Sustainable Tourism Implementation

Sustainable Tourism Standards

“STI were very thorough and practical in their approach to reviewing all elements of the Ecolabel and subsequent Ecolabel course that we offer our clients. We have gained extra exposure thanks to our affiliation with STI as a result of STI press releases and extra website links that have improved our websites Search Engine Optimisation.”

—Mary Mulvey, Greenbox CEO

STI’s Sustainable Tourism Eco-Certification Program™ (STEP) can be endorsed by or customized for destinations to address their unique social, cultural, environmental and economic attributes, as well as regional goals and priorities. STEP can also be licensed to ministries of tourism and destination management organizations, so they don’t have to expend significant resources in developing their own tourism standards, verification protocol, and auditor and consultant training programs.

STEP was developed in a transparent manner by STI over a period of seven years in consultation with stakeholders from around the world. It is the only comprehensive global sustainable tourism certification standard offered by a non-profit organization. This innovative program recently received the highest rating of any sustainable tourism certification initiative due to its comprehensive nature in a research analysis.

STI is a member of the Tourism Sustainability Council’s Steering Committee and has integrated the United Nations Foundation’s Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria (GSTC) baseline criteria into STEP, while establishing the program as the “Gold Standard”. STEP is bolstered by the globally recognizable Sustainable Travel International brand and market reach, and is configured for the primary sectors of the travel and tourism industry including accommodations (e.g., B&Bs, chains hotels, hostels), attractions (e.g., parks, marinas, welcome centers, museums), transportation service providers (car rental agencies, airlines, cruise lines), and inbound and outbound tour operators. STI also offers a one-of-a-kind sustainable tourism certification standard for communities.

STEP is unique in that it’s user-friendly and educational in nature. STEP is a practical measurement and management tool, and applicable to tourism businesses of all sizes, including newcomers to sustainability, those wanting to improve their existing approach, and businesses that have long-standing sustainability programs.

Carbon Management

STI has more experience in working with the travel and tourism industry than any other carbon management and offset provider in the marketplace. We specialize in providing scalable, market-tested carbon management solutions that are designed to help entire regions, communities and tourism related businesses become climate neutral. Working in close collaboration with governmental organizations and other stakeholders, we develop strategies for implementing world-class carbon management programs and local offset projects, and we provide technical assistance for minimizing greenhouse gas emissions through renewable energy, energy efficiency and waste reduction strategies.

The scope of services STI provides includes assessing the carbon footprint within a given region or specifically within the travel and tourism industry; calculating the carbon benefits associated with waste management and local renewable energy, energy efficiency and bio-fuel projects; drafting climate conscientious travel and management policies; and developing consumer-facing carbon offset programs that enable travelers to mitigate the environmental impact associated with their visit by investing in local offset projects.

Travelers Giving Back™

Travelers’ philanthropy is a voluntary movement of conscientious consumers and responsible companies who are donating financial resources, time, talent and economic patronage to protect and positively impact the places they visit.

STI helps destinations, NGOs, and the travel and tourism industry implement giving back initiatives that support community and economic development and environmental conservation. Our multi-faceted approach is focused on mobilizing the travel industry’s investment in local grassroots projects, motivating travelers to become stewards of a destination, creating a positive policy climate for philanthropy, and enhancing the capacity of local and international NGOs. Our programs are designed to meet the unique needs within each destination and typically include an education and training component, marketing and outreach support, turn-key systems and methodologies that are designed to safeguard against corruption and foster self-reliance, and support in establishing relationships between the travel trade and local NGOs.

STI also vets existing giving programs and undertakes the necessary due diligence process to ensure that local projects are credible and achieve the desired results. We then help to expand their market reach by featuring qualified projects on our websites and on our partner’s websites and by getting the local tourism industry to integrate travelers’ philanthropy into their offerings.

Capacity Development

As a non-profit organization, STI’s mandate revolves around education and outreach. We offer a suite of education and training programs that are designed specifically to build capacity and transfer knowledge. Programs are delivered by sustainable tourism experts in several different formats, including but not limited to workshops, webinars, distance learning modules, and train the trainer programs.

Our programs are tailored to our audience’s unique needs and learning objectives, and they’re designed to cater to different learning styles and educational levels. Primary topics covered include: the adoption of best practices in sustainable tourism, developing and implementing sustainability policies and management frameworks, and also training in customer service, marketing and sales, operations and administration, finance, risk management, and the like.

STI also offers a number of “practical guides to best practices” for accommodations, tour operators, airlines, cruise lines and other sectors. Each of these are available online, and as part of a training package.

For More Information

Please visit www.sustainabletravel.com, call 800-276-7764 or +503-488-5500, or email Brian T. Mullis.