Organizations announce guidelines for sustainable tourism

BARCELONA (AP) — A coalition of 27 organizations called the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria Partnership on Monday issued criteria for sustainable tourism at a conference in Barcelona. The guidelines are available at SustainableTourismCriteria.org. They focus on four areas: maximizing tourism's social and economic benefits to local communities; reducing negative impacts on cultural heritage; reducing harm to local environments; and planning for sustainability. "Consumers deserve widely accepted standards to distinguish green from greenwashed. These criteria will allow true certification of sustainable practices in hotels and resorts as well as other travel suppliers," said Jeff Glueck, chief marketing officer of Travelocity, a member of the GSTC Partnership. The partnership was initiated by the United Nations Foundation... [read full story]