The GSTC criteria for attractions are the GSTC Attraction Standard version 1.0, which the Global Sustainable Tourism Council published on 14 November 2024 for theme parks, museums, national parks and other visitor attractions. It sets 42 criteria in four sections, and certification against it is given by GSTC-accredited certification bodies, a scope GSTC added to its accreditation rules in March 2026.
This guide is for attraction managers, park and heritage-site operators, and the sustainability leads preparing them for an audit.
What is the GSTC Attraction Standard?
It is GSTC's sustainability standard for the attractions sector. GSTC first called it the Attraction Criteria and now uses "standard" for all its criteria sets, so you will see both names. It was developed over 14 months, from September 2023 to November 2024, with support from the Singapore Tourism Board, and went through two public consultations.
The standard defines an attraction as a place of interest that an identifiable entity owns or manages to attract visitors. That covers recreation, leisure, natural, historical, cultural, educational and religious experiences. It is separate from the Industry Criteria used for hotels and tour operators, which GSTC split into a Hotel Standard and a Tour Operator Standard in December 2025.
The criteria say what an attraction should achieve. The performance indicators under each one say what evidence shows it. Criteria are applied as far as possible, and a criterion that does not apply in your situation can be set aside if you justify it. The current document is on GSTC's Attraction Standard page, and GSTC plans to revise it about every five years.
What do the 42 criteria cover?
The table counts the criteria in each section. The evidence column is AGS's reading of what an auditor usually asks to see, not GSTC's wording.
| Section | Criteria | What it covers | Typical evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. Effective sustainable management | 16 (A1 to A16) | Management system, legal compliance, reporting, staff, visitor experience, stakeholders, interpretation, promotion, site planning, buildings, land rights, access for all, visitor volumes, climate adaptation, risk and crisis, purchasing | Management system with 1, 3 and 5-year goals, legal register, annual sustainability report published online, visitor feedback analysis, visitor management strategy, crisis plan, purchasing policy |
| B. Social and economic benefits | 9 (B1 to B9) | Community support, local employment and suppliers, exploitation and trafficking, inclusion, decent work, community services, traditional access, code of conduct | Community contribution records, local hiring and purchasing figures, anti-exploitation policy, wage records, code of conduct with training records |
| C. Cultural heritage | 4 (C1 to C4) | Cultural interactions, protecting heritage and local access, presenting culture, artifacts | Consultation records with local and Indigenous communities, interpretation content, artifact declarations |
| D. Environment | 13 (D1.1 to D3.5) | Energy, water, greenhouse gases, transport, wastewater, waste, harmful substances, pollution, biodiversity, invasive species, wild animals, animal welfare, wildlife trade | Energy and water logs, Scope 1 and 2 inventory, waste records, chemical inventory, invasive species monitoring, animal health and welfare records |
Section D is grouped into conserving resources (D1), reducing pollution (D2) and conserving biodiversity and ecosystems (D3). Section A is twice the size of the tour operator standard's equivalent, because site planning, buildings, access and visitor volumes all sit there.
What does the standard ask of an attraction that a hotel standard does not?
Three themes run through the attraction criteria and set them apart from the hotel and tour operator standards.
The first is visitor pressure. A1 requires a visitor management strategy inside the management system, and A13 makes it a criterion of its own. The indicators ask you to track seasonal variation, traffic flow, crowd distribution and choke points, and the effect of visitor numbers on culture and nature. An auditor will expect footfall data, a reviewed strategy and records of what you changed.
The second is the site itself. A9 covers site selection and planning, including permits, community consultation, protected species and impact assessment. A11 covers land, water and property rights, with free, prior and informed consent of local and Indigenous communities. C2 adds that you must not block local residents' access to sites of cultural or spiritual value.
The third is the people on your site who are not your staff. Many attractions lease space to restaurants, shops and activity operators. A6 expects contracts with tenants and lessees to carry sustainability requirements that fit each tenant. A16 extends the purchasing policy to souvenirs, merchandise, food and temporary structures.
Risk also reaches further than in the tour operator standard. A15 asks for a risk reduction, crisis and emergency plan covering natural disasters, health, resource depletion and animal welfare, with staff training. A14 asks for a climate change adaptation plan shared with stakeholders.
What does it require if the attraction keeps animals?
Zoos, aquariums, farms, wildlife parks and any site with animal encounters carry the most specific obligations. Three criteria apply.
D3.3 covers interactions with wild animals. Feeding, touching, holding or swimming with wild animals in the wild is not allowed unless regulations permit it, and baits and other lures are excluded.
D3.4 covers animal welfare. Facilities that keep animals must be licensed where a licensing authority exists, and care staff must be qualified. Housing and care must meet species-specific standards and the Five Domains model, with health and welfare records for each animal.
The indicators go further than many operators expect. Wild animals must not be kept only for show, performance or public contact, and shows and contact with wild animals are given as prohibited examples. Zoos and aquariums must follow the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums code of ethics and hold certification to recognised zoological standards. D3.5 then rules out harvesting or trading wildlife outside regulated, sustainable activity.
Can an attraction be certified to the GSTC Attraction Standard?
GSTC does not certify businesses. It accredits certification bodies, which then certify against GSTC standards. Version 5.0 of GSTC's accreditation manual for industry, approved on 1 March 2026 and listed on its accreditation documents page, added MICE and attraction certification. Certification bodies had six months, to 5 September 2026, to move to it.
The manual sets out what an attraction audit involves. The scope must have a clear physical boundary that excludes hotel or event-venue operations on the same site. You must evaluate suppliers and subcontractors with a documented tool, and seasonal attractions are audited while open.
Rides, water activities, wildlife encounters and adventure sports make the site high-risk, which means a longer audit or more surveillance. An audit lasts more than one working day, surveillance is annual, and the default cycle is three years.
Check one point before you plan. GSTC's certification page still lists hotels, tour operators and destinations as the scopes currently available. Its list of accredited bodies, updated 24 September 2026, showed only hotel and tour operator scopes for businesses. We found no body accredited for attractions at the time of writing, so ask GSTC or a certification body for the current position.
What if the attraction is part of a hotel or sold by tour operators?
Under the same manual, a hotel may include an attraction on its premises in its hotel certification. The attraction must be wholly owned or managed by the hotel under the same management system, complementary for its guests and not promoted as a stand-alone attraction. Our guide to the GSTC Hotel Standard v4 covers that route. A stand-alone attraction is certified on its own scope.
Tour operators may also ask you for evidence. When a certified operator has an excursion certified, it must select and monitor the attractions on it, and high-risk attractions such as marine mammal parks need documents for each applicable criterion. Our guide to the GSTC criteria for tour operators explains what operators check.
How AGS can help
The GSTC Attraction Sustainability Management System contains 79 editable Microsoft Word documents. It includes a sustainability manual, a scope document, a sustainability policy and 22 procedures, among them visitor experience, tenant engagement, cultural heritage, and biodiversity and wildlife. There are 22 forms, 13 registers, 7 checklists, 6 guidance notes, 5 training documents and a document index. More kits are in the Environment, Sustainability and Occupational Safety collection.
Frequently asked questions
Does every criterion apply to a small attraction?
No. The criteria depend on the attraction's size, scale and type, and a criterion that does not apply can be set aside with a written justification. GSTC's accreditation manual can treat a locally owned site with five or fewer staff and a single activity, such as a gallery or a walking trail, as extremely low-risk.
Is the Attraction Early Adopter Program a form of certification?
No. It is a two-year programme that started in June 2025 to test how the standard is applied. GSTC states that taking part is not a mark of assurance such as certification.
Does the standard cover visitor health and safety?
Yes. A1 includes health, safety, risk and crisis issues in the management system, and A2 covers legal compliance, including health, safety, labour and animal welfare law.
Does buying documentation mean the attraction will be certified?
No. Documents are a starting point. Certification depends on how the system runs and on the certification body's audit findings.
AGS provides independent documentation toolkits. This guide and the referenced documents are prepared to support GSTC Attraction Standard requirements. They are not affiliated with, endorsed by or approved by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council or any certification body, and they do not guarantee any certification outcome.
Reviewed October 2026. Facts checked against the sources current at publication.
