Since October 2020, Turismo de Portugal has been a Destination Member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), a worldwide organization originally created in 2007 with the support of the United Nations Foundation, the United Nations Environment Programme, the Rainforest Alliance and the UN Tourism Organization. Then called the Partnership for Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria, its aim was to achieve a greater understanding of sustainable tourism practices and to develop universal principles in this area.
The principles resulted, in 2008, in a first version of sustainable tourism criteria that are currently made available by this organization for the accommodation sub-sector, destinations and tour operators. The GSTC acts as an accrediting body for certifying bodies and recognizes sustainable tourism programs/seals - some of which have already been implemented in Portugal - and is a world reference for the sector.
Turismo de Portugal's membership of the GSTC confirms Portugal's commitment to the principles of sustainable tourism and will allow us to actively participate in this worldwide network of partners, within which we will share national good practices.
We warmly welcome Turismo de Portugal as a new important member of GSTC. Portugal has consistently engaged in pursuing a strategy of sustainable development of its tourism and it is recognized as an authentic and responsible destination.” says Luigi Cabrini, Chairman do GSTC.
