How to join?
Eligibility requirements for destination certification
The first step is to establish if your destination is eligible for certification.
Definition of a destination
A destination is a defined and freely accessible geographic area with a resident community and public services. It offers a set of natural, cultural, or recreational assets that visitors can experience, such as landscapes, heritage, attractions, or local activities. A destination also provides facilities and services for visitors to stay overnight, is positioned as a destination in the tourism market, and is managed by an entity with the capacity to influence tourism strategy and development.
In summary, the following elements should be in place to be eligible for Destination Certification:
- Defined geographic area (map showing polygons of the destination)
- Resident community (people use housing as primary residence)
- Public services (education, healthcare, public transport etc)
- Freely accessible (not only accessible for paying guests or residents)*
- Accommodation for overnight stays
- Assets/attractions that visitors can experience
- Is positioned as destination in the market
- A DMO with capacity to influence tourism strategy and development
*Protected areas can be considered as destination if the scope of assessment is extended to surrounding or gateway communities for criteria related social well-being and tourism business involvement.
Additional Eligibility Considerations
The Green Destinations Certification Program open to any destination that satisfies the definition of a destination, but
- GD cannot accept applications from destinations in countries on the UN Sanction list or EU Sanction list
- GD can only accept applications in English
- Destinations in countries with low scores on the following indicators are subject to additional reporting requirements on identified risks and focus during audit on those issues:
- Climate Change Performance Index: status Low, Very Low or No Rating
- Rule of Law Index score below 0.50 (or no rating) on the World Justice Project
- UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger
- Large destinations (regions, departments, metropolitan areas) may need a custom approach to allow establishing conformity to the criteria in specified sub-destinations.
Eligibility conditions for Private destinations
Privately owned territories who consider themselves a destination can apply for certification if they:
- Have community of residents on-site; not consisting only of workers (families)
- Have community services on-site
- Have multiple accommodations, that has obtained independent 3rd party certification for Accommodations
- Be freely accessible for non-guests
Private destinations which do not satisfy these conditions are recommended to seek certification as Accommodation or Attraction at one of the accredited certification bodies.
Eligibility conditions for Protected Areas
- Certification of Protected Areas is only possible with the Green Destinations Standard
- For a number of chapter 5 and 6 criteria, the scope of the destination shall be extended to include the surrounding communities of the protected area.. The following subthemes shall be applied to the extended scope of the destination:
- Community Participation
- Local Economy
- Socio-Economic Impact
- Business Involvement
- The exact extended geographical scope shall be established in the Engagement phase. Guidelines for identifying the surrounding communities to include in the extended scope:
- Presence of businesses who cater to visitors of the protected areas, or do business activities in the protected area
- Presence of visitors preparing to visit the protected area
- Presence of residents who are affected by the protected area (positive and/or negative)
Green Destinations Certification
Destinations enrolled in the Certification Program participate in a sustainability management cycle aimed at continuous improvement through regular assessments and independent verifications.
Methodology
Our certification programs are structured by the sustainability management guidelines of our Green Destinations Standard, which is recognised by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) to cover globally agreed sustainability requirements. Progress is monitored through indicators, which makes the program concrete and measurable. You can easily implement our guidelines and indicators in your management system.
Destinations signing up for the certification program engage in a sustainability management cycle aimed at continuous improvement with periodic assessment and independent verification.
The main steps include:
1. Initial Inquiry
Submit your inquiry using our online form to express interest in the Awards Program. This allows us to assess your eligibility and provide you with detailed information on the process, requirements, and associated costs based on your destination’s size and location.
2. Engagement and reporting
Induction training on destination sustainability and applying the GD Standard, and report your compliance with the GD Standard on our Online Assessment Platform. Coaching by the GD secretariat or a local representative.
3. Evaluation
Technical check and independent audit of reported sustainability compliance.
4. Certification
A Certification Committee evaluates auditor conclusions and (upon a sufficient score), issues the GSTC Certification, which remains valid for 3 years.
5. Action planning for continuous improvement
The online assessment platform provides an Action Planning tool and good practice examples for easy planning and implementing your sustainability improvements following the independent evaluation recommendations.
GSTC Certification
Destinations may pursue GSTC-recognised certification through one of the following pathways:
Pathway 1 – Three-step approach
- GSTC Destination Certification Candidacy Status
- GSTC Sustainable Management System (SMS) – Verified Status
- GSTC-certified Destination Status
Pathway 2-1 – Two-step approach
- GSTC Destination Certification Candidacy Status
- GSTC-certified Destination Status
Pathway 2-2 – Two-step approach
- GSTC SMS-verified Destination Status
- GSTC-certified Destination Status
Each pathway follows defined eligibility requirements, verification steps, and time limits, ensuring consistency and transparency across all certification journeys.
GD Affiliate Certification Programs
Green Destinations acts as Certifier for other Certification schemes, Recognised by GSTC as being aligned with the global standard for destination sustainability. Enrolling in these programs starts with the respective partner organisations who are able to provide any guidance, training and support to prepare an application for Certification.
Mountain IDEAL
A certification scheme for mountain resorts in North America, with a number of well-known destinations certified such as Vail and Breckenridge (Colorado). It has a focus on the sustainability performance in a ski-resort context and is managed by the Walking Mountain Science Center.
Sustainability Label South Tyrol
A regional certification scheme in the bi-lingual Alpine region of Südtirol-Alto Adige in the north of Italy. Developed and managed by the regional organisation for Innovation, Development and Marketing (IDM), the South Tyrol Standard was derived from the GSTC-Destination Standard to become applicable to the regional context.
Our GSTC-Accreditation extends to these 2 schemes.
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