GSTC Destination Assessment

GSTC Destination Assessment is designed to introduce the destination management team to the core elements required for them to develop sustainable policies and practices by applying the GSTC Criteria to the specific destination. The Assessment process allows a destination to participate directly in GSTC application of the Criteria to the destination, to understand the destination’s sustainability status against the world’s leading standard, and to identify areas for improvement based on the GSTC Criteria.

The Assessment is led by a GSTC expert with global experience in the practical evaluation of sustainability and best practices globally, and a thorough understanding of the GSTC Destination Criteria.

Assessment Details

• Starting at 5 days of onsite engagement, liaison with stakeholders
• Guided overview of the destination’s major areas of best practices, current sustainability achievements and risks
• Guided overview of select documented plans and policies coverage of GSTC Destination Criteria
• Preliminary results presentation by GSTC expert
• Concise Report outlining recommendations for overall sustainability improvement
• Summaries of the Report, which can be easily communicated to stakeholders, decision makers, community members, and target markets
• Marketing benefits, including media pieces distributed to GSTC global network

Benefits of Conducting a Destination Assessment

• Build capacity among destination stakeholders in the GSTC Destination Criteria and the principles of sustainable tourism and sustainable destination management
• Learn the destination’s current sustainability status according to the world’s leading destination sustainability standard — the GSTC Destination Criteria
• Understand which policies and practices are currently working well, to improve efficient resource use and effective policy-making
• Generate positive marketing storylines about the destination’s commitment to sustainability and its areas of good practice
• Gain practical tools to compare sustainability performance across the major areas of destination sustainability: destination management, local economic benefit, community and cultural well-being, and environmental resource protection
• Identify concrete actions necessary to comply with the GSTC Destination Criteria
• Improve destination governance, policymaking, stakeholder engagement, and performance in the areas of sustainability management, economic development, community and cultural well-being, and energy and environmental conservation
• Prioritize urgent, important, and achievable next steps to address the destination’s sustainability risks
• Develop a baseline for sustainability monitoring, to track progress over time along the GSTC Criteria, beginning with GSTC expert analysis

Pricing is customized based on the size and complexity of the destination.

Examples of Destination Assessments

Destinations may choose to keep the assessment results private or share them publicly. Here are a few examples of destinations that have gone through an assessment: