Travel and tourism account for around 10 percent of the world’s economic activity, and international tourism is forecast to grow to around 1.8 billion by 2030.
The impact of travel and tourism on environments and host communities can be positive and negative, creating both opportunities and responsibilities.
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council’s (GSTC) criteria are an effort to come to a common understanding of sustainable tourism and are the minimum that any tourism business should aspire to reach. They are organised around four main themes:
- Sustainable management
- Social and economic
- Cultural
- Environmental