Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria and tourist management in natural attractions

      Thailand’s Tourism Authority has joined the Global Sustainable Tourism Council’s Partnership network, demonstrating Thailand’s commitment to driving sustainable tourism in the global community.

      The GSTC is the lead agency in charge of establishing the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria, which include sustainable tourism criteria for tourist destinations (Destination), Sustainable Tourism Guidelines for Hotels (Hotel), and Sustainable Tourism Guidelines for Tour Operators (Tour Operator). This is intended to serve as a basic guideline for agencies responsible for sustainable tourism management, as well as promoting international acceptance of sustainable tourism principles.

      Environmental sustainability is one of the most important global sustainable tourism criteria. In terms of tourist management in natural attractions, there is a criterion that tourist attractions must have a tourist management system within and around natural attractions that takes into account the area's characteristics, capacity, and vulnerability. Tourist flows must be optimized, and any negative consequences must be minimized. Tourism attractions must have a printed guide for the conduct of tourists when visiting vulnerable tourist spots, which must be distributed to tourists, tour operators, and guides before and during their visit, and must include the following success indicators:

• The movement of tourists and their impact on natural attractions is tracked, and the data is shared with other tourist destinations;
• There is evidence of action to address tourism impacts within or near natural areas;
• Tourists are given guidelines on how to behave when visiting vulnerable tourist areas, and their behavior is monitored on a regular basis;
• There are codes of conduct for tour operators, guides, and/or those who manage tourists in natural attractions;
• Form alliances with local conservation authorities to identify potential environmental risks from tourism and implement mitigation measures.

Source : Global Sustainable Tourism Council

Information as of 28 February 2023