The Sustainable Tourism 2030 Pledge is a commitment to improve the sustainability performance of your tourism business or destination between now and 2030.
This is more than a Pledge. Launched in June 2021, the Sustainable Tourism 2030 Pledge is a global movement of individuals, businesses, and organizations within the tourism and hospitality industry that believe tourism has a tremendous opportunity to become a force for good and change the world. We believe that improving the social, cultural, environmental, and economic performance of our industry in support of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is not a trend or a cause, but is essential to the long term health and well-being of this important sector of the global economy. The Sustainable Tourism 2030 Pledge is built upon the GreenStep Sustainable Tourism criteria, which has achieved “Recognized” status from the Global Sustainable Tourism Council.
The purpose of the Sustainable Tourism 2030 Pledge is to help tourism businesses and destinations measure and improve their sustainability performance. By simplifying the steps and removing the cost barrier through our free measurement tool, we can create a common framework and benchmark for the global tourism industry.
Over time, by offering best practices, free resources, tools, and templates, we will break down the steps for tourism destinations and businesses to incorporate sustainability into their operations in a simple, yet meaningful way. By signing on the Sustainable Tourism 2030 Pledge, your organization will receive access to these tools, templates, and resources as they come available.
Take the Pledge in 3 Easy Steps!
STEP 1
Make a public commitment to measure and improve your sustainability performance between now and 2030 by publishing a statement on your website. Submit your published statement for verification.
STEP 2
Be recognized as a Sustainable Tourism 2030 Pledge Signatory and join a community of like-minded industry leaders who are all committed to doing their part to address the global issues facing our communities and the planet.
STEP 3
Once you submit the pledge form and your public commitment has been verified, we will send you login instructions via email to access the free GreenStep Sustainable Tourism assessment for your business or destination to begin measuring your performance. Your assessment must be completed within 12 months of your public commitment.
We recommend referencing the pledge guide for a public commitment example for more inspiration:
Public Commitment Example
[Organization Name] has signed the Sustainable Tourism 2030 Pledge, to demonstrate our commitment to improving our sustainability score between now and 2030.
The UN World Tourism Organization defines sustainable tourism as “tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities.”
Each year, we commit to measuring and improving our sustainability performance in the following ways:
[input a few sustainability initiatives you might already be working on here, or use the self-assessment and sustainability scorecard for ideas – some examples could include:
- Support local entrepreneurs and the community by developing a sustainable purchasing policy
- Partner with local cultural and natural heritage organizations and sites to promote the unique cultural and natural heritage of our destination
- Conduct an accessibility and inclusivity audit to ensure we meet the needs of all visitors
- Measure our energy consumption and identify ways to improve our energy efficiency, lower costs, and reduce our carbon footprint
- Sign on to Tourism Declares and develop a Climate Action Plan
Feel free to personalize this public commitment as you see fit. You could include a quote about why your organization is committed to becoming more sustainable, any sustainability-related initiatives you are already working on, or messages that speak directly to your guests. Visit our signatories page to see examples from other businesses and destinations who have signed.
After Taking The Pledge, You Receive:
A listing on the Sustainable Tourism 2030 Pledge website
Your organization name and a link to your public commitment will be published on the signatories page of this website once your public commitment has been verified by our team.
Your Sustainability Score
Once you have completed your assessment you will receive your free sustainability scorecard! You can use the scorecard to make informed decisions about how to improve your sustainability.
Access to resources & support
As a signatory to the pledge, we are developing and will provide you with access to tools and resources as they become available.