certification program. The work we have all done in collaboration for the sustainable shore excursions program has laid the ground work to be able to now take our program to the next level, adopting the world’s [...]

Royal Caribbean has always driven innovation and best practice in our industry, both in our own operations and with our suppliers. Over the past year, RCL spent considerable time reflecting on what we have achieved with regards to sustainability and what we can do better in the future.  We looked to partner with an organization [...]

No.  STI has discontinued its STEP Shore Excursion verification program.  If your STEP verification expires prior to 2019, your tours will continue to be distinguished as sustainable tours until 2019, at which time all sustainable tours must be provided by GSTC Certified tour operators. Therefore, we recommend that as soon as possible you select a [...]

The respective brands -- Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises or Azamara Club Cruises will highlight sustainable tours in the following ways: Provide a special sustainability mark in their tour descriptions on the respective brands’ website Consideration for feature blog posts on Royal Caribbean International and Azamara Club Cruises blog, highlighting tours fitting the brand objectives

Yes.  All tours operated by existing STI STEP verified tour operators will be distinguished as “sustainable” tours in our shore excursion marketing program until the end of 2019. Beginning in 2020, the “sustainable” designation will be only available for the tours operated by tour operators that have taken the next step in the program to [...]