The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) is pleased to announce that the First Quality Certification (FQC) Türkiye Office has gained the GSTC-Accredited Certification Body status with the scope of hotel certification to GSTC Hotel Criteria.
First Quality Certification (FQC) provides certification and training services with headquarters located in Panchkula, India, where it provides services to other states across the country. Its key location in Istanbul operates under the name FQC Global Certification Corp, offering certification services to various provinces in Türkiye and catering to customers across multiple sectors in terms of management systems.
Achieving the GSTC-Accredited status means that a Certification Body has been verified to be conducting proper certification of businesses, such as hotels or tour operators, in a competent and neutral manner, following processes and procedures detailed in the GSTC Accreditation Manual. Some of the requirements in the GSTC Accreditation Manual include: Legislation; Transparent and impartial certification procedure; Competent personnel capable of conformity assessment in the sustainable tourism field; Compliance with the ‘ISO/IEC 17065:2012 Conformity Assessment Requirements for Bodies Certifying Products, Processes, and Services’; and more.
Businesses certified by a GSTC-Accredited Certification Body, meeting all the GSTC Criteria (or a GSTC-Recognized Standard), have the highest level of assurance* and credibility available. With an accredited certification, customers and buyers are assured that the business was certified in a credibly verified procedure in a transparent, impartial, and competent manner.
Certification by an Accredited Certification Body can be referred to as “accredited certification”.
Attesting to that, those businesses certified by a GSTC-Accredited Certification Body can display a unique GSTC logo with a traceable code. The purpose of the GSTC Accreditation is to provide a higher level of assurance and reward genuine practitioners of sustainable tourism, which builds confidence and credibility with consumers.
“Accreditation in the hospitality and tourism industry ought to be regarded with much higher importance,” states GSTC CEO Randy Durband. “Most eco/green/sustainable labels for tourism businesses operate without external review, meaning that their rigor and impartiality are unknown. The GSTC Accreditation Manual and process is the most credible, and perhaps only, external review of sustainability labels in the industry.”
“At FQC Global Certification Corp, we are proud to have achieved GSTC-Accredited status. For over 20 years, we have been dedicated to quality management and product system certification across the globe. Our mission is to provide value-added certification services to hotels in the tourism sector, guiding them in implementing sustainability practices aligned with the GSTC Criteria at every stage of their operations,” says Ali Ağaoğlu, General Manager of FQC Global Certification Group.
The GSTC Accreditation Manual for Certification of Hotel/Accommodation & Tour Operator provides detailed technical requirements for certification of Hotel/Accommodation and Tour Operator. Certification Bodies are required to comply with ISO 17065 Conformity Assessment (Requirements for bodies certifying products, processes and services) and GSTC specific requirements. Among these requirements are impartial and competent certification procedures, auditor experience and qualifications, certification decision making, rigorous surveillance of certified businesses, and proper promotion of their services.
Hotels that follow sustainability standards that wish to stand out with reputable certification as a sustainable hotel, should seek sustainable hotel certification by a GSTC-Accredited Certification Body.
Tour Operators that want to demonstrate through their adherence to sustainability standards are encouraged to seek sustainable tour operator certification by a GSTC-Accredited Certification Body.
Destinations that are managed in accordance with sustainability standards can aim for destination certification by one of the GSTC-Accredited Certification Body.
About the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC)
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council® (GSTC®) establishes and manages global sustainable standards, known as the GSTC Criteria. There are three sets: Destination Criteria for public policy-makers and destination managers, Industry Criteria for Hotels and Tour Operators, and MICE Criteria for Venues, Event Organizers, and Events & Exhibitions. These are the guiding principles and minimum requirements that any tourism business or destination should aspire to reach in order to protect and sustain the world’s natural and cultural resources while ensuring tourism meets its potential as a tool for conservation and poverty alleviation.
The GSTC Criteria form the foundation for GSTC’s assurance role for Certification Bodies that certify hotels/accommodations, tour operators, and destinations as having sustainable policies and practices in place. GSTC does not directly certify any products or services, but provides accreditation to those that do.
GSTC is an independent and neutral USA-registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization that represents a diverse and global membership, including national and provincial governments, leading travel companies, hotels, tour operators, NGOs, individuals and communities – all striving to achieve best practices in sustainable tourism. The GSTC is an ISEAL Community Member, a global membership organization for ambitious, collaborative, and transparent sustainability systems.
Information for media and the press: www.gstcouncil.org/about/for-the-press/
About FQC
FQC Certification is an independent certification and training body established to help organizations achieve excellence and world-class competitiveness through the application of various International Standards. Its main objective is to elevate organizations to international stature and ensure that their products and services are globally accepted. FQC offers value-added, efficient, and cost-effective certification and training services to all sectors, including Government, Public, and Private.
For more information visit: www.fqcglobal.org
*Note of General assurance levels:
3rd-party certification by an Accredited Certification Body (impartiality is certain)
3rd-party verification (impartiality is not certain)
2nd-party verification (not impartial)
1st-party self-assessment
No verification at all
