Passions of Paradise has recently received accreditation from the Global Sustainable Tourism Council through our Australian eco-tourism certification body Ecotourism Australia. This accreditation recognises Passions of Paradise’s commitment to long-term, sustainable best practice as we strive to maintain our operation in a World Heritage Area. Passions of Paradise has a long-standing relationship with Ecotourism Australia, and has previously been awarded Advanced Ecotourism status, as well as Climate Action Leader.
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) establishes and manages global sustainable standards with the aim of increasing sustainable tourism knowledge and practices among public and private stakeholders. At the heart of this work are the Global Sustainable Tourism Council’s Sustainability Criteria. There are two sets of GSTC Criteria: Destination Criteria (GSTC-D) and Hotel & Tour Operator Criteria (GSTC-H&TO). These are the guiding principles and minimum requirements that any tourism business or destination should aspire to reach in order to protect and sustain the world’s natural and cultural resources, while ensuring tourism meets its potential as a tool for conservation and poverty alleviation. Sustainability is imperative for all tourism stakeholders and must translate from words to actions.
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) Criteria and Suggested Indicators for Hotels and Tour Operators (GSTC C-HTO) were created in an effort to come to a common understanding of sustainable tourism, and are the minimum that any tourism business should aspire to reach. They are organized around four main themes: effective sustainability planning, maximizing social and economic benefits for the local community, enhancing cultural heritage, and reducing negative impacts to the environment. Although the criteria are initially intended for use by the accommodation and tour operation sectors, they have applicability to the entire tourism industry.