Launch of Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria

10/06/08 – Barcelona, Spain

United Nations Foundation Founder and Chairman Ted Turner today announced the launch of The Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria (GSTC) at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) conference in Barcelona, Spain.  Solimar played a central role in the development of the criteria, which offer a common framework for implementing sustainability in the tourism industry.  Specifically, Solimar led efforts to aggregate, weigh, and vet over 1,000 criteria used worldwide.  Solimar also provided comprehensive private sector outreach to acquire feedback on the applicability and utility of each criterion, and to better understand what is needed to mainstream sustainable tourism and foment criteria compliance.  Efforts to implement the Criteria are ongoing on several fronts: education and training resources, marketing and distribution solutions, indicator development, and communications. Given the overwhelmingly positive response to the Criteria received at the IUCN conference and the growing number of businesses and organizations interested in joining the GSTC Partnership, the GSTC will continue to play an increasingly important role in the mainstreaming of sustainable tourism.  

To learn more, visit www.sustainabletourismcriteria.org