In honour of Earth Day 2020, Sustainable Tourism 2030 announced the launch of its Sustainable Destination Framework – a program that allows Canadian destinations to measure their sustainability performance based upon criteria and indicators that are relevant and aligned at the international, national, and provincial levels.
Internationally-Aligned Criteria & Indicators
These criteria and indicators 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.
Angela Nagy, President and CEO of GreenStep:
“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, the 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 changing 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.
The Framework offers a range of options to meet the many needs of a destination, including:
- Sustainability Lens
- Gain rapid insight into how your destination is performing based on internationally-aligned sustainable tourism criteria
- Sustainability Diagnosis
- Receive a customized sustainability action plan for your destination and a one-on-one consultation with our team.
- Sustainability Matrix
- Develop a set of provincially, nationally, and internationally aligned indicators that will enable your destination to measure the success of implementing your destination management plan or strategy.
- Sustainable Destination Certification Assessment
- If certification is your ultimate goal, let us know and we can discuss the steps, process and timelines involved, and provide a quote for conducting an assessment of your destination.
- Custom Engagement
- Looking for something a bit different? We can work with your destination management team to help you meet your unique needs.
For more information or to book a no-cost, no-obligation consultation call, please give us a call (1-800-469-7830) or send an email to [email protected].