Businesses — Eligibility
STEP Provider Categories
STEP is designed for businesses of all sizes that operate within the following segments of the travel and tourism industry:
Tour Operators >>
Tour Operators are defined as companies whose main business is taking individuals or groups of people to one or several places. Tours typically combine multiple vacation elements such as walking and driving and viewing and interacting with the environment. This category encompasses both in-bound and out-bound tour operators as well as tour wholesalers and travel agents.
Tour operators may offer air, land, or water-based transportation and or overnight accommodations as separate services, but these services are to be assessed separately.
Small- to Medium-sized tour operators are defined as tourism providers whose annual gross revenues from their operations are $2,000,000 (USD) or less.
Large-sized tour operators are defined as tourism providers whose annual gross revenues from their operations range from $2,000,001-Plus (USD).
Accommodations >>
Accommodations are defined as facilities designed for transient occupancy to house overnight visitors or travelers. Accommodations typically include, but are not limited to bed and breakfasts, campgrounds, condominiums, cottages, eco-lodges, home-stays, hostels, hotels, inns, lodges, motels and resorts.
The accommodation may offer air, land, or water-based transportation and or tours as separate services, but these services are to be assessed separately. Please note that swimming pools, golf courses, or restaurants associated with the properties are not included in Eco-Certification.
Small- to Medium sized Accommodations are defined as tourism providers whose annual gross revenues from their operations are $2,000,000 (USD) or less.
Large Accommodations are defined as tourism providers whose annual gross revenues from their operations range from $2,000,001 - Plus (USD).
Luxury Accommodations >>
Attractions >>
Attractions are defined as facilities and or natural areas with fixed infrastructure that offers entertainment and or educational experiences for the public.
Attractions typically include, but are not limited to aquariums, heritage centers, museums, parks (city, state, regional, or national), theme parks, visitor centers and zoos. Please note, however, that aquariums and zoos associated with the attraction are currently not included in Eco-Certification.
The attraction may offer overnight accommodations, tours, and or air, land, or water-based transportation as separate services, but these services are to be assessed separately.
Transportation Service Providers >>
Transportation Service Providers are defined as companies whose main business is offering tourism-related, air, land or water-based transport services to individuals or groups of people. This category encompasses taxi, shuttle and charter services as well as small airlines, scenic cruises, off-road vehicle tours and the like.
The transportation service provider may offer overnight accommodations and tours as separate services, but these services are to be assessed separately.
Community Based Tourism >>
Community-based tourism is socially sustainable tourism that is initiated and operated by local people, fostering traditional culture and responsible stewardship of the land while balancing power within communities so that conservation and community well-being are emphasized over individual profit.
An eco-certification program for this segment is under development.
STEP Eligibility
Tourism providers who wish to go through the Self-assessment process or be Eco-certified should first consider how they're going to approach establishing a system for measuring and managing their environmental, socio-cultural and economic impacts. To this end, we suggest you consider the following when preparing for self-assessment or eco-certification, and all of which is provided as evaluation criteria guidelines within the Self-assessment Tool itself:
Sustainability Policy and Performance: A written policy incorporating relevant criteria under each principle category below appropriate to the location, nature and scale of your operations.
Environmental Impacts: Ongoing commitment to environmental responsibility.
Applicants must identify the ways in which their organization: 1) mitigates the negative environmental and ecological impacts associated with its operations and increases its positive environmental impacts; 2) establishes achievable targets to lessen negative environmental impacts and regularly monitors, records, and reviews the results.
Performance areas include: Greenhouse Gas Emissions Management and Reduction; Solid Waste Management, Reduction, Reuse and Recycling; Freshwater Consumption Reduction; Wastewater Management; Energy Efficiency, Conservation and Management; Ecosystem and Biodiversity Conservation; and Air Quality Protection and Noise Reduction.
Socio-Cultural Impacts: On-going commitment to socio-cultural responsibility.
Applicants must identify the ways in which their organization: 1) mitigates the negative socio-cultural impacts associated with its operations and increases its positive socio-cultural impacts; 2) establishes achievable targets to lessen negative socio-cultural impacts and regularly monitors, records, and reviews the results.
Performance areas include: Land Use Planning and Management; Preserving the Social Norms and Cultures of Local and Indigenous Communities; Employee, Client, Service Provider, and Community Education and Training; Customer Service; Group Management; Safety and Emergency Preparedness; and Community Benefit.
Economic Impacts: On-going commitment to economic responsibility.
Applicants must identify the ways in which their organization: 1) mitigates the negative economic impacts associated with its operations and increases its positive economic impacts; 2) establishes achievable targets to lessen negative economic impacts and regularly monitors, records, and reviews the results.
Performance areas include: Providing direct and indirect Economic Benefits to Local and Indigenous Communities as well as Conservation Organizations; Responsible Purchasing; Public Health; and Ethical Business Practices.
Innovative Best Practices: Actions your organization has taken that demonstrate exemplary performance within the travel and tourism industry in any of the above areas.
For more detailed information, please visit STI's Guide to Sustainable Tourism
