An introduction to some key concepts relating to sustainable tourism.

1. Introduction to the key concepts of:
 Standards
 Accreditation
 Certification
 Recognition
Steve Noakes,
Information correct as at 24 November 2018
Sustainable Tourism

2. Sustainable tourism takes full account of its current and future economic,
social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the
industry, the environment and host communities.
First … Sustainable Tourism

3. Sustainable tourism should make optimal use of:
• environmental resources that constitute a key element in tourism
development, maintaining essential ecological processes and helping
to conserve natural heritage and biodiversity;
• respect the sociocultural authenticity of host communities, conserve
their built and living cultural heritage and traditional values, and
contribute to intercultural understanding and tolerance;
• ensure viable, long-term economic operations, providing
socioeconomic benefits to all stakeholders that are fairly distributed,
including stable employment and income-earning opportunities and
social services to host communities, and contributing to poverty
alleviation.

4. ‘Binna Burra Lodge has had what we now call a sustainable approach to
tourism since its inception in 1933 when the concept of national parks was
still new around the world.
Nowadays we also have the framework of world heritage values. This
results in Binna Burra Lodge sharing responsibility for conservation of our
cultural and natural heritage through sustainable tourism management.'
Steve Noakes, Chairman, Binna Burra Lodge, 2018
Ecotourism Australia’s Advanced Ecotourism Certification
is accredited by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council
Meeting international standards for
sustainable tourism

5. Sustainability standards
 Address many of the world’s biggest environmental and social challenges
 Have real impact
Voluntary sustainability standards systems are market-based tools, designed to
address the most pressing social and environmental challenges.
ISEAL’s mission:
To strengthen sustainability standards systems for the benefit of people and the
environment.
Four aims are to:
1) Deliver credibility expertise
2) Measure and share impacts
3) Catalyse improvements and scalable solutions
4) Build support for credible standards
ISEAL:
• The global movement of sustainability standards.
• membership association for credible sustainability standards
www.iseal.org

6. Standard:
Document that provides, for common and repeated use, rules, guidelines or
characteristics for products or related processes and produce on methods, with which
compliance is not mandatory (from ISEAL Standard-Seƫting Code)
Standards system:
The collective of organisations responsible for the activities involved in the
implementation of a standard, including standard-setting, capacity building, assurance,
labelling and monitoring (from ISEAL Assurance Code)
Sustainability standard:
A standard that addresses the social, environmental or
economic factors of a defined entity, or a combination of these.
Definitions

7. Accreditation bodies undertake a process of approval …
• formally recognizes that a certifier or certification program is
competent to certify organisations to a recognized standard.
This procedure can be qualifying, endorsing and licensing entities that
perform certification of businesses, products, processes or services.
Accreditation body:
• an independent entity that operates in conformity with specified
standards
• is technically competent to accredit certification programs to perform
conformity assessment using a recognized standard.’
Black, R. (2015) ‘ Accreditation’ in Cater, C., Garrod, G, Low, T. Encyclopedia of Sustainable Tourism, CABI, Oxfordshire pp 5
Accreditation
SkyLodge@BinnaBurra

8. Accreditation
The GSTC is an international accreditation organisation.
It ‘recognizes’ and ‘accredits’ sustainable tourism …
1) Standards providers
2) Certification programs (called ‘certifying bodies’)
The above two types of organizations follow procedures complying with
GSTC requirement for:
i. Transparency
ii. Impartiality
iii. Technical competence

9. Accreditation & the GSTC
1) Refers to 3rd-party (neutral and independent) verification
1) A Certification Program issues certificates based on competent
and neutral processes that include occasional on-site audits
1) GSTC provides accreditation services for Certification Bodies (CB)
that certify hotels/accommodations, tour operators, and
destinations as sustainable.
As an ‘accreditation’ body,
GSTC ‘certifies’ the ‘certifiers’

10. Certification
‘A Voluntary, third party procedure that sets, assesses, monitors and
gives written assurance that a product, process, service or management
system confirms to specified requirements and norms.’
A certification body verifies that specified requirements relating to a
product, process, system, person or body are fulfilled.
The body gives written assurance to the consumer and the industry in
general.
The outcome of certification is a certificate and usually the use of an
ecolabel.’
Black, R. (2015) ‘ Accreditation’ in Cater, C., Garrod, G, Low, T. Encyclopedia of Sustainable Tourism, CABI, Oxfordshire pp 5

11. Current GSTC ‘certification bodies’
 Have been Accredited for compliance with the requirements of the
Manual for GSTC Accreditation.
 GSTC-Accredited mean that the certification procedures largely
meet international standards for transparency, impartiality, and
competence.
GSTC Accredited Certification Bodies (CB) at July 2018

12. Certification and the GSTC
 Refers to 3rd-party (neutral and independent) verification
of the claims of an organization.
 GSTC does NOT directly certify anything!
 GSTC provides accreditation to Certification Bodies (CB)
 Tour Operators, Hotels or Destinations can become ‘certified’ as
sustainable by one of the GSTC accredited ‘Certification Bodies’.
 The Certification Bodies and their certificate-holders are authorized
to display the designated GSTC Logo.
(upon completion of a licensing agreement with the GSTC).

13. The Role of Certification
 Verify the validity of claims and fighting false claims
(“greenwashing”)
 Risk management mitigation
 Provides discipline for improvement
 Market access function

14. A note about GSTC and ISEAL
GSTC is a member of ISEAL
- the global membership association for credible sustainability standards
- a non-governmental organisation whose mission is to strengthen sustainability
standards systems for the benefit of people and the environment
The GSTC Business Plan (2018) states:
• Continue to enhance compliance, monitoring and enforcement of the
Accreditation Program per the ISEAL Alliance Assurance Code
• Develop impacts reporting mechanisms per the ISEAL Alliance
Impacts Code

15. What is a sustainability standard?
• Sustainability standards (ecolabels and certification systems) are used
by producers, companies, governments, financial institutions and
consumers.
• They help us to find the right things to buy and do, filtering out
sustainable products from unsustainable ones.
• Most importantly, they bring about better production practices and
drive long-term sustainability improvements.
View the brief video on the following slide from ISEAL:

16. Source: https://vimeo.com/54659852

17. GSTC Recognized
 Applies to standards that wish to become GSTC-Recognized.
 Once ‘recognized’, these standards are considered equivalent to the GSTC
Criteria.
 This NOT a quality mark relating to a process that uses that set of standards
(such as certification) … it is simply a verification that the words in a set of
standards comply to the GSTC Criteria.
Why is this important?
Because it shows that the set of standards are based on the 4 pillars of the GSTC
Criteria:
1. Sustainable Management
2. Socio-Economic impacts
3. Cultural impacts
4. Environmental impacts

18. GSTC Recognized
Summary:
 GSTC-Recognized status is only for the standards.
 GSTC-Recognized does NOT mean that the Certifying
Body using the standard is accredited.
 This designation relates only to the words included in
the standard, and NOT how the standard is applied.

19. Becoming a ‘Certified’ Hotel/Accommodation
1. Choose a Certification Body (CB) from the list accredited with
GSTC - that is, those organizations that GSTC has accredited
based on the quality of their certification process
2. After working with a CB towards achieving full GSTC
requirements compliance, the organization will receive its GSTC
Certificate.
3. The Certification Bodies that have been accredited by GSTC to
certify hotels as sustainable, and their certificate-holders, are
authorized to display the designated GSTC Logo (upon completion of
a licensing agreement with the GSTC).
More details at: www.gstcouncil.org/certification/become-certified-hotel/

20. Becoming a ‘Certified Tour Operator’
1. Compare and select a certification body
2. Register and/or contract with a certification body
3. Self-Assessment or Pre-Assessment (optional)
4. Submit application/documentary evidence to certification body
5. Desktop assessment and consultation
6. Onsite audit
7. Certification body reports
8. Certification issued
9. Logo use
10. Non-Conformities
11. Annual audits
12. Certification renewal
More details at: www.gstcouncil.org/certification/become-certified-tour-operator/

21. Becoming a ‘Certified’ Destination
GSTC can assist destinations in the early stages of their journey to
sustainability, before they are ready to apply for certification
To become certified, tourist destinations must:
1. Choose a Certification Body (CB) from the list below.
2. After working with a CB towards achieving full GSTC requirements
compliance, the operation will receive its GSTC Certificate.
More details at: www.gstcouncil.org/certification/become-certified-destination/

22. www.binnaburralodge.com.au/about/eco-initiatives
Example

23. Example
www.binnaburralodge.com.au/about/eco-initiatives

24. Reminder … GSTC glossary
 Words and phrases can often convey different meanings depending on
circumstances, application, location, and a number of other factors.
 The GSTC provides an online glossary that has been compiled In order to combat
possible confusion as well as provide additional clarity to many of the concepts
illustrated in the Criteria.
 Where possible, definitions were drawn or adapted from organizations or
reference materials that relate directly to the most universally-recognized
meaning of the word or concept.
View from Lamington National Park
back towards the Gold Coast, Australia
www.gstcouncil.org/gstc-criteria/glossary/
www.binnaburralodge.com.au

25. Flores, Indonesia
stevenoakes1@gmail.com