Japan Sustainable Tourism Standard for Destinations gets GSTC recognition
April 8, 2021
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) is pleased to announce that the Japan Sustainable Tourism Standard for Destinations (JSTS-D) has achieved the ‘GSTC-Recognised Standard’ status.
Based on the GSTC Criteria for Destinations, the JSTS-D was developed by Japan Tourism Agency (JTA), Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism during 2019.
Consisting of 47 criteria with added Japan-specific features, the standard development committee consisted of academia along with representatives of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Japan National Tourism Office (JNTO), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA), local governments, JTA departments, and was chaired by Dr Kumi Kato - who last year was elected to the GSTC Board of Directors by GSTC’s members. JSTS-D was compiled as a comprehensive booklet, including a range of resources, how-to use manual, good practices, glossary, templates, and useful links.
As part of the development and implementation project, a national survey was conducted among Japan’s 1765 local governments to benchmark the state of sustainability nationally.
Welcoming the Standard, GSTC Chief Executive, Randy Durband stated “JTA has taken a very organised and systematic approach to helping the hundreds of destinations within Japan to operate more sustainably.
“That includes applying standards that comply with the GSTC Criteria, training destination managers holistically on sustainable management practices, and developing an entire system of rewards and support for continuous improvement.”
Ono Hajime, JTA’s Chief Official - Office of Director for Travel Promotion, added “we will continue to promote JSTS-D in Japan, respecting the GSTC’s philosophy, so that we can proudly claim to be ‘a sustainable tourism nation’ to the world.”
With GSTC-Recognised status offering the market a proof that these standards adhere to international norms, currently, 12 destination standards, 32 hotel standards, and 16 tour operator standards have achieved the accolade.
Related Articles
2nd March 2021 - Sustainable Spa Association reveals that a third of spa businesses contribute to United Nations SDGs
18th February 2021 - Report from New Zealand’s Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment urges move to sustainable tourism
13th February 2021 - Singapore sets sustainable targets for next 10 years
3rd November 2020 - Koh Lanta transforms into one of Thailand’s most sustainable tourism destinations
26th October 2020 - Sustainable event advocates release global guidelines for best practice of reusables at events
28th July 2020 - Virtual gathering at Asia’s largest sustainable tourism event pushes for environmental action
3rd March 2020 - Saudi Arabian sustainable development appoints Foster + Partners as Architectural Advisors
26th February 2020 - NEOM adopts pioneering technology for sustainable desalination
18th December 2019 - Asia Pacific Spa and Wellness Coalition looks to help sector meet United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
6th November 2019 - Dubai venue to host 100% environmentally sustainable rock concert
28th October 2019 - University of South Australia research focuses on sustainable tourism
24th September 2019 - 1,000 delegates attend Phuket sustainable tourism event
1st May 2019 - Japan National Tourism Organisation looks to expand marketing across Australasia
26th April 2012 - Japanese tourism agency says industry closing in on pre March 2011 activity levels
21st May 2012 - JNTO commences snow promotion
