About EarthCheck Sustainable Destinations

EarthCheck Sustainable Destination’s certification gives travellers the confidence that certified destinations and precincts are backed by a commitment to sustainable, high-quality tourism experiences.

Our rigorous science-backed, people-focused certification process has been taken on by the world’s most visited and loved destinations for over three decades.

EarthCheck’s sustainability experts work with you to:

• Create your destination’s sustainability authority
  
• Establish your Environmental, Cultural, Social, and Economic Sustainability Policy
  
• Benchmark your destination or precinct
  
• Certify your destination or precinct
• Audit and promote your certification level annually

It means your destination and its stakeholders have a defined, actionable pathway to gaining and maintaining its sustainability certification.

But most importantly EarthCheck Sustainable Destinations can actively demonstrate their commitment to providing exceptional, sustainable travel experiences.

The process

1. Creating your Destination Authority

No matter where you are globally, EarthCheck’s experts help you engage stakeholders, appoint a destination representative for the certification process, and workshop your sustainability aspirations and goals so all parties are on the same page. EarthCheck’s Relationship Management team works closely with the destination representative to assist with the submission.

2. Your Environmental, Cultural, Social, and Economic Sustainability Policy

We’ll help you devise your destination Environmental, Cultural, Social, and Economic Sustainability Policy. This is where your destination or precinct commits to a sustainability pathway, and takes action on it.

3. Benchmarking and Performance Tracking

We’ll track your destination’s performance in real time, identify any critical issues and benchmark you across:

• Energy efficiency, conservation and management
• Greenhouse gas emissions
• Air quality protection, noise control, & light pollution
• Management of freshwater resources
• Wastewater management, drainage and streams
• Ecosystem conservation and management
• Land use planning and development
• Transport
• Solid waste management
• Management of environmentally harmful substances
• Cultural and social management
• Economic management

Our experts document the findings so you know where your destination stands. This is where you can reach your EarthCheck Bronze Benchmarked status.

4. Implement your new management system

We’ll help your destination implement your sustainabaility management system. EarthCheck has criteria, guides, templates and people to guide your teams and departments through the process. Once implemented teams and individuals can easily measure and manage the sustainability activities of your destination.

You’re now ready for certification.

5. Certification

EarthCheck’s independent auditors will visit your destination and you’ll receive an audit report that shows your performance against the EarthCheck Sustainable Destination Standard.

If you meet the requirements, your destination will be awarded certification and use of the EarthCheck Certified logo to promote your achievement. And your certification level is upgraded the longer it’s maintained.

Marketing and communication tools are provided to assist your destination to spread the news of your certification.

Why this is good for business

• A better-operating destination tends to be more efficient and is reported to lead to more engaged and supportive residents and visitors.
  
• Certification can provide a marketing advantage to certified destinations, as consumers learn to recognise credible certification brands. This in turn can encourage high-yield visitation by offering visitors an easy way of determining where genuine and authentic experiences are found.
  
• Certification provides visitors and guests with environmentally and socially responsible choices.
  
• Certification helps governments protect their market niches as sustainable tourism destinations, especially when the credibility of the destination is threatened by greenwashing.
  
• By channelling economic benefits to communities, certification can help reduce poverty, especially in rural areas.

Why this is good for the planet

Destinations need to mitigate the negative impacts of exponential tourism growth, while still embracing the positives it delivers. Travellers seek genuine sustainability commitments from destinations. By becoming an EarthCheck Sustainable Destination, you’ll deliver for them, and your stakeholders who expect science-backed, sustainable tourism policy and procedure from their leaders.

By fully understanding a destination’s footprint, destination authorities, advocacy bodies and government at all levels can make informed decisions that enable tourism and investment, without harming the location that delivers it.

And you’ll be seen as a leading destination with a framework that drives real sustainability results, year after year.