Sustainable tourism refers to the aspiration to acknowledge and address all impacts of tourism, both positive and negative. According to the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), “Sustainable Tourism refers to sustainable practices in and by the tourism industry. It aims to minimize the negative impacts and maximize the positive ones.” Negative impacts to a destination include economic leakage, damage to the natural environment, and overcrowding. Conversely, positive impacts include job creation, cultural heritage preservation, wildlife preservation, and landscape restoration.
The UN Environment Program and UN World Tourism Organization define sustainable tourism as “tourism that 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.” This holistic approach ensures that tourism contributes to the well-being of host communities and the conservation of natural and cultural resources while providing meaningful experiences for visitors.
The GSTC Criteria serve as the global standards for sustainability in travel and tourism. These criteria are categorized into four pillars: sustainable management, socioeconomic impacts, cultural impacts, and environmental impacts. They provide a comprehensive framework for education, policy-making, measurement, evaluation, and certification in the tourism industry.
At Ownia Collection, sustainable travel is at the core of our mission. Healing the world through travel is our purpose, and we have curated a collection of luxury sustainable hotels worldwide. Our sustainability standards are based on the GSTC criteria, ensuring that every hotel in our collection meets rigorous standards for sustainable management, socioeconomic impacts, cultural impacts, and environmental impacts.
