GSTC renames its global standards from ‘GSTC Criteria’ to ‘GSTC Standards’ to enhance clarity and alignment with international terminology.
“Our founders named these standards the ‘GSTC Criteria’ to distinguish them as globally managed standards from other sustainable tourism standards. However, that name led some stakeholders to believe they were something other than standards. Our Board of Directors has now determined that the name should be perfectly clear and descriptive to avoid any such confusion,” says GSTC CEO Randy Durband, adding “For that reason, we now are changing their name formally to ‘GSTC Standards’.”
Despite the name change, everything else about the standards remains the same, including:
- An inclusive and thorough approach to their development: Input is gathered from diverse stakeholders worldwide, including public and private sectors, NGOs, academia, individual experts, and tourism practitioners.
- Efforts to translate them into many languages: The GSTC Standards are available in over 30 languages for education, training, and awareness purposes*.
- Free accessibility: The GSTC Standards remain freely available for download on the GSTC website.
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) manages sustainability standards in travel and tourism: for hotels/accommodations, tour operators, destinations, MICE (venues, operators, and events/exhibitions), and attractions. All will be renamed as GSTC Standards.
Since GSTC’s beginning in 2007, well over 100,000 tourism stakeholders have engaged in development and revisions, including occasional formal revisions, of those standards. Input is sought, gathered, logged, and studied from all parts of the world — from the public sector, private sector, NGOs, academia, individual experts, and tourism practitioners. Learn more about the GSTC Standards Development and Revisions here.
GSTC makes a strong effort to gain input from various stakeholders, ranging from topical experts to disadvantaged groups, those beyond the digital divide and those who seldom get their voices heard.
The GSTC Standards are developed and revised based on GSTC Standard Setting Manual v3.0, where the ISEAL Code of Good Practice for Sustainability Systems is used as a reference. The ISEAL Alliance is the international body providing guidance for the development and management of sustainability standards for all sectors. GSTC is an ISEAL Community Member.
“We expect to hear the GSTC Standards referred to as the GSTC Criteria for a long time, given the extensive usage of them throughout the world. It will be a big task to adjust our own materials and the references by partners everywhere and in many languages,” says Durband. “Regardless, the change is only in name and not in the content or the approach in development.”
This change enhances clarity while reinforcing the role of the GSTC Standards as the foundation for credible sustainable tourism practices. As sustainability continues to shape the future of travel, GSTC remains dedicated to guiding the industry toward greater accountability, transparency, and meaningful action.
* The translations should not be used for formal, technical purposes. Any formal use of the Standards must be based on the English originals and apply a certified translation if used in another language.
