GSTC Standards

Hotels and accommodation providers

The primary standard for hotel sustainability — covering management systems, local community benefit, cultural heritage, and environmental stewardship across 205 performance indicators. Includes 12 mandatory baseline performance requirements.

Tour operators and destination management companies

For operators designing and selling tour products — covering the full supply chain, guest communication, community benefit at visited destinations, and sustainable product design across 182 performance indicators.

Restaurants, cafés, catering services, and food halls

The newest GSTC standard, published July 2026 — for the food service sector. Includes a quantitative plant-based menu requirement, mandatory food safety baseline, FOG management, and culinary cultural heritage.

Visitor attractions — museums, parks, heritage sites, wildlife venues

For the full range of visitor attractions — from museums and theme parks to wildlife sanctuaries and heritage sites. Includes specific animal welfare criteria for living collections and visitor management requirements.

Destination Management Organisations (DMOs)

The only GSTC standard for DMOs — assessing the sustainability governance of an entire destination rather than a single business. Covers multi-stakeholder coordination, visitor management, and destination-level impact.

MICE venues, event organisers, and event/exhibitions

Three separate performance indicator sets within one standard — Venue, Event Organiser, and Event/Exhibition — totalling 451 performance indicators. The entity type determination is the critical first step.