Helping the tourism industry build resilience in a post-pandemic world
[KELOWNA, BC] – On the final day of Earth Month, and on the one-year anniversary of launching their Sustainable Tourism 2030 initiative, GreenStep has officially announced their Sustainable Tourism Destination Framework to help tourism destinations measure, improve and certify their sustainability performance.
The Sustainable Tourism Destination Framework is made up of a series of criteria and indicators that are directly aligned with the UN World Tourism Organization’s “Indicators of Sustainable Tourism for Destinations” and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council “GSTC Destination Criteria.” The framework also includes indicators from the “Canadian Indicator Framework” as part of Canada’s 2030 Agenda Strategy, as well as indicators that align with “British Columbia’s Strategic Framework for Tourism.” Strategies and published indicators from other provinces and territories will also be reviewed and integrated. This means that Canadian destinations can now measure their sustainability performance based upon criteria and indicators that are relevant and aligned with international, national and provincial goals.
Angela Nagy, President and CEO of GreenStep, stated, “While the tourism industry is reeling from the impacts of COVID-19, I have been encouraged by the tremendous stories of resilience. At its core, a sustainable tourism industry is a stronger industry; one that is more buffered from global pandemics and catastrophes, economically, socially, culturally and environmentally. That is why we are thrilled to be launching this much-anticipated sustainability framework for tourism destinations, to help chart a new path forward as we are forced to rethink what tourism will look like in a changed world.”
Beyond Destination Certification
Destination certification is a meaningful and powerful tool to help destinations credibly measure and celebrate their sustainability performance with external verification. The Sustainable Tourism Destination Framework can lead to certification for destinations that want it, while also going beyond certification, offering flexible approaches and support services to help destinations assess their sustainability performance, identify gaps, set goals and create action plans that align with their destination development and management strategies, even if certification isn’t a priority.
To learn more about the new Sustainable Tourism Destination Framework and Sustainable Tourism 2030, visit htps://www.sustainabletourism2030.com/destinations.
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