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GSTC Quiz

GLOBAL SUSTAINABLE TOURISM CRITERIA (GSTC) Self-Assessment

A. Demonstrate Effective Sustainable Management

Has your business implemented a long-term sustainability management system:

Specifically:

1.1. Is it suitable to its reality and scale?	Yes \| No
1.2. Does it consider environmental issues?	Yes \| No
1.3. Does it consider sociocultural issues?	Yes \| No
1.4. Does it consider quality issues?	Yes \| No
1.5. Does it consider health and safety issues?	Yes \| No

Is your company in compliance with all relevant international or local legislation and regulations (including, among others, health, safety, labour, and environmental aspects)?

Yes | No

Have all personnel received periodic training regarding their role in the management of environmental, sociocultural, health, and safety practices?

Yes | No

Is customer satisfaction measured and corrective action taken where appropriate?

Yes | No

Are all promotional materials accurate, complete, and do not promise more than can be delivered by the business?

Yes | No

Do the design and construction of buildings and infrastructure consider environmental impacts by:

6.1. Complying with local zoning and protected or heritage area requirements?	Yes \| No
6.2. Respecting the natural or cultural heritage surroundings in siting, design, impact assessment, and land rights and acquisition?	Yes \| No
6.3. Using locally appropriate principles of sustainable construction?	Yes \| No
6.4. Providing access for persons with special needs?	Yes \| No

Is information about and interpretation of the natural surroundings, local culture, and cultural heritage provided to customers?

Yes | No

Are customers given information about appropriate behaviour while visiting natural areas, living cultures, and cultural heritage sites?

Yes | No

B. Maximize Social and Economic Benefits to the Local Community and Minimize Negative Impacts

Does your company actively support initiatives for social and infrastructure community development including, among others, education, health, and sanitation?

Yes | No

10.

Are local residents employed, including in management positions?

Yes | No

11.

Is training for local residents offered as necessary?

Yes | No

12.

Are local and/or fair trade services and goods purchased by the business where available?

Yes | No

13.

Does the company offer the means for local small entrepreneurs to develop and sell sustainable products that are based on the area's nature, history, and culture (including food and drink, crafts, performance arts, agricultural products, etc.)?

Yes | No

14.

14.1. Have you developed a code of conduct for activities in indigenous and local communities?	Yes \| No
14.2. With the consent of and in collaboration with the community?	Yes \| No

15.

Has your company implemented a policy against commercial exploitation, particularly of children and adolescents?

Yes | No

16.

Has your company implemented a policy against commercial sexual exploitation, particularly of children and adolescents?

Yes | No

17.

Is your company equitable in hiring women and local minorities, including in management positions, while restraining child labour?

Yes | No

18.

Is the international or national legal protection of employees respected?

Yes | No

19.

Are employees paid a living wage?

Yes | No

20.

Does the company ensure that the company's activities do not jeopardize the provision of basic services, such as water, energy, or sanitation, to neighbouring communities?

Yes | No

C. Maximize Benefits to Cultural Heritage and Minimize Negative Impacts
21.	Does the company follow established guidelines or a code of behaviour for visits to culturally or historically sensitive sites in order to minimize visitor impact and maximize enjoyment?	Yes \| No
22.	Does your company ensure that historical and archeological artifacts are not sold, traded, or displayed, except as permitted by law?	Yes \| No
23.	Does the business contribute to the protection of local historical, archeological, culturally, and spiritually important properties and sites and ensure that access to them by local residents is not impeded?	Yes \| No
24.	Does the business use elements of local art, architecture, or cultural heritage in its operations, design, decoration, food, or shops while respecting the intellectual property rights of local communities?	Yes \| No

D. Maximize Benefits to the Environment and Minimize Negative Impacts

25.

Does your business conserve resources?

Specifically:

25.1. Does the purchasing policy favor environmentally friendly products for building materials, capital goods, food, and consumables?	Yes \| No
25.2. Is the purchase of disposable and consumable goods measured?	Yes \| No
25.3. Does the business actively seek ways to reduce their use?	Yes \| No
25.4. Is energy consumption measured, sources indicated, and are measures taken to decrease overall consumption?	Yes \| No
25.5. Is the use of renewable energy encouraged?	Yes \| No
25.6. Is water consumption measured and sources indicated?	Yes \| No
25.7. Are measures taken to decrease overall water consumption?	Yes \| No

26.

Does your business reduce pollution?

Specifically:

26.1. Are greenhouse gas emissions from all sources controlled by the business measured?	Yes \| No
26.2. Are procedures implemented to reduce and offset them as a way to achieve climate neutrality?	Yes \| No
26.3. Is wastewater, including gray water, treated effectively and reused where possible?	Yes \| No
26.4. Is a solid waste management plan implemented, with quantitative goals to minimize waste that is not reused or recycled?	Yes \| No
26.5. Is the use of harmful substances, including pesticides, paints, swimming pool disinfectants, and cleaning materials, minimized and substituted, when available, by innocuous products and is all chemical use properly managed?	Yes \| No
26.6. Does the business implement practices to reduce pollution from:
26.6.1. Noise?	Yes \| No
26.6.2. Light?	Yes \| No
26.6.3. Runoff?	Yes \| No
26.6.4. Erosion?	Yes \| No
26.6.5. Ozone-depleting compounds?	Yes \| No
26.6.6. Air and soil contaminants?	Yes \| No

27.

Does the business conserve biodiversity, ecosystems and landscapes?

Specifically:

27.1. Are wildlife species only harvested from the wild, consumed, displayed, sold, or internationally traded, as part of a regulated activity that ensures that their utilization is sustainable?	Yes \| No
27.2. Is no captive wildlife held, except for properly regulated activities, and are living specimens of protected wildlife species only kept by those authorized and suitably equipped to house and care for them?	Yes \| No
27.3. Does the business use native species for landscaping and restoration and take measures to avoid the introduction of invasive alien species?	Yes \| No
27.4. Does the business contribute to the support of biodiversity conservation, including supporting natural protected areas and areas of high biodiversity value?	Yes \| No
27.5. Does the business ensure that interactions with wildlife do not produce adverse effects on the viability of populations in the wild?	Yes \| No
27.6. Is any disturbance of natural ecosystems minimized, rehabilitated, and is there a compensatory contribution to conservation management?	Yes \| No