Good Travel Seal
About the Good Travel Seal Certification
Who is this program for?
Tourism-related businesses and DMOs
Certificate Validity
2 years
Cost
Fees vary according to the number of employees or size of establishment
A trusted sustainability certification for tourism businesses
The Good Travel Seal (GTS) is an independent sustainability certification for tourism businesses, designed to help businesses communicate their environmental and social performance credibly, transparently, and in line with European regulatory expectations.
The Good Travel Seal certifies that a tourism business complies with clearly defined sustainability requirements and is entitled to use a recognised sustainability label, based on independent third-party verification. By choosing the Good Travel Seal, tourism businesses demonstrate sustainability performance that can be trusted by consumers, partners, and regulators.
The certification addresses both environmental and social sustainability characteristics, supporting transparency for consumers and business partners.
The 10 themes of our Good Travel Seal criteria
Food & Products
Reducing Pollution
Caring for People
Caring for Water
Good Employment
Caring for Nature
Caring for Climate
Caring for Culture
Reducing Waste
Management & Info
The Good Travel Seal operates worldwide thanks to our unique partnership with local representatives and partner organisations supporting and offering the program. This enables us to offer the certification in YOUR language. All certified businesses receive the certification decision, a list of recommendations, the GTS Seal, Certificate, and Performance Scorecard.
How does the Good Travel Seal work?
Reporting
Upon registration and payment, you will receive a login to our Good Travel Seal Online Platform and a guide on how to proceed. You will see the +/- 59 criteria and checks of the GTS for Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs), for each criterion you can find guidance in the platform. You will be invited to summarise what you do to meet each of the criteria, and you are also invited to submit documents that are important for the auditor to understand what you do for sustainable and responsible tourism.
Assessment
The information on the platform will then be assessed by a team of experts, who will evaluate your performance against the criteria and checks. You will receive feedback on how to improve your performance and your reporting.
Audit
If you achieve a compliance of more than 75%, an independent auditor will verify your reporting by checking your business. The audit will be carried out online (via video call) or on-site, alternating every 2-3 years.
Certification
The findings of the audit are used to make a final certification decision. If the result is sufficient (90% or higher), you will be awarded with the certification. You will receive a list of recommendations, a seal, a certificate, and a scorecard.
Benefits of participation
Financial Benefits
By participating in the Good Travel Seal, your business will save on energy and water consumption, as well as waste disposal costs. On top of that, the GTS also offers you a best-price guarantee on your engagement for 2 years. We don’t charge any registration cost.
Happier Guests = Higher Ratings
Certified businesses receive better reviews and ratings. Happier guests and higher ratings will bring you more visitors. This proves that certification boosts both the management and the quality of services.
Show What You Do
Another benefit of the Good Travel Seal is our full transparency. You will be able to show your customers in which areas you do well. A label alone is not enough, but showing your overall performance is a great strategy!
Environment Efficiency
Certified businesses use 19% less water, produce 24% less waste and 10% less CO2 than non-certified businesses. This is good not only for the environment, but also for the company’s profits.
Promotion & Visibility
Traditional certification programs are not promoting your business. With the Good Travel Seal, your business will be featured in the Good Travel Guide, Sustainable First, Ecohotels.com, Tourism 2030 and Booking.com, providing travellers with easy ways to explore the sustainable offering of destinations.
How the Good Travel Seal meets EU and ISO expectations
The Good Travel Seal is aligned with the EU Empowering Consumers Directive, the Travalyst Certifications Initiative criteria, and internationally recognised certification principles, including ISO/IEC 17065.
1. Open, fair, and transparent access
The Good Travel Seal is open to all tourism businesses worldwide that are willing and able to meet the certification requirements.
2. Expert-led and stakeholder-informed standards
The Good Travel Seal requirements are developed and maintained by Green Destinations in consultation with independent sustainability experts and relevant stakeholders.
3. Clear rules for non-compliance
The Good Travel Seal applies documented procedures for addressing non-compliance, safeguarding the credibility of the label.
4. Independent third-party verification
Compliance with the Good Travel Seal requirements is verified through objective, independent third-party assessment.
For a more detailed explanation of how our certification aligns with these criteria please refer to this document:
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If you are interested in learning more about this program, do not hesitate to register here