Honeyguide Foundation announced today that they have joined the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), an international initiative dedicated to promoting sustainable tourism practices around the world. The GSTC was founded in partnership by the World Tourism Organization, the United Nations Environment Programme, UN Foundation, Rainforest Alliance, Sabre/Travelocity and others. GSTC membership is open to all travel and tourism companies, organizations or individuals interested in sustainable travel.
Honeyguide together with their partners are currently developing guidelines for responsible tourism in Tanzania. These guidelines will be the basis for the tourism companies to manage their businesses in an environmentally positive manner.
Joining the GSTC is a very important step for this particular process, the GSTC have already developed a set of guidelines of which will be incorporated in the Tanzanian guidelines. Furthermore, once the Tanzanian Guidelines have been officially recognized by the GSTC, it will mean that any Tanzanian company that complies with the Responsible Tourism Tanzania guidelines will also be in alignment with the international standards of the GSTC.
“We are pleased that Honeyguide Foundation is joining in our efforts. The tourism industry is growing and we have a responsibility to ensure that growth is done in a responsible way,” said Erika Harms, Executive Director of the GSTC. “We look forward to working with The Honeyguide Foundation and the Tanzanian tourism industry to help implement and explain sustainable tourism so that it becomes as ubiquitous as travel itself.”
The GSTC includes partners from around the globe. The organization is currently active in Africa, the Americas, Middle East, and East Asia. More than 170 US cities have already adopted the GSTC Criteria including San Francisco, Miami, Maui, and Los Angeles.
As a new member, Honeyguide Foundation will work with the GSTC in its region to promote sustainable tourism principles as well as encourage the adoption of the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria. As part of the initiative, each member commits to promoting the GSTC to its customers, vendors and peers. Sustainability principles refer to the environmental, economic and socio-cultural aspects of tourism development. A suitable balance must be established between these three dimensions to guarantee lasting sustainability.
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council is made up of tourism and travel industry professionals, UN agencies, tour operators, travel companies, individual hotels and government tourism councils. Members include: Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA);AGEG Consultants ;American Hotel and Lodging Association (AH&LA);American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA);asr – alliance of independent travel traders registered federal association,;Audobon International;Belize Tourism Board (BTB);Big Five Tours & Expeditions;Blackstone Valley Tourism Council- Sustainable Tourism Planning and Development Laboratory;Botswana Tourism Organisation;Cathy Parsons; Caesars Entertainment; Center for Responsible Travel (CREST);Consorcio Cooperativo Red Ecoturística Nacional (COOPRENA R.L.);Department of Tourism-Leisure- Hotel and Sport Management-Griffith University;Destination Ventures;Earth Check (EC3 Global); EcoBrasil; EcoSustainability; Ecotourism Australia;Ecotourism Israel;ECOTRANS; Enclave Rising; European Centre for Ecological (ECEAT) and Agricultural Tourism; Evolución Empresarial, S.A.; Fabrizio Antognelli; Fairmont Hotels & Resorts; FEDEC- Federación Colombiana de Eco Parques; Ecoturismo y Turismo de Aventura; Fundación Ecoturismo Argentina, Fundación Natura; Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE); Fundación Plan 21; GAP Adventures /Planeterra Foundation; Geoff Penrose; Global Center of Excellence for Destination; GREAT Green Deal; Green Globe Certification; Green Leaf Foundation; Green Seal; Gretchen Anderson; HM Design; Honey Guide Foundation; Hostelling International (HI); Hotel Association of Canada; Hotel Manatus; Hotel Villa del Arco; Huab Lodge & BushSPA; Instituto de Turismo Responsible (ITR); International Community Foundation (ICF); Janice Lichtenwaldt; Jorge de Vicente; Joseph Rath; Journey Mexico; M/s. Wood Certification Pvt. Ltd.; Mexico Tourism Board; Mt. Huangshan Scenic Area; National Geographic;Nordic World Heritage Foundation; NepCon Denmark; Our Native Village; Pacific Asia Tourism Pty Ltd; Professor Francois J Odendaal; Pronatura Sur; Q Certification H&R; Rara Avis; Rosemary Black; Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (RCCL); Sabre Holdings; Salvanatura Fundacion Ecologica de El Salvador; San Francisco Department of the Environment; School of Merchandising and Hospitality Management University of North Texas; Shrinking Foot; Snow Leopard Adventures; Solimar International; Spenceley Tourism and Development; TourCert; Travel Operators for Tigers (TOFT); STA Travel International Limited; Sustainable Travel International (STI); The Travel Foundation; Tourism Concern; United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP); United Nations Foundation; World Tourism Organization (UNWTO); University of Utah; VNT Verband neue Touristik e.V.; Wild Asia, Wild China
Information about membership can be found at www.gstcouncil.org.
