Singapore Tourism Board unveils initiatives to elevate its sustainability journey

November 15, 2024

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has unveiled two pioneering initiatives to accelerate its sustainability journey and support the Singapore Green Plan 2030.

The first is the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) Attraction Criteria, the world’s first global standard specifically designed for attractions; the second is the MICE Venue Sustainability Playbook, a comprehensive guide to enhancing green practices in the Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) industry.

These were announced by Minister of State for Trade & Industry, and Culture, Community and Youth, Mr Alvin Tan this week, at the GSTC Global Sustainable Tourism Conference. This is the first time Singapore is hosting the event, which is a platform for organisations and individuals passionate about sustainable travel and tourism to exchange ideas, foster collaboration and forge partnerships.

STB Chief Sustainability Officer, Ong Huey Hong advised “these initiatives are pivotal in positioning Singapore as a leading sustainable urban destination and demonstrating our commitment to sustainability. By developing world-class standards and providing the industry with practical tools, we are not only enhancing our own tourism sector but also contributing to global sustainability efforts in tourism."

GSTC Attraction Criteria
The GSTC Criteria serves as the global standard for sustainability in tourism, and is used for education and awareness-raising, policy making for businesses, organisations and government agencies’ measurement and evaluation, and as a basis for certification.

Developed with support from STB, the GSTC Attraction Criteria aims to serve as the global sustainability standard for attractions and provides a common understanding of sustainable practices for attractions worldwide. This is the first-ever global standard specifically designed for attractions. Attractions can expect to apply for the certification in early 2026, after the onboarding and GSTC accreditation of certification bodies in 2025.

As part of the development of the GSTC Attraction Criteria, STB, the Association of Singapore Attractions (ASA) and other international organisations joined the GSTC's Attraction Criteria Advisory Group. The group provided feedback and consultation during the development of the Criteria. Additionally, professionals and practitioners in the attractions industry, as well as members of the public, were involved in shaping these criteria during the development process.

The GSTC Attraction Criteria is the latest set of Criteria following those developed for hotels and tour operators, destinations and MICE.

On the unveiling of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) Attraction Criteria, GSTC Chief Executive Randy Durband noted that it marked a significant step forward and the culmination of 14 months of collaboration and dedication adding “we deeply appreciate the contributions of STB, who has made this possible. Together, let's embrace this opportunity to lead the attractions sector towards a more sustainable path."

MICE Venue Sustainability Playbook
In 2023, Singapore pioneered a national MICE Industry Carbon and Waste Baseline exercise, making it one of the first countries in the world to do so. As venues are a vital part of the MICE ecosystem, the exercise was an aggregated baseline of sustainability data points from Singapore's six purpose-built MICE venues, focusing on energy, water and waste. The baseline provides a consistent set of emissions data that can be monitored annually, allowing STB and the industry to better study and improve waste and carbon emissions management. Key findings reveal that the average MICE venue-related carbon emissions per attendee stands at 14.13kg carbon dioxide, with energy consumption accounting for 94% of MICE venue-related emissions.

With the insights gained from this exercise, STB has launched the MICE Venue Sustainability Playbook, which can help MICE venues manage their carbon emissions. The Playbook is designed to offer practical recommendations for MICE venues to enhance their energy efficiency, waste management, and water conservation efforts, in line with advancing their sustainability ambitions.

The playbook features a decarbonisation framework, best practices from purpose-built MICE venues and international counterparts, and a consolidation of whole-of-government support schemes to drive decarbonisation across Singapore's MICE venues.

Encouraging more environmentally-friendly events
In May this year, STB launched its Legacy Toolkit, designed to assist meeting planners and business event organisers better understand legacy and impact, and embark on creating their own.

Leveraging this toolkit, STB will pilot an incentive programme at the GSTC Global Sustainable Tourism Conference in Singapore. To reinforce STB's commitment to supporting the reduction of carbon emissions at business events, delegates at the GSTC Conference have been encouraged to offset the carbon footprint from their air travel, by purchasing quality carbon credits through a credible offset project.

Delegates who do so will receive a pre-loaded value souvenir card which can be used for public transportation in Singapore. This initiative aims to create awareness of the carbon emissions impact of air travel and encourage delegates to take ownership of their own emissions, thereby fostering a greener, more sustainable delegate journey from start to end.

Singapore MICE Sustainability Certification Framework is GSTC-Recognised
Developed by Singapore Association of Convention & Exhibition Organisers & Suppliers (SACEOS), with the support of STB and in consultation with industry players, the Singapore MICE Sustainability Certification (MSC) Framework was launched early this year. The standards for MICE Event Organisers and Venues within the Framework are now GSTC-Recognised. This marks the first MICE standard that is recognised by GSTC for aligning with the GSTC MICE Criteria.

SACEOS President, Richard Ireland noted "It is a great achievement for the Singapore MSC Framework to be GSTC-Recognised. This validation not only reinforces Singapore's MICE industry's commitment to sustainability, but also ensures that the Framework is pegged to a high global standard."

Progress on industry-specific Sustainability Roadmaps
STB has been making good progress on its sustainability goals and just last month emerged as the top Asia Pacific destination and the seventh globally, in the Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDS-I) 2024 rankings. There has been a concerted effort by STB and the industry towards achieving the targets set out in the MICE and Hotel Sustainability Roadmaps, and both continue to work closely to achieve them.

These efforts, combined with the new GSTC Attraction Criteria and MICE Venue Sustainability Playbook, underscore Singapore's holistic approach to becoming a leading sustainable urban destination.

Singapore Green Plan 2030

MICE Venue Sustainability Playbook

Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) Attraction Criteria

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