Sustainable Tourism Law

238 SUSTAINABLE TOURISM LAW In this respect, the appropriate legislation and tourism policies should be in place to ensure that developments which uphold sustainable principles also contribute to how they could be implemented. As shall be discussed hereunder, any given legislation should manifestly reflect the importance being given to sustainable development which is tangible, whilst encouraging effective development thereof. Per se , any legislation should promote improvements for sustainable development and, consequently, should not be regarded as a detriment for the advancement and enhancement of this sector. The stakeholders in this sector, whilst adhering to such laws, must also be encouraged to appreciate such legal provisions and promote the attainment of a better environment, which ultimately is deemed beneficial for all concerned. III. GSTC INDUSTRY CRITERIA – HOTELS INDICATORS One of the significant contributors to this field is the “Global Sustainable Tourism Council” (GSTC) which has defined the criteria for – (1) Hotels and (2) Tour Operators. The GSTC Industry Criteria and Suggested Indicators for Hotels and other providers for accommodation “were created in an effort to come to a common understanding of sustainable tourism, and are the minimum that a hotel (or any type of built accommodations) business should aspire to reach ”. The GSTC Criteria are organized under four main themes, which are as follows: (a) effective sustainability planning; (b) maximizing social and economic benefits for the local community; (c) enhancing cultural heritage; and (d) reducing negative impacts to the environment. The criteria referred above promote the minimum requirements for any tourism business to adhere to in order to achieve “sustainable tourism”. They are based on the “Standard-Setting Code of the International Social and Environmental Accreditation and Labelling (ISEAL) Alliance”, which is the recognised body for the provision of expertise and guidance on international norms for developing sustainability standards in all sectors. These GSTC criteria serve as the basis for sustainability certification. In this respect, they also serve as guidelines for businesses, including the hotel industry,